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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill
Detailing The Action Set To Hit The Octagon At The Biggest Event In UFC History
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
This is one of those times where I don’t really need to say too much here, because after several years of anticipation and months of build up, UFC 300 is finally here.
No card in the history of the promotion has featured this much star power, this many current and former champions all assembled in one place, and this is bound to be a night to remember.
So without any further ado, let’s get into it!
Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill
Alex Pereira defends the light heavyweight title against a man that never lost the belt in competition, Jamahal Hill, in the climactic final bout at UFC 300.
The Brazilian made the move to the 205-pound ranks last July, earning a split decision win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, then claimed the vacant title by defeating Jiri Prochazka by second-round stoppage at UFC 295 in New York City. In two years, he’s won two belts, in two divisions, going 6-1 overall and establishing himself as a one-of-a-kind figure in the annuls of UFC history.
Hill claimed the vacant light heavyweight strap at the start of last year, out-hustling Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January, extending his winning streak to four and his overall record inside the Octagon to a stellar 6-1 with one no contest. But he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in July and was forced to abdicate the throne, leaving him to watch as Pereira ascended to the position he briefly held.
After several years of the division being in a state of flux, Saturday’s contest feels like a settling event — a chance for either Pereira or Hill to cement their position atop the division and begin working through the growing collection of contenders queueing up to challenge for championship gold.
Co-Main Event: Zhang Weili vs Yan Xiaonan
History will be made in the co-main event as Zhang Weili defends the strawweight title against Yan Xiaonan in the first all-Chinese championship fight in UFC history.
After reclaiming the title from Carla Esparza towards the end of 2022, Zhang earned the first successful defense of her second reign with a unanimous decision win over Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 in Boston last summer. The 34-year-old is 8-2 inside the Octagon and 24-3 overall, putting her firmly in the conversation amongst the best female talents to ever compete in the sport.
Yan debuted in the UFC a full year earlier than her compatriot, having earned a pair of wins before Zhang stepped into the Octagon for the first time, but her rise through the strawweight ranks has been much more of a slow burn. Six straight wins landed her opposite Esparza, who halted her winning streak, and a second consecutive loss forced her to regroup, but the challenger responded with a gutsy win over Mackenzie Dern and a first-round knockout of Jessica Andrade to land this championship opportunity.
Both of these women are dynamic athletes with speed and power, which makes this an absolutely fascinating fight to dissect. The “big fight” experience falls in Zhang’s favor, but Yan turned in the best performance of her career last time out, and could be cresting at the right time in order to claim championship gold.
Other Main Card Fights
Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway
The BMF title is up for grabs in the middle of the pay-per-view main card as Justin Gaethje puts the strap on the line against former featherweight ruler Max Holloway.
Gaethje claimed the title with a second-round knockout win over Dustin Poirier last summer in Salt Lake City, registering his second victory of the year in the process. “The Highlight” is 8-4 inside the Octagon and has collected a dozen post-fight bonuses along the way, which further cements his status as a must-see, all-action fighter and one of the baddest MF’ers in the sport.
Holloway makes his second trip to the lightweight division during the course of his UFC tenure on a two-fight winning streak, having bested Arnold Allen and Chan Sung Jung last year. The Hawaiian superstar stepped up to the 155-pound ranks four years ago for a short-notice, interim title fight with Poirier, landing on the wrong side of the cards, but seems to have made a more steadfast effort to move up this time around.
These are two of the most experienced “big fight” talents on the roster and the potential of this one is off the charts. If ever there was a fight where the majority of fans embraced an “I hope both guys have fun” position, this might be the time.
Charles Oliveira vs Arman Tsarukyan
The final non-title clash on the card is a battle to determine the next challenger in the lightweight division, as former champ Charles Oliveira faces off with surging contender Arman Tsarukyan.
After quickly defeating Beneil Dariush last summer in Vancouver, Oliveira was in line to face off with Islam Makhachev in a championship rematch last October in Abu Dhabi, but a gnarly cut suffered late in training camp forced him from the contest. The beloved Brazilian is 12-1 over the last six years, with all but one of those wins coming by way of stoppage, putting him at 20 finishes inside the Octagon.
Tsarukyan established himself as a person of interest in the division right out of the gate, dropping a competitive decision to Makhachev in his debut. Since then, he has gone 8-1, with his lone loss coming by debated decision. Last time out, he blew through Dariush in Austin to extend his winning streak to three and set up this highly anticipated clash.
Will “Do Bronxs” secure the rematch he was preparing for last year before the fight gods intervened or will Tsarukyan keep rolling and earn his second chance to face Makhachev?
Bo Nickal vs Cody Brundage
The pay-per-view main card opens in the middleweight division, with Bo Nickal returning to take on Cody Brundage.
A three-time National champion wrestler at Penn State, Nickal went 2-0 in his rookie year in the UFC in 2023, posting first-round stoppage wins over Jamie Pickett and Val Woodburn. He very much looks the part of a blue chip prospect and it will be interesting to see how much he’s developed in the nine months since he last graced the Octagon.
Brundage touches down at T-Mobile on a two-fight winning streak, though the first win came when his opponent was disqualified. Last time out, however, the Factory X Muay Thai representative hoisted Zachary Reese into the air and slammed him into the Shadow Realm to bring his UFC record level at four up and four down through eight starts.
Fans have been itching to see Nickal in there with someone more experienced and Brundage fits the bill, but whether he’ll be able to derail the middleweight hype train is to be seen. This one will either make it clear that the Penn State man needs a considerable step up in competition again or a little more seasoning before moving forward.
Preliminary Card Fights
Jiří Procházka vs Aleksandar Rakić
Former light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka welcomes Aleksandar Rakic back to the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years in the final preliminary card fight of the evening.
Like Hill, Prochazka never lost the title in competition, instead relinquishing it when he suffered a shoulder injury. He returned in November at UFC 295 and fell to Pereira, but hustles back into the fray here. Rakic has been out since suffering a knee injury in his May 2022 clash with Jan Blachowicz, but had gone 6-1 inside the Octagon prior to that setback, with his only other loss being a debated split decision defeat.
Calvin Kattar vs Aljamain Sterling
Tenured featherweight standout Calvin Kattar meets Aljamain Sterling in the ex-bantamweight champ’s divisional debut on Saturday evening.
Kattar is one of those competitors whose record doesn’t fully reflect his talent, as the New England Cartel man is just 7-5 in the UFC, but has faced an absolutely hellacious slate during those dozen fights. Sterling makes his long-discussed move up a division after dropping the bantamweight strap to Sean O’Malley last summer, and instantly becomes an intriguing addition to the weight class; even more so if he can get through Kattar this weekend.
Holly Holm vs Kayla Harrison
Former champ Holly Holm faces off with decorated newcomer Kayla Harrison in this fascinating bantamweight battle.
More than eight years after winning the bantamweight title, Holm remains a Top 5 fixture in the 135-pound ranks, boasting a 3-1 record with one no contest, including a unanimous decision win over current champ Raquel Pennington, over her last five appearances. Harrison is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and PFL tournament winner, touching down in the UFC with a 16-1 record and a chance to make an instant impact in her new surroundings.
Sodiq Yusuff vs Diego Lopes
Sodiq Yusuff and Diego Lopes meet in a compelling clash to see which man will occupy a position in the featherweight Top 15 once UFC 300 is in the books.
Yusuff is the tenured talent — a Dana White’s Contender Series grad and rankings mainstay looking to get things moving in the right direction again after a dispiriting loss to Edson Barboza last time out. Lopes had a massive rookie campaign in 2023, gaining major praise for his short-notice effort against Movsar Evloev before registering rapid first-round stoppage wins over Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini to close out the year.
Jalin Turner vs Renato Moicano
Ranked lightweights Jalin Turner and Renato Moicano jockey for position in the talent-rich division in this highly combustible pairing.
Turner turned a short-notice opportunity against Bobby Green into a statement win last December, while “Money Moicano” already collected a quality unanimous decision win over Drew Dober earlier this year. Expect non-stop action between these two hungry lightweight as they look to make their case for a date with a Top 10 opponent next time out.
Jéssica Andrade vs Marina Rodriguez
Standout strawweights Jessica Andrade and Marina Rodriguez face off in this all-Brazilian battle.
Andrade fought four times in 2023, finally collecting a victory with a second-round stoppage win over Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295 in November. Rodriguez halted a two-fight skid with a similar result against Michelle Waterson-Gomez two months earlier, setting the stage for this critical clash between Top 10 standouts.
Bobby Green vs Jim Miller
Bobby Green looks to get things moving in the right direction again when he steps in with Jim Miller, who aims to collect a third straight win and give himself victories at UFC 100, UFC 200, and UFC 300.
Green was slated to fight Dan Hooker last December in Austin, only to end up opposite Turner when the Kiwi was forced out, resulting in a first-round knockout loss that ended another quality year on a sour note. The only man to compete on each of the UFC’s three centennial events, Miller enters off a third-round submission win over Gabriel Benitez in January, and having earned finishes in each of his last nine victories.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Cody Garbrandt
Former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo makes his second start at bantamweight, squaring off with ex-champ Cody Garbrandt in the UFC 300 opener.
Figueiredo made a successful transition to the 135-pound weight class last year, out-hustling Rob Font in a strong showing in December to earn a unanimous decision win. After struggling through a 1-5 stretch, Garbrandt earned a pair of wins in 2023, edging out Trevin Giles on the cards before stopping Brian Kelleher at UFC 296 to close out his comeback year.
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