Kayla Harrison lived up to the hype at UFC 300 this past weekend (April 13, 2024).
An early scare from a reversed judo throw was about as much adversity as the former two-time Professional Fighters League (PFL) Lightweight champion faced against Holly Holm in her Octagon debut. Harrison still overwhelmed “The Preacher’s Daughter” in that opening round, officially out-striking her 56 total strikes to seven, per UFC Stats. Ultimately, Harrison, 33, rinsed and repeated the effort in round two en route to a rear-naked choke victory (watch highlights).
Several questions surrounded Harrison ahead of what was also her first fight at Bantamweight. The weight cut wasn’t easy, Harrison admitted after making the 136-pound mark this past Friday (April 14, 2024). Now 17-1 after the Holm win, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo has had her record and level of competition questioned throughout the entirety of her PFL run. However, PFL Founder, Donn Davis, believes the performance only proved what he and the company have always believed.
“Kayla is @PFLMMA Champion … so no surprise her dominant UFC debut win,” Davis tweeted. “@KaylaH destroyed @HollyHolm former @UFC Champion and #2 rank. PFL Champions – can beat anyone.”
Harrison closed out her PFL career on a positive note at the PFL 2023 Championship in November 2023. A unanimous decision nod over former UFC Bantamweight contender, Aspen Ladd, got Harrison back in the win column after she suffered her only career loss to Larissa Pacheco in the finals of the 2022 Lightweight season (watch highlights).
The one-sided showing against Holm sets Harrison up nicely to be right in the championship conversation for her next time out. There might also be the potential to entice a G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) back into the Octagon, if lucky.
For complete UFC 300 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
For all the latest PFL and Bellator MMA news and notes click here and here.
Kayla Harrison is willing to fight at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.
But if the two-time Olympic gold medalist is going to rush back in less than three months, it needs to be for a division title. Raquel Pennington is reportedly injured, which is why Harrison is on board for an interim title fight opposite former 135-pound champion Julianna Pena.
The winner would likely move on to fight “Rocky” later this year.
“I heard that ‘Rocky’s’ hurt all of the sudden, so if she can’t fight right now, I’m happy to fight whoever, this summer, for a title,” Harrison (17-1) told The MMA Hour. “Why not just an interim title? Then I’ll unify it, then I’ll fight Amanda. If it’s for a title, I will make myself available [for June 29]. I would love [UFC 303]. F—k it, my time is now. I like the sound of [Harrison vs. Pena]. There would be some good sh*t talking from me.”
Is that fair to the rest of the bantamweight division? Depends on who you ask.
Harrison, 33, made her UFC debut at the UFC 300 event last weekend in Las Vegas, steamrolling former bantamweight champion Holly Holm with a second-round submission. As for Pena, 34, she’s remained inactive since a lopsided decision loss to the since-retired Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 back in summer 2022, thanks to a freak rib injury.
No apology needed.
For complete UFC 300 results and LIVE play-by play click HERE.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will take a week off to recover from its epic UFC 300 fight card, then return to the APEX facility for the UFC Vegas 91 MMA event, topped by an important flyweight battle between Top 10 flyweight contenders Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez!
Event: UFC Vegas 91: “Nicolau vs. Perez” Date: Sat., April 27, 2024 Location: UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Start Time: 4 p.m. ET Preliminary Card | 7 p.m. ET Main Card
UFC Vegas 91 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:
125 lbs.: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez
UFC Vegas 91 Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):
205 lbs.: Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov 125 lbs.: Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva 265 lbs.: Austen Lane vs. Jhonata Diniz 145 lbs.: Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama 170 lbs.: Tim Means vs. Uros Medic
UFC Vegas 91 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: Rani Yahya vs. Victor Henry 155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard vs. Michal Figlak 265 lbs.: Don’Tale Mayes vs. Caio Machado 125 lbs.: Marnic Mann vs. Ketlen Souza 155 lbs.: Gabe Green vs. James Llontop 125 lbs.: Ivana Petrovic vs. Liang Na 155 lbs.: Gabriel Benítez vs. Maheshate Hayisaer
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
Tsarukyan decided there was no reason to rush into a short notice title shot, opening the door for “The Diamond” to shine.
Dustin Poirier really did get a UFC 302 title shot against Islam Makhachev because no one else was willing to take it.
During the UFC 300 post-fight press conference, Dana White was given a scrap of paper with two breaking news announcements: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was finally official for UFC 303, and Makhachev would defend his 155 pound belt against Poirier at UFC 302.
Islam vs. Dustin has been percolating since “Diamond” beat Benoit Saint-Denis in a gritty war back at UFC 299. Some argued that Poirier wasn’t deserving, considering his 2-1 record since losing his last title shot to Charles Oliveira in 2021. But others, Makhachev included, noted that Poirier was the best contender available for the date.
All the other top lightweights — Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan — were fighting at UFC 300, and it was unlikely that they’d be willing to turn around in time for UFC 302 on June 1st. But we’ll give the UFC credit: they waited until after the event to give them the option.
In a new interview with Vadim Tikhomirov, Arman Tsarukyan’s manager Sayat Abdurakhmanov revealed that they’d been approached by UFC with an offer to fight Islam Makhachev in New Jersey.
“The fight with Islam [Makhachev] on June 1st was offered to us,” Abdurakhmanov said. “This happened immediately after the fight [with Charles Oliveira].”
Tsarukyan won a hard-fought split decision over Oliveira, and while he didn’t seem too banged up, he wasn’t interested in rushing a title fight.
You heard the man! New Jersey June 1st pic.twitter.com/FUfnrkcS6S
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) April 14, 2024
“Before the fight there was an understanding that there was no point in going into a title fight with Islam on short notice, especially if the position of No. 1 contender had already been achieved. And there was an understanding that now Islam and Poirier would fight on June 1st, and then Arman would fight the winner.”
And with that, Dustin Poirier became not Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now.
As for Arman Tsarukyan, he better hope his dibs on next works out better than it did for Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. As Max Holloway noted, you can spend a whole lot of time waiting around for your turn and end up nowhere, fast.
Prochazka has his sights set on a rematch with UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira, and he promises he won’t come up short when they fight again.
Jiri Prochazka has a new quest in his mixed martial arts career, and it’s to slay the monster known as Alex Pereira.
Prochazka already tasted Pereira’s strength back at UFC 295 in New York City. “Poatan” knocked Jiri out in the second round of their light heavyweight title fight, a loss Prochazka blames on ‘small details.’
Prochazka bounced back at UFC 300 with a violent knockout of Aleksandar Rakic, one that earned him a $ 300,000 performance bonus. And the Czech fighter watched in awe as Pereira won his main event against Jamahal Hill via effortless first round KO.
“I saw him, saw his performance … amazing,” Prochazka said in an interview with The Schmo. “And I have to say, now I’m starting to take it seriously. Because for me, this is something that I want to do, I want to achieve this victory. And when I want something, I will achieve that. So watch me.”
“I have to do some little upgrades on myself to not catching some punches, to make a perfect storm,” he added. “But with Alex, Alex knows that, and he knew that, even in New York, even in his hometown, he understood that I have the keys to win the fight.”
If he wants a rematch against Alex Pereira, he’s going to have to become undeniable. Following UFC 300, “Poatan” stated he had no interest in facing Prochazka again unless the UFC demanded it. So for now Jiri will have to continue improving, and winning.
“For me, it’s right now, most important for me is to improve myself in training and to take this experience from tonight to the next fight, as soon as possible,” Jiri said at the post-fight press conference. “Because I’m still learning. I’m still learning how to connect my, like, that violence and that hound instinct with the mastery, technique, with, present moments to keep it all in one.”
Jiri wants to see Poatan next
Do you think @Jiri_BJP vs @AlexPereiraUFC 2 is in the near future? #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/pHfHcoqPWy
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
As for the $ 300,000 bonus he received for knocking out Rakic, Prochazka was his usual samurai self.
“We are not fighting for the money, we are fighting because it’s in our blood,” he told The Schmo solemnly. “It’s our will to win the fight. To make the best performance, not because of money.”
“But with money you are free and you can do good things,” he added. “So I appreciate it.”
White shrugged off Tsarukyan’s punch-up with a fan in the crowd, suggesting fans shouldn’t mess with fighters when they’re walking to the cage.
Arman Tsarukyan didn’t bother waiting until he got into the octagon before throwing his fists at UFC 300.
The bristly Armenian lightweight was barely twenty steps into his walkout when he bee-lined towards a fan in the stands and started throwing punches. He even went back for a second go after security dragged him away. It’s not something you see every day … but it will be if these fans keep disrespecting Arman.
“He showed me ‘F— you,’ and he wanted to punch me, and I wanted to punch him back,” Tsarukyan declared at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference. “That’s it. So guys, no one show me ‘F— you.’ It doesn’t matter who you are, I’m going to punch you in the face.”
Arman Tsarukyan punched a fan during his walkout to fight Charles Oliveira pic.twitter.com/DMoX27o8H1
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 14, 2024
“You can show me ‘F—’ from like 200 meters, I’m not going to punch you. But when you’re close to me, it’s, like automatically. I’m from Russia. Don’t do that please, or I’m going to go to prison in U.S.”
Tsarukyan would go on to beat Charles Oliveira via split-decision, putting him within striking distance of a lightweight title shot … if his little pre-fight punch-up didn’t put him in bad standing with the UFC. This isn’t even the first time Tsarukyan has brawled outside the cage.
Dana White sounded a bit exasperated with the situation but surprisingly chill when asked about the incident.
Dana White on Arman Tsarukyan punching a fan in the crowd: Yeah, you might not one to hang over the things and grab people when they’re walking out. #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/hewe9dTJxr
“You might not want to hang over the things and grab people when they’re walking out,” White said, referencing another fan who grabbed Charles Oliveira’s hand as “Do Bronx” walked out. “These guys are all f—ing hyped up and whatever. I’m sure we’re probably going to get sued. Uh, we’ll deal with that on Monday too.”
White’s commitment to letting chaos reign amongst his roster is impressive to witness. Fighters these days brawl at the hotel, brawl in the crowd, and brawl with the fans. None of it generates any pushback from the UFC any more, although it’s possible the Nevada State Athletic Commission might have something to say about this particular incident.
Max Holloway entered the UFC 300 cage last night (Sat. April 13, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a man with a defined legacy.
Holloway won his Featherweight title at just 25 years of age. Already an interim title holder, Holloway stepped to the greatest Featherweight of all time, Jose Aldo, and he utterly beat his butt twice. Consecutive knockout losses definitively ended Aldo’s time at the top, and the Hawaiian scored two more title defenses before meeting rising contender, Alexander Volkanovski.
Their trilogy is well-documented.
Volkanovski came into the first fight with a perfect gameplan, destabilizing Holloway’s boxing with his low kicks then walking him into counters. Holloway stormed back and very arguably took the second fight, knocking down the Australian twice in 25 minutes. Debate the decision as much as you’d like, but Volkanovski shut the door on the whole conversation by beating the bejeezus out of Holloway in the (unofficial) rubber match.
Just like that, Holloway’s legacy was written and filed away. No longer was he the young upstart champion who quickly racked up multiple title defenses. Now, he was the high point of Volkanovski’s Hall of Fame-worthy career, forced into second place and acting as a filter for would-be Featherweight title contenders.
Still beloved by the fan base, certainly, but nobody was optimistic about his future as a champion. A lot of people were hoping he would retire on account of all the punches absorbed.
Either way, that second place position is one that breaks a lot of former champions. Nobody who reaches the apex of the sport is content to settle for near the top (just like this). Most grow static and are passed by when the next class of contenders tries to stake their claim.
Holloway didn’t settle into that mold. After losing to Volkanovski, he smoked really talented fighters like Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen, among others. He continued to improve and put on showcase performances. UFC didn’t book Ilia Topuria against Holloway because he was still at the top of his class, and the promotion didn’t want to risk another marketable contender getting smoked before he had a chance at gold.
Good call.
By putting in the work to stay fit and keep developing, Holloway put himself in prime position to contend again as soon as Volkanovski lost. Holloway vs. Topuria was a marketable fight as soon as Volkanovski’s body hit the canvas (watch highlights). Then, because he’s genuinely one of the most self-confident men in the sport, Holloway risked it all by jumping up to Lightweight for the second time to challenge Justin Gaethje.
Ignore the “BMF” belt silliness — that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Gaethje has been a Top 5-ranked Lightweight contender and feared knockout artist since 2017. He’s a terrifying opponent for anyone, and Holloway stepped up to the task with his usual boldness.
For most of five rounds, Holloway delivered a brilliant technical performance. From the first bell, it was clear that Holloway and his team had game-planned Gaethje to perfection. Right away, Holloway was working the body and then firing strikes up the middle. His right uppercut and left upjab found early homes on Gaethje’s chin, the most significant punches of the first round.
The spinning back kick was a brilliant read. Holloway landed the blow at an absurd accuracy rate, and the first one ripped up the middle — a historical hole in Gaethje’s defense first exploited by Eddie Alvarez — to shatter Gaethje’s nose.
MAX’S SPINNING KICK CATCHES GAETHJE’S NOSE #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/9vRhDLiWxD
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 14, 2024
That surely hurt Gaethje’s performance, as did the next dozen spin kicks that landed into the mid-section. It’s a good thing most Lightweights don’t throw spinning back kicks, because it’s apparently the perfect antidote to Gaethje’s squared, crouched forward advances.
Holloway’s body punches and uppercut success served to set up the straight right, his money punch. It was clipping Gaethje upside the temple often, and it seemed to buckle his legs every time.
Lightweight Holloway has power.
Holloway was on his way to a clear-cut decision win, one that likely secured him a Featherweight title shot. Once more, Holloway doubled the bet on himself. He pointed to the floor and traded with Lightweight’s most notorious bruiser … and it was Gaethje who hit the floor in a heap (watch highlights).
This is one of my favorite moments ever by one of my favorite fighters.
Max Holloway was 10 seconds away from a guaranteed win, points to the canvas to brawl it out vs Gaethje, one of the scariest punchers in UFC history, and knocks him out w 1s left.
pic.twitter.com/2r0IlPu7D6
— Lex Veldhuis (@LexVeldhuis) April 14, 2024
It’s one of the best knockouts of all time. It’s the kind of win that gets Holloway whatever he wants (besides UFC Hawaii). A Featherweight title shot? Lightweight title shot? BMF title defense against a Conor McGregor? The world is Holloway’s oyster.
It’s also a victory that recontextualizes Holloway’s entire career moving forward. No longer is he the also-ran to Volkanovski, who may or may not be aging out of the Featherweight title picture. Sure, he still came up short in their trilogy, but no longer does it feel like the Volkanovski rivalry will be the defining story of Holloway’s career.
At 32 years of age, there’s even more greatness on the precipice.
For complete UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” results and play-by-play, click HERE.
Break out the red panties, Conor McGregor is BACK!
The former UFC two-division champion returns to fight fellow Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 coach Michael Chandler as part of the upcoming UFC 303 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Sat., June 29, 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the final stop for this year’s International Fight Week in “Sin City.”
Get all the gory details right here.
“Officially official,” Chandler wrote on social media. “Thank y’all for being on this journey with me. Time to get to work. 77 days! Walk On. See you at the top!”
In addition to his Twitter message, “Iron” also posted a video on Instagram showcasing all the comments from both fans and fighters over the last few months claiming “Notorious” was never coming back and if he was, had no intentions of fighting Chandler.
Good things come to those who wait.
McGregor, who turns 36 in July, has not competed since snapping his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in summer 2021. As for Chandler, 37, he’s been (voluntarily) riding the pine since his submission loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in late 2022.
They were originally expected to throw down atop the UFC 296 fight card to close out 2023; however, a war with USADA kept McGregor on the bench and forced the promotion to find a new drug testing agency to replace its “untenable” relationship with Travis Tygart.
Urine under the bridge.
The McGregor vs. Chandler headliner will be contested across five rounds at 170 pounds, despite the fact that both fighters are natural lightweights. I guess “Notorious” didn’t want to give up any of the contents in his “big fridge” ahead of fight night.
For much more on the McGregor vs. Chandler rivalry click here.
Amanda Nunes had a strong reaction to Kayla Harrison’s UFC 300 win over Holly Holm. Are we witnessing the seed of a women’s bantamweight superfight in the making?
Amanda Nunes is fired up by Kayla Harrison’s big win over Holly Holm at UFC 300.
The UFC women’s double champ retired from the sport in June 2023, citing nerve damage in her legs which kept her from training like she used to. But she left the door open for a return in subsequent interviews, and now she may have someone worth coming back for.
Kayla Harrison cut through Holly Holm with ease in her UFC debut, submitting the former women’s bantamweight champion in the second round of their fight. Holm never really managed to put together any offense. Harrison used her Olympic caliber judo to take her down, and some solid enough ground and pound to set up a rear-naked choke (watch the finish here).
#ufc300 pic.twitter.com/5VYCApO0Ke
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) April 14, 2024
It’s hard to imagine anyone stopping Harrison from becoming UFC champ by end of year. But Harrison vs. Nunes is something much more interesting. It’s a fight that Nunes seems very interested in. “The Lioness” posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account for the first time since January to share a video of her scowling through Harrison’s post-fight victory speech.
She taps her ear as if waiting for Kayla to call her out for a fight, and then shakes her head in disappointment.
“Chama” she captioned the video, which is Brazilian slang for “Let’s go!”
If Kayla Harrison wants the 135 pound belt, she’ll have to take it off Raquel Pennington. We don’t need to see more. Book it! And then … a superfight with Amanda Nunes?
The women’s bantamweight division just got a whole lot more interesting.
UPDATE According to The Score’s Aaron Bronsteter, Harrison just told him she “would rather face Amanda Nunes next over fighting for the championship if given the option.” So Kayla is down.
Reminder: We will deliver live round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 300’s entire five-fight pay-per-view (PPV) main card RIGHT HERE, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to stage its most talent-rich pay-per-view (PPV) event ever TONIGHT (Sat., April 13, 2024) with an absolutely loaded card from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 300’s main event will feature the 205-pound undisputed championship showdown between newly-minted Light Heavyweight roost-ruler, Alex Pereira, putting his belt on the line for the first time ever against former division kingpin, Jamahal Hill, who never lost the 205-pound strap inside the Octagon. In UFC 300’s co-main event, reigning two-time women’s Strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, will defend her title against her fellow countrywoman from China (and No. 2-ranked contender) Yan Xiaonan. And Justin Gaethje will eschew an earned 155-pound title shot to defend his “BMF” belt against former Featherweight G.O.A.T., Max Holloway, in “The Peoples Main Event” one fight prior. We’ve also got the Octagon debut of Kayla Harrison, as well as Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan and so much more!
UFC 300 IS FINALLY HERE!
Before that action begins at 10 p.m. ET later this evening, though, MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 “Prelims” undercard below, beginning with the first fight at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (ESPN will simulcast the undercard action at 8 p.m. ET). We will then cover UFC 300’s PPV main card in a separate thread right here, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Bet on UFC 300 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Hill vs. Pereira.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 300 “Prelims” undercard results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC 300 QUICK RESULTS:
Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC 300 ‘PRELIMS’ PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Round one: Round two: Round three:
Final result:
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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