After months of speculation the UFC have finally announced the headlining fight for UFC 300 in Las Vegas on April 13th, with a light-heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill getting the honor of fronting the star-studded line-up.
The fight sees 36-year-old former middleweight champ Pereira looking to defend his light-heavyweight title for the first time after winning the belt with a TKO finish of Jiri Prochazka back in November of last year.
That was just Pereira’s 2nd fight at 205lbs, having previously earned a split-decision win over former champ Jan Blachowicz in his divisional debut in the summer of that year, leaving the kickboxing ace with a 6-1 record in the UFC overall.
As for the 32-year-old Hill, headlining UFC 300 must surely go some way to making up for the heartbreak of having to vacate the 205lb title last year after rupturing his achilles tendon.
Hill had only just won the belt a few months earlier with a unanimous decision victory over Glover Teixeira, the culmination of a four-fight winning streak at 205lbs for the fighter who now returns to action holding a 12-1 (+1nc) career record.
In all fairness this is not the ‘crazy’ headliner that Dana White had been promising fans several weeks ago, but with the likes of Conor McGregor, Islam Makhachev, Jon Jones and Khamzat Chimaev ruled out for a variety of reasons, middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis appearing more interested in headlining a UFC Africa card against Israel Adesanya than fronting UFC 300 and retired legends like GSP, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey showing no interest in returning the UFC brass have finally had to just get on with it and make the best of what they’ve got.
The only other potential option had appeared to be welterweight champion Leon Edward, who had claimed earlier in the year that he would fight on the card, but though the likes of Belal Muhammad or Shavkat Rakhmanov were potential options, in the end he was snubbed in favor of 205lb champ Pereira.
“Let me say this: Leon Edwards, never- Leon Edwards has had like three opponents. throughout this thing,” White said as he attempted to soften the blow during the UFC 298 post-fight press conference. “Leon Edwards doesn’t say no to anybody. This kid is an absolute stud. He’s had three opponents thrown out during UFC 300, yes, yes. Yes. He was willing to take on anybody. Kids is an absolute stud. Leon, thank you much respect.”
So in the end the truth is that UFC 300 won’t be able to match the huge star power found at either UFC 100 (headlined by Brock Lesnar with Georges St.Pierre in the co-main event) or UFC 200 (originally scheduled to be headlined by Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier before a fight week cancellation led to Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes fronting the show, but with the likes of DC vs. Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt backing them up).
However, while UFC 300 lacks the glamour and box-office drawing power of it’s predecessors, what it does deliver is strength-in-depth, including what may end up being the main event in the eyes of the fans in a BMF title fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway, a women’s strawweight title clash between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan, Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksander Rakic, Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm, Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage and Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt.
