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UFC 300 was the biggest show in MMA history. There was a lot going on with the show leading up to the weekend - from excitement to speculation to complaints about the announcement of the main event and everything in between. In the end, though, UFC 300 put on an excellent show that was jam packed with banger after banger. They didn’t hesitate to get into the action on Saturday, so let’s get straight to the results ourselves…
Main Card
Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill via first-round KO (3:14) to retain the Light Heavyweight Championship
Zhang Weili def. Yan Xiaonan via unanimous decision (49-45 x3) to retain the Women’s Strawweight Championship
Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via KO (R5, 4:59) to win the BMF Title
Arman Tsarukyan def. Charles Oliveira via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Bo Nickal def. Cody Brundage via sub (RNC) (R2, 3:38)
Prelims
Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic via second-round TKO (3:17)
Aljamain Sterling def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Kayla Harrison def. Holly Holm via sub (RNC) (R2, 1:47)
Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff via first-round TKO (1:29)
Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner via second-round TKO (4:11)
Jessica Andrade def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Bobby Green def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 29-26)
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt via sub (RNC) (R2, 4:02)
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
This was a fantastic way to start the night. With both men wanting to move up the rankings and make their case for a future title shot, they came out ready to fight. Cody Garbrandt looked light on his feet to start and had the fight paced the way he wanted. Figueiredo was defending well, but Cody looked one clean shot away from a knockdown or even a knockout. Figueiredo, though, utilized his advantage on the ground to change levels and get Cody down. Once he did that, Cody was unable to defend the choke. This was a great win for Deiveson Figueiredo who continues to build his resume for a title shot. While it’ll be back to the drawing board for Cody Garbrandt, he is just one punch away from a big victory the next time out.
Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
This was a bloody mess with Bobby Green teeing off on Jim Miller’s face. Credit where credit is due, though - Jim Miller hung in there the entire time until the last moments when Bobby Green just slightly ran out of time in getting a finish. While this will go down in the history books as a unanimous decision in Bobby Green’s favor, if he was facing just about anyone else - it’d probably be a KO/TKO. Jim Miller is one tough person. Jim Miller continued to make history as the only person to fight on UFC 100, 200, and 300. Unfortunately for him, though, his UFC 300 memory will be a ridiculously battered face at the hands of the lethal Bobby Green. After the fight, Bobby Green called out Paddy Pimblett. We will see if the UFC makes this happen, but it’ll be an interesting matchup for both men.
Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
This was a really fun fight that many people had a hard time judging. In the end, Jessica Andrade got the split decision victory in a war. Marina Rodriguez had her moments once she got comfortable and found her range. Had she used her length more, she could have found herself on the winning side of this in a clear fashion. However, Andrade was able to use her power nicely, both on her feet and on the ground, to do just enough to squeeze out a win. I don’t blame anyone for picking Rodriguez, though. This was close.
Renato Moicano vs. Jalin Turner
You have to fight until the bell or until the referee intervenes. Jalin Turner had a beautiful knockdown, but it wasn’t a knockout. Sure, a walk away KO would have been an awesome moment on this monumental card, but you have to make sure the win is secured. Unfortunately for Jalin Turner, Renato Moicano made a miraculous recovery, survived the first round and utilized his high tier ground game to get the victory in the second round. Moicano has truly been his nickname, “Money,” lately. He now has a few nice wins strung together and, if he keeps using his great Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is becoming a force in the division.
Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff
The rise of Diego Lopes has been a lot of fun. He has become a quick fan favorite and if it wasn’t already, his star potential was definitely seen on Saturday. He has the look, the charisma, and the fighting style that the fans love and the UFC is excited to get behind. In just a year, Lopes has shown that he has what it takes to be a big star and, even more importantly, a major threat in the division. With a number next to his name, Lopes is now poised to continue his climb up the division. The step up in competition will be the biggest test, but if Diego Lopes can do what he has been doing over the last year, he has a great chance at going after the title within the next handful of fights. He has not been shy about trying to avenge his loss against Movsar Evloev, so it’ll be interesting to see if the UFC can make that happen.
Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm
This was a great UFC debut for Kayla Harrison. Coming into the fight, there was a lot of excitement and questions for Kayla. Obviously, she was a highly decorated Judo star and had a pretty dominant career outside of the UFC. However, all of that is basically hype until you can prove things in the Octagon. Plus, Kayla Harrison had never fought at 135 and there was a concern that she wouldn’t be able to get down to the weight. On top of all that, she was taking on the tough veteran Holly Holm who has killed hype before. All worries and concerns were forgotten about quickly, though, as Kayla Harrison made relatively easy work of Holly Holm. Harrison rehydrated beautifully and looked big on Saturday, using that size to bring Holly Holm to the ground multiple times and get the victory in the second round. It was impressive and showcased that Kayla Harrison is not only worthy of being in the UFC, but not far away from going for the title. Not only that, but word on the street is that this fight raised Amanda Nunes’ eyebrows enough to get the idea flowing for a possible return. That would be a big time fight that I’d love to see.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar
This was a big fight for both Sterling and Kattar. Sterling was moving up in weight and Kattar was coming back from a long layoff. Both men went into the Octagon with something to prove. While Sterling got the clear win by decision, many fight fans weren’t thrilled with how the fight went - calling it boring, as they have with some of Sterling’s previous fights. Even though Sterling didn’t win over many fight fans, he did what he needed to do to secure the victory. He also looked huge despite coming up in weight and had no issues taking Kattar to the ground and keeping him there. I don’t think anyone is clamoring for the next Aljamain Sterling fight, but he did prove that his wrestling could pose problems in his new division. He ended up calling out Brian Ortega for his next fight, so we will see if the UFC obliges. If they do, a win over Ortega would catapult Sterling up the rankings - exciting fights or not.
Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Well, if you weren’t thrilled with the previous fight, Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic did their job in waking you up. What a war! Aleksandar Rakic came back from a long layoff and completely decimated Jiri’s front leg. Prochazka was having trouble moving around and was taking hard shots because of it. Rakic was working towards a beautiful win in his return…and then Jiri Prochazka decided to become a punching zombie. Something clicked in the second round and Jiri just started coming forward and didn’t stop until he got the TKO. Jiri Prochazka feels that, with this win, he’s in line to get a rematch for the Light Heavyweight title. There will be some red tape to get through, but he definitely made a strong case with this win. For Rakic, he might have lost this fight, but fight fans are already excited to see him again.
Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
There were a lot of complaints over this fight being on the Main Card with many feeling that other fights that were on the Prelims were more deserving. It’s very clear, though, that the UFC is behind a Bo Nickal push and wanted to put him in a position to be featured. I don’t hate it. MMA should be a buffet of matchups anyway and I watch the entire card no matter what. Either way, it’s not up for me to decide. As long as Bo Nickal keeps deserving some shine, then the UFC can do whatever they want with him. What I’m worried about is what all the talk is doing to Bo Nickal. He clearly has high level wrestling skills and is doing his best to develop a well-rounded attack. However, as we saw on Saturday - after a solid win, he was upset with his performance despite it being quite solid. I think, in some ways, he might be too hard on himself because of the position he is put in by the company. He gets the job done, though. He’ll have the chance to continue his run, but the competition is going to get tougher and tougher fast. Cody Brundage was a good test, though, and proved that Bo Nickal can rise to the occasion - especially under the intense spotlight of UFC 300.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira
This was a highly anticipated Lightweight Division matchup between two of the best at 155. There was a lot at stake, as the winner of this fight earned the right to make a strong claim to go against the current Lightweight Champion - Islam Makhachev. A split decision gave Arman Tsarukyan that right. While Arman feels like the decision should have been unanimous, it certainly was close. Charles Oliveira did what he does best and used his jiu jitsu to get Arman into compromising situations that almost yielded a submission. Tsarukyan is tough, though, and was able to use his strength to power out of scary situations and have enough output to sway two of the three judges. The win gave him an immediate title fight offer…which he turned down, saying that it would be too soon to go back into war in just two short months. I don’t blame him, but the UFC is a business and they went to the next guy and set up Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier for UFC 302. Arman will be waiting in the wings, watching closely, to see who he’ll face next.
Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje
If you think the BMF Championship is just an arbitrary title, well…you are probably right. However, if you think two crazy, badass motherfuckers aren’t going to go out into the Octagon and do battle over the BMF moniker, then you better take a look at what Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje did on Saturday. What did they do exactly? They beat the shit out of each other for 25 minutes because they are badass motherfuckers. They probably would have done so for longer had Justin Gaethje’s head not smashed onto the canvas milliseconds before the final bell. Before that moment, both Max and Justin put on a BMF showcase for the ages. Holloway broke Gaethje’s nose early in the fight and then poked Justin in both of his eyes. A broken nose and two eye pokes would make most mortal men just stop and take a beating. Gaethje, though, kept going after Holloway, taking his lumps and dishing out some along the way. The last ten seconds…I wish I could experience it again for the first time. No matter how many times I watch it back, I will never be able to feel what I felt while watching Max Holloway, who was clearly up in the scorecards, demand that Justin Gaethje finish the fight in the middle of the Octagon in a fist throwing melee. Gaethje never has to be asked twice to throw hands and they went at it for ten beautiful seconds before Holloway landed the perfect shot that put Gaethje on his head and out of a win with only 1 second remaining. Hollywood could not write a better ending.
Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan
Zhang Weili basically won this fight twice. She got the unanimous decision in the end, but she also choked out Yan Xiaonan at the end of the first round before Yan was saved by the bell. After being woken up between rounds, Yan did have her moments against Weili. This ended up being quite the battle, but Zhang Weili did a great job of controlling the fight at the right moments, taking Yan down multiple times, and using her strength to get the judges’ nod.
Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
This main event for the Light Heavyweight Title had one of the few chippy moments during the week when Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill had a couple of back and forths on the microphone and in interviews. As always with an Alex Pereira fight, the faceoffs and introductions were intense. I give credit to anyone who stands across the Octagon from him - he’s a scary dude. What made him even scarier during this fight was the fact that he completely brushed off a cup shot, told Herb Dean to step back, and then knocked Jamahal Hill out moments later. Coupled with his pose after the first round KO, this moment will be replayed for years to come. As Pereira’s legend continues to grow, he teased the idea of moving up to Heavyweight. Honestly, if anyone can do it, it’s probably Alex Pereira. He’s huge and dangerous.
Other Moments and News
During the broadcast, it was announced (along with a great video package) that the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen fight from UFC 117 will be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame. Although a positive test ruined rematch plans a bit, this was an excellent moment with Silva pulling out the late victory after almost losing to the trash talking Sonnen.
During the post-fight press conference, Dana White announced some big fights for UFC 302 and 303. At UFC 302, Sean Strickland will face Paulo Costa and Islam Makhachev will defend his title against Dustin Poirier. At UFC 303, we get the fight we have been anticipating for over a year - Michael Chandler vs. the returning Conor McGregor. Finally! Both of those cards are shaping up nicely and these additions are pretty big.
Overall, this was an amazing show that ended up living up to, and possibly exceeding, expectations. The excitement level wavered amongst fight fans for a while, especially once the main event was announced, but it delivered and gave MMA fans a night to remember.
The UFC has off this week, but will be back in action on April 27th for UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez. In the meantime, PFL continues their 2024 season this Friday, which I will be previewing in a few days.
What did you think of UFC 300? What was your favorite moment? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I will see you later in the week for PFL!
