Why UFC 300 ranks as one of the best MMA cards of all time, from titles to implications and beyond

From top to bottom, UFC 300 is one of the most stacked cards we’ve ever seen. BRENDAN BRADFORD goes through all the fights, fallouts, implications, titles on the line and more.

Brendan Bradford

@1bbradfo

4 min read

April 9, 2024 - 4:00PM

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Alex Pereira of Brazil walks to the octagon to face Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

With 12 current or former champions, three title fights, future championship implications, a host of new blood and one OG still throwing down, UFC 300 is undoubtedly the most stacked card we’ve seen in some time.

However, the long-term implications of so many fights on the card are what makes it so intriguing.

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Too often we see stacked cards with “champion versus champion” fights, or mouth-watering one-off showdowns that leave divisions stagnant and produce more questions than answers.

That’s not the case this weekend, when several divisions will get the kickstart they desperately need.

First though, there’s the sheer number of stars in action.

Will Alex Pereira get the job done at UFC 300? Picture: Getty Images

Alex Pereira, Jamahal Hill, Zhang Weili, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, Jiri Prochazka, Aljamain Sterling, Holly Holm, Jessica Andrade, Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbrandt are all on the card and have all held UFC gold.

The overall card is so strong that two-time flyweight champion Figueiredo and one-time bantamweight champ Garbrandt are opening the early prelims.

Holly Holm (white) scored one of the greatest upsets in UFC history over Ronda Rousey in Melbourne in 2015. Picture: Getty Images

Light-heavyweight conundrum

Headlining the night, Pereira and Hill can give much-needed clarity to the light-heavyweight division.

The 205-pound title hasn’t been successfully defended since Jan Blachowicz out-pointed then-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in 2021.

Since then, Glover Teixeira won it and lost it to Prochazka before the Czech fighter vacated due to injury.

Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev then fought to a draw for the vacant title. Hill defeated Texeira for the still vacant title, but busted his Achilles and gave up the belt as well.

Jamahal Hill (R) defeated Glover Texeira (L) in a classic. Picture: Getty Images

That left Pereira and Prochazka to fight for yet another vacant title in November, with the Brazilian becoming a two-weight world champion.

Pereira and Hill are undoubtedly the two best light-heavyweights in the UFC at the moment, and whoever is crowned champion this weekend can give closure to a turbulent few years in the division.

Clearing up the lightweight picture

Since winning the lightweight title in October 2022, Islam Makhachev hasn’t defended the belt against an established 155-pound contender.

His two defences have been against featherweight GOAT Alex Volkanovski, including one on just 11 days’ notice.

Makhachev won’t lack title challengers after UFC 300.

Islam Makhachev’s only lightweight title defences have come against Alex Volkanovski. Picture: Getty Images

Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are in a main-card title eliminator fight, with the Brazilian looking to become a two-time lightweight champ.

In the BMF title fight – arguably the most intriguing fight on the card – Gaethje or Holloway can also make a play for lightweight title contention.

Rising stars

There’s a reason undefeated wrestling prodigy Bo Nickal is opening the pay-per-view portion of the card.

At 28, he has just five professional MMA fights under his belt, but has never been out of the first round.

Those wins include a one minute submission victory on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and a 38 second knockout of Val Woodburn at UFC 290 last year.

One of the most exciting talents in the UFC, a win over the veteran Cody Brundage can propel him into the top 15 of the middleweight rankings.

Bo Nickal (L) made light work of Val Woodburn (R). Picture: Getty Images

Diego Lopes might not boast the same win-streak as Nickal, but the Brazilian featherweight has momentum and a rapidly expanding fanbase.

He was an immediate cult hero after a Fight of the Night performance against the dangerous Movsar Evloev in his UFC debut, and his all-action style, quirky haircut and back-to-back first-round stoppage wins means he’s a must-watch.

Kayla Harrison is a two-time Olympic Games judo gold medalist and a long-time PFL standout who will make her UFC debut this weekend.

She takes on former bantamweight champion Holm, and has the potential to rise straight to the top of the division following long-time titleholder Amanda Nunes’ retirement last year.

The UFC pulled off a coup by signing London and Rio Olympic gold medallist Kayla Harrison. Picture: Getty Images

Weight changes

Keep an eye out for how Holloway and Sterling perform going up a weight class.

Both men can lay claim to being the best ever in their respective weight divisions, with Holloway enjoying five featherweight title fight victories and Sterling defending the bantamweight belt three times.

They both face tough challenges moving up in weight, but wouldn’t be out of place contending for titles in their new weight classes in the future.

Max Holloway (R) moves up to lightweight to face Justin Gaethhe for the BMF title. Picture: Getty Images

Legacy

Jim Miller will create history as the only fighter to compete at UFC 100, UFC 200 and UFC 300.

The beloved veteran scored a unanimous decision win over Mac Danzig at July 2009’s UFC 100, and backed up with a TKO victory over Takanori Gomi seven years later at UFC 200.

This time around, he takes on Bobby Green in what will be a record 44th UFC bout.

Miller also holds the record for most UFC wins at 26, and with 18 finishes is second only to Charles Oliveira’s 20.

For the record, Brock Lesnar is the only other fighter to appear at both UFC 100 and UFC 200, but he hasn’t fought since his contentious win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200.