To say that the UFC 300 headliner was hastily slapped together would be an understatement.
After months of speculation, Dana White revealed that the landmark event’s featured bout will pit reigning light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira against former titleholder Jamahal Hill. The announcement was met with a resounding “meh” from fight fans who were expecting something much better from White and Co.
Hill — who was forced to vacate the 205-pound belt in July after sustaining a ruptured Achilles — revealed that he had agreed to the fight on Friday, a mere 24 hours before the UFC CEO announced it on social media.
“I found out for sure, for sure that it was locked in since I’ve been in here,” Hill told Aaron Bronsteter during a backstage interview at UFC 298. “When I got to the venue, we talked about it, and I agreed to it yesterday [Friday].
“Look, ‘Sweet Dreams’ is not gonna lie to the people, I ain’t lie to you guys. I told you what I knew – partially. …Everybody wants to be on [UFC] 300, but realistically, it didn’t really come on my radar, it didn’t really happen until yesterday, I’m not even going to lie, yesterday.”
Hill on when being in the UFC 300 main event became a possibility: "Everybody wants to be on 300, but realistically, it didn't really come on my radar, it didn't really happen until yesterday, I'm not even going to lie, yesterday." pic.twitter.com/M4anDrcMuw
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) February 18, 2024
Given how underwhelming the announcement was received, it should come as no surprise that the promotion practically slapped together its main event for what is being heavily advertised as one of the biggest events of all time.
Still, UFC 300 is sure to deliver. Though the main event may be a little lacking in the star power that fans were hoping for, the event is stacked top-to-bottom with can’t-miss matchups.
With only one fight yet to be announced, here is how UFC 300 stacks up thus far:
UFC 300 Main Card:
- Alex Pereira(c) vs. Jamahal Hill – UFC light heavyweight championship
- Zhang Weili(c) vs. Xiaonan Yan – UFC strawweight championship
- Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – BMF title fight
- Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Prelim Card:
- Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
- Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison
- Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff
- Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
As always, the card is subject to change.
