UFC 300 arrives on Saturday, arguably boasting the deepest card in the mixed martial arts promotion’s multi-decade history.
The tricentennial event’s only shortcoming has been the omission of that one superstar name, the Conor McGregor or Jon Jones or Israel Adesanya type of name that would push the line-up right over the top. It wasn’t for lack of effort, but with those names and a few others unavailable, the show had to go on. Still, depth over star power isn’t the worst option, and there’s a little something for everyone at UFC 300 this Saturday.
The main event features perhaps the UFC’s newest bonafide star, Alex Pereira. In just seven fights with the company, the former kickboxing champ has won belts in two weight classes, and already extended his classic rivalry with Adesanya, which started when the pair locked horns twice in kickboxing then continued on when both found themselves under the UFC banner.
Pereira is now the biggest star the UFC has in his native Brazil, but his stoic, stone-faced demeanor have started to win over western fans as well, especially with the odd glimpse of his sense of humor sprinkled in.
Opposite Pereira, who holds the UFC light heavyweight championship, will be Jamahal Hill. Something of a question mark thanks to an Achilles injury that forced him to vacate that same title last year, Hill will have to prove he can return to form while making a quick recovery from a severe setback.
Weili Zhang vs. Yan Xiaonan in the battle of China serves as the UFC 300 co-main event; had the UFC followed through on plans to hit Shanghai late last year, this would have been ideal to top the show. But the promotion opted to go a different route (and later cancelled the event altogether), and instead, it’s the Vegas faithful who get to see a historic clash of 115lb talents.
The people’s main event, meanwhile, needs zero introduction or hype. Justin Gaethje. Max Holloway. You don’t need a BMF title on the line between these two, but no doubt they’ll appreciate the hardware.
Our picks are in for those fights, and the rest of the UFC 300 main card. Check them out, plus our reasoning, below!
| Writer / Fight | Nickal vs. Brundage | Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan | Gaethje vs. Holloway | Zhang vs. Yan | Pereira vs. Hill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Anderson (50-19) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Cade Morehouse (32-20) | | | | | |
| Eddie Law (41-27) | | |  | | |
| Alex Behunin (41-28) | |  | | |  |
| Jamie Theodosi (38-26) | | | | | |
| Val Dewar (35-28) | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (35-33) | | | | | |
| Patrick McCorry (34-34) | | | | | |
We have two unanimous picks on the UFC 300 card. Bo Nickal is no surprise, with many feel this is a setup fight for one of the most dominant collegiate wrestlers in history to once again show his potential. Weili Zhang is perhaps just slightly eyebrow-raising, given Yan Xiaonan is a legitimate contender and fellow veteran active in the sport for 15 years.
The lack of respect for Arman Tsarukyan is also of note. Only one writer responding sees him getting past Charles Oliveira. Is that a testament to Oliveira’s submission prowess, or the popularity of “Do Bronx” over the past several years?
Only two writers see Max Holloway getting it done against Justin Gaethje, perhaps due to the bout invoking a similar feel to Holloway vs. Poirier a few years back. The main event, meanwhile, was the closest thing to a toss up, but even still, we have it 5-3 for “Poatan.”
