June 1 is the start of meteorological summer. In MMA circles, June 1 starts the summer of competitive violence. The sport’s top promotion, the UFC, starts off this three-month stretch of action with the first of two pay-per-view events in the month of the summer solstice.
On June 29, Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) squares off against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), formerly the Bellator MMA Lightweight Champion, in a nontitle showcase affair at welterweight from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena in UFC 303. This Saturday night, however, Newark, NJ is the epicenter of the MMA world when Prudential Center plays host to UFC 302.