More than 30 years after the company made its debut, Saturday, Apr. 13 marked arguably the biggest milestone event in the UFC’s illustrious history. UFC 300 had 12 current or former champions slated on the card, as the UFC put their all into making this the biggest combat sporting event of all time.
Although the question remains, is it the biggest UFC card ever? The answer to this is most likely no. If pure numbers are in this discussion, then it’ll be hard to create a fight card that will generate more revenue than an event that features Conor McGregor, which UFC 300 did not. Perhaps we are asking the wrong question though.
While UFC 300 may not reach the pinnacle for viewership and pay-per-view (PPV) buys, the question that should be asked is if it’s the greatest card, top to bottom, that the UFC has ever put forward? The answer to that question is yes.
There’s no denying the depth of this card as the first fight of the entire event was between two former UFC champions, Cody Garbrandt and Deiveson Figueredo. These men were fighting for a top 10 ranking in the UFC’s bantamweight division. From then on, every single fight on the card has significance for their weight classes, and that’s just not something fight fans see in every UFC PPV, even if they showcase McGregor. With all this being said, let’s break down the biggest results of UFC 300.
Main Event: Alex Pereira defends his Light Heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill via first round TKO.
There were a lot of questions around the main event of this historic card, some fans even said it wouldn’t be “300 worthy,” but boy were they wrong. While it was a one-sided affair, Pereira proved why he’s one of the UFC’s new class of superstars as he sent Hill to the floor with his signature left hook. Not only did he perform well, but even without being able to speak English he finds ways to connect with the UFC fan base. He definitely had the loudest pop from the crowd out of everyone competing, and that says something when you’re on the same card as the likes of Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje.
Pereira used his forward pressure as a weapon against Hill as he backed him up towards the fence, where Pereira is most dangerous. With Hill backed up against the cage, he couldn’t get away from Pereira’s shot, as he was dropped after the first clean punch he landed. Any of the questions surrounding Pereira’s kickboxing and how it would translate to MMA have been shut down now. Despite having little experience as a champion as well, Pereira proved how scary he is in this main event bout.
BMF title bout: Max Holloway wins the BMF title against Justin Gaethje via fifth round knockout.
If there was ever a “holy shit” moment in this sport of mixed martial arts, this was it. The biggest story coming out of UFC 300 was how much of a dog Holloway is as he reminded fans why he’s a future hall of famer. Holloway had a comfortable lead in this fight as most would say as he was winning every round outside of the fourth round. With the fight basically won, what does Holloway do in the last 20 seconds? He did what Max Holloway does, pointed to the center of the Octagon, and started exchanging haymakers with Gaethje.
The two warriors swung for the fences in the last ten seconds and with only one second left Holloway landed an overhand right that put Gatehje unconscious, face first on the mat. As Holloway stated himself “that’s what BMF’s do,” he now has unlimited options for his career.
He has a case for fighting for not only the featherweight title which he once held, but also the lightweight title as he just knocked out Gaethje, who most thought of as the #1 contender at for the lightweight strap. If he doesn’t do either of those options, who wouldn’t want to see him put the BMF title back on the line against McGregor? Which would be just as big as any undisputed title fight. There’s simply no denying Holloway at this point.
Other results from UFC 300
Zhang Weili defended her Strawweight title against Yan Xianan via unanimous decision in the UFC’s first championship fight showcasing two competitors from China.
Arman Tsarukyan claimed his spot as the #1 ranked contender at the lightweight division after defeating former champion Charles Olivera via split decision.
Jiri Prochazka defeated Alexandar Rakic via second round TKO and put himself closer towards a rematch for Pereira’s light heavyweight championship.
Kayla Harrison made a statement in her UFC debut, defeating former UFC champion Holly Holm via second round submission (Rear Naked Choke), and put herself next in line for Women’s Bantamweight title.
After this historic night, the next UFC PPV will be UFC 301. This event will be Saturday, May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the main event showcasing UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja against Steve Ergeg for the flyweight title.
Preston Palm is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
