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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Mackenzie Dern’s gutsy effort against Amanda Lemos likely helped both strawweights take home an additional $ 50,000.

Lemos captured a unanimous decision over Dern, a short-notice replacement for Tatiana Suarez, with three scores of 29-28. The action-packed fight was awarded “Fight of the Night” honors by the UFC after Saturday’s event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Dern battled back after a brutal series of punches nearly put her away in the second round. In the third and final frame, she continued to push the action and threaten submissions as Lemos was forced to defend.

Three other fighters captured “Performance of the Night” honors for highlight-reel finishes.

• Ilia Topuria: The newly minted featherweight champ earned his third performance bonus in four appearances with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski.
• Zhang Mingyang: The Chinese fighter notched a first-round knockout of Brendson Ribeiro in his first appearance after a blistering knockout win on Road to UFC.
• Anthony Hernandez: The veteran middleweight notched another big submission win, tapping out Roman Kopylov to open up the UFC 298 pay-per-view main card.

UFC 298’s main card aired live on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN+.

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Bonus Report
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UFC

Last night (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Honda Center in Anaheim, California for UFC 298. After a few weeks of Apex averageness, a high-profile card filled with intriguing match ups was just what the doctor ordered! The Featherweight title bout atop the card, which pit longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski opposite undefeated finisher Ilia Topuria, was a must-watch main event. The rest of the card featured well-known names and great match ups — how could anybody complain about Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa or Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili? That’s the good stuff!

Let’s take a look back over at UFC 298’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

A Generational Talent Arises

Until Ilia Topuria, we’ve never had an undefeated UFC Featherweight champion.

There’s a pretty simple reason: divisional depth of talent. The Featherweight division has exceptional fighters well outside the rankings. Most divisions offer an opportunity to make mistakes and win anyway, whereas weaknesses tend to be discovered and punished quickly on the undercard.

Topuria is special. Alexander Volkanovski looked tremendous in the cage, fast and technical as we’ve ever seen. He had a smart game plan that revolved around establishing kicks to disrupt Topuria’s movement then start sticking him with jabs as Topuria tried to push through the kicking range. To an extent, it was working!

The Spaniard is just too dangerous though. From his first calf kick to the final right hand that floored Volkanovski, every shot Topuria threw was just so punishing. Even as Volkanovski began to increase the gap in total shots landed, the atmosphere never changed: Topuria was always one clean connection away from a sudden shift in fortunes.

Really, Topuria knocked out Volkanovski the first time he successfully cornered him into the fence. It took like a six-punch combination to do so, but as soon as Volkanovski had nowhere to go, no angle to cut, no stance to shift … the overhand landed, and it landed hard.

Ilia Topuria is 27 years old, 15-0, Featherweight champion of the world. This is a division with a history of great champions, but we’ve yet to see one quite like “El Matador.”

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

An Excellent Co-Main Event

Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa was such a great fight! Both men came into the fight with clear strategies and developments to their game, which is the most interesting kind of fight in my book. Whittaker ended up edging the close decision, but there was great work all around.

The Australian lived up to his pre-fight promises, upping the aggression significantly. He stayed in the pocket longer, slipping inside punches and answering with multiple counter shots. Generally, his combinations were a little longer than usual. In addition, he played the jab and calf kick combo more than at any point previously, chewing up Costa’s calf throughout the fight.

Costa looked damn good himself! The Brazilian’s own jab and low kick have never looked better. Generally, all of his kicks were so fast, including the random spinning wheel kick that nearly knocked Whittaker cold at the end of round one. Costa hasn’t been the most active in recent years, but this performance proves he’s still among the best Middleweights in the world.

As an aside: Whittaker looked great prior to the Dricus Du Plessis fight, and he just definitively proved that he’s far from washed. Maybe it’s time we acknowledge that “DDP” is pretty good at fighting?

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Machine Doesn’t Stop

Merab Dvalishvili didn’t have any major issues in the cage opposite Henry Cejudo. The former champion landed a nice left hook in the first round and scored a bit of top control, but it’s hardly the first time in Dvalishvili’s career that he’s coughed up the opening five minutes.

The second round tends to go a whole lot differently.

Such was the case here, as Cejudo was a little winded even after winning the first. Dvalishvili, meanwhile, was just getting rolling. His right hand started landing more and more consistently, and he took Cejudo down by snatching up a single leg and tripping him over just like any other opponent. Actually, Petr Yan and certainly Jose Aldo probably did a better job of stopping those single legs overall, despite their comparative lack of Olympic credentials.

Once Dvalishvili takes momentum into his corner, the only way to win is knock him out. Cejudo swung gamely, but his feet and arms were moving way too slow to make such an impact. Dvalishvili was in complete control and cruised to a victory, showboating all the way.

Give the man his title shot.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Fluffy Breaks Down Another Middleweight

Roman Kopylov did a lot of things correctly against Anthony Hernandez. His left kicks were downright nasty. He struck well off the back foot, circled a lot, and ripped the body often. He defended the first 10 or so takedown attempts that came in his direction.

None of that deterred Hernandez. He walked through some unpleasant shots and kept firing, kept shooting, and kept pushing until his own opportunities started to emerge. Midway through the first, Hernandez found success by feinting to draw out a response then stepping forward with multiple right hands against the Southpaw.

Hernandez’s success with his hands started landing him in the clinch, where he built upon his offense with hard elbows and knees. Suddenly, Kopylov had to start worrying about more than the takedown, and those takedowns began to land.

The momentum moved into the “Fluffy” corner slowly but steadily, resulting in a sudden finish. He bowled Kopylov over in an awkward moment and immediately jumped his back. The strangle was locked in a minute later, and Hernandez had done it yet again! He’s now won five in a row, the second longest winning streak at 185-pounds.

A Top 10 opponent should be next.

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

A Wild Strawweight War

Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern was an absurd contest that (mostly) saw Lemos beat the life out of Dern. She picked her apart with nasty calf kicks and heinously powerful punches, though Dern was still dangerous enough on the floor to put her on the defensive on a handful of occasions.

It was a great fight, and I wrote an entire article about it right HERE!

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Oh Brother …

It is hugely commendable that Junior Tafa stepped up to replace his brother Justin Tafa on just a single day’s notice against Marcos Rogerio de Lima. It was not, however, the best idea.

The problem here is that Tafa had not worked his way up to a fight opposite de Lima. The Brazilian is not an elite Heavyweight, but he’s highly experienced and has a lot of cage time against top Heavyweights. He’s been on the UFC roster for a decade, whereas Tafa entered this cage with just SIX professional fights.

It was a mismatch regardless of the short-notice circumstance, which only enhanced the divide. De Lima ran through his opponent, chopping his lead leg apart quickly, rocking him with punches, and throwing him to the floor with relative ease. Tafa didn’t land anything of significance, and though he survived to see the second round, the first low kick de Lima found after the break ended the contest.

It’s a good bounce back for de Lima, who’s now won three of his last four, while Tafa learns a valuable lesson about what it feels like to be in the cage with a dangerous Heavyweight veteran.

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Additional Thoughts

• Zhang Mingyang defeats Brendson Ribeiro via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Neither of these debutants walked into the cage with any intention of seeing the second round. Right away, the two knockout artists were standing in the pocket, firing three- and four-punch combinations. Somebody was going to fall, and a crisp 1-2-3 from Mingyang ensured Ribeiro hit the canvas first! It’s hard to take away too much from this quick finish, but China’s first Light Heavyweight representative now has 11 wins via KO and hasn’t lost a fight since October 2019. Maybe he’s one to watch?
• Danny Barlow defeats Josh Quinlan via third-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Barlow fits the mold of a really talented athlete picking up MMA quickly. A pro for less than three full years, Barlow has quickly put together an undefeated record, relying on fast hands and good Southpaw fundamentals — a dangerous combination at any level of the sport. Against a solid challenge in Quinlan, Barlow earned a clean debut victory. He was consistently able to manage distance via an active jab, allowing him to line up counter shots and occasionally burst forward with combinations. The damage slowly added up, but Quinlan looked downright battered when the referee stepped in after a knockdown early in the third.
• Oban Elliott defeats Val Woodburn via unanimous decision: This wasn’t a great fight. It wasn’t even a particularly interesting one. Woodburn’s grappling is really subpar, and his kickboxing form isn’t great either. That said, one exchange in the first 90 seconds of the fight deserves mention: Elliott kicks Woodburn FLUSH in the face with an audible thud. Understandably, he charges forward and swings for the finish. Unfortunately for him, Woodburn didn’t seem at all bothered by the head kick and promptly dropped Elliott with a left hook! It didn’t amount to anything, but what a wild scene.

For complete UFC 298: “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 300 is expected to deliver a loaded lineup for the promotion’s historic April event.

Following one of the most chaotic years in recent memory, the UFC will bring UFC 300 to its home base of Las Vegas on April 13. UFC CEO Dana White has promised one of the most stacked, and perhaps, unpredictable lineups in company history.

With four title fights already on the books for the first quarter of the year, including Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title, and Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington for the vacant women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title at UFC 298, and Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera for the bantamweight title at UFC 299, there’s a number of directions the UFC could go in terms of booking potential blockbuster fights.

Will UFC 300 mark the long awaited return of the sport’s biggest star in Conor McGregor? Time will tell as the countdown to UFC 300 is officially on.

For now, keep this page bookmarked: We’ll have a rundown of every fight announced, rumors, athletes raising their hands and calling their shots, and more.

Current UFC 300 fight card:

Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill – UFC light heavyweight title fight

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan – Strawweight title fight

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway — BMF title fight

Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm

Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar

Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green

Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage

Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes

Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez

Feb. 18: UFC 300 will only add one more fight.

After the UFC 298 fight card, UFC president Dana White announced UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will defend his title against former champion Jamahal Hill.

White said they the last fight on the historic card will be announced at a later date.

Feb. 15: Place your wager on UFC 300 headliner

Degenerate gamblers everywhere, rejoice. You can now place a wager on who will headline UFC 300.

Bovada on Thursday released one set of odds on who will win the main event sweepstakes for the April 13 pay-per-view card, and the wager is on Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad.

The welterweight title fight has been mentioned several times in connection with UFC 300, but the promotion has not confirmed whether it will land on the card, much less headline the blockbuster event.

Perhaps aware of the sentiment around the fight’s headliner-worthiness, Bovada set the fight as an underdog to top the fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with +165 odds for yes and -220 odds for no.

Feb. 14: Alexander Volkanovski to the rescue?

Alexander Volkanovski throws his hat into the ring.

With UFC 300 still lacking a main event, on Wednesday, at UFC 298 Media Day, the featherweight champion offered to step in and save the day just like he did at UFC 294 when he came in on short notice to rematch Islam Makhachev.

“I think they’re struggling still — maybe, it seems like they could be, I don’t know, wherever they are — with UFC 300. I know a guy!” Volkanovski said. “There’s plenty of time. Just so you know that. Just in case there’s anything happening. Dana, Hunter, you know a guy. I’m going to go do business, ruin someone’s party — or a few people’s party — and then I can come save the day, like I always do.”

Volkanovski faces Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298 this Saturday.

Feb. 13: Main event reveal at UFC 298?

The winner of the UFC 300 main event sweepstakes could be announced on Saturday, according to UFC CEO Dana White.

White told longtime MMA columnist Kevin Iole that the headliner of the April 13 pay-per-view could “probably” be announced at the post-fight presser for UFC 298 on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

“Maybe I’ll announce it this weekend at the press conference,” White told Iole.

Fans, media and fighters have anxiously awaited the main event announcement for UFC 300. Many fumed when White didn’t announce the fight during the Super Bowl and speculated that a filming obligation he said would take him away from the game in the first quarter was linked to the headliner.

UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones recently told Submission Radio he was offered the main event but turned it down because he wanted more time to recover from a pec injury that took him out of a title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295.

Feb. 12: Four fluid options for main event

The main event has not been announced, and according to Ariel Helwani, things “couldn’t be more fluid” for what could close the show for UFC 300. Still, some options are being discussed.

On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Helwani discussed what he’s been hearing about what may take the coveted main event spot. He reiterated multiple times that the options do not constitute an official report.

Two of the options have already been at play at certain points for the card — Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, and Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad. But the latter is believed to be the last resort in terms of what the promotion would like to put together, Helwani said.

The other options on the table include Khamzat Chimaev potentially challenging for either the welterweight title against Edwards or the middleweight title against du Plessis.

Again, to make it crystal clear, Helwani said nothing is done, nothing is agreed to, or in the works, or targeted at the moment. But it appears as if all four of those fights could be on the table.

UPDATE: Khamzat Chimaev looks forward to fighting again soon, but it doesn’t appear he’ll be returning at UFC 300.

The undefeated Chechen addressed his future when speaking to MMA Uncensored on Monday. It turns out bad timing will likely prevent his involvement with UFC 300 from happening, as Chimaev observes Ramadan, which starts on March 10 and ends on April 9. Ramadan requires fasting, including no food or water whatsoever, during daytime hours.

With UFC 300 taking place just four days after Ramadan ends, Chimaev says he’s just not interested in that particular date.

“I will fight everybody,” Chimaev said. “Leon [Edwards], [Dricus] du Plessis, anyone, but not [during] Ramadan. I think Ramadan [is during] UFC 300. Not fighting in Ramadan anymore.”

Feb. 11: Conor McGregor changes course again

A new day and a different Conor McGregor tweet.

After putting out on social media that the Super Bowl would feature some sort of UFC 300 announcement just 24 hours prior, McGregor said his return date would be this upcoming summer instead of April 13 for the milestone event. McGregor has repeatedly targeted June 29 for International Fight Week for his next trip to the Octagon, but Dana White said the star’s return would likely be “in the fall.”

Feb. 10: Conor McGregor planting more seeds for Super Bowl Sunday announcement?

With the UFC 300 main event spot currently remains empty and unknown, Conor McGregor is certainly doing his part to keep people guessing.

McGregor, who announced on New Year’s Eve that his expected fight with Michael Chandler would take place June 29 during International Fight Week, took a moment on Saturday to tease that an announcement about the headliner for the highly anticipated April event could come as early as this Sunday at the Super Bowl. McGregor’s hint came on his Instagram stories with a video of Dana White announcing the sport’s biggest star during one of the press conferences ahead of his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Earlier this week, White told Pat McAfee that there’s no date locked down for McGregor’s return to the octagon against Chandler, and that it hopefully happens “in the fall.”

Feb. 10: Dana White teases two more fights still to be announced

The UFC 300 card is nearly finalized, but the most important fight hasn’t been announced as the main event remains a mystery.

UFC CEO Dana White promised that his team is hard at work getting that fight booked, along with one other marquee matchup that he hopes to finalize as soon as possible.

“Who knows who’s going to be the UFC 300 headliner,” White said after Friday’s Power Slap event in Las Vegas. “We’ve been working on it. It’s been interesting, I can tell you that. Because obviously we want to deliver. I keep saying this [Deiveson] Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt is literally the first fight of the night. So if you look at the card where it sits today, every single fight could be a main event on a Fight Night or a pay-per-view.

“We’ve got two more fights that we’ve got to put together. We’re working on it.”

White admits that booking the main event hasn’t been easy, and if the fight was already done, he wouldn’t be keeping it a secret. As it stands, White can’t announce anything because a deal hasn’t been struck for the headliner, but he hopes to get that done soon.

“I’d announce it now if we had it,” White said. “We’ve gone through a lot of crazy s*** trying to put this fight together. It’s been interesting. No date [to announce it]. ASAP is the date.”

Feb. 8: Dana White announces event’s opening bout

UFC CEO Dana White is still trying to put together the main event for UFC 300, but he announced what fight will kick off the massive April pay-per-view card, and it’s a battle between former UFC champs.

While doing a slew of interviews on Radio Row during Super Bowl week, White revealed that the bantamweight bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbrandt will start the show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Every fight on the card could be either the main event of a Fight Night or a pay-per-view,” White told the Las Vegas Review Journal on Wednesday. “We are opening the card… the first prelim of the night is Garbrandt vs. Figueiredo, what does that tell you?”

Figueiredo, the former flyweight titleholder, makes his second bantamweight appearance. In his first bout since moving up to 135, Figueiredo delivered a fantastic performance in a unanimous decision victory over Rob Font.

After losing five of six, Garbrandt has won two straight, including a first-round knockout victory against Brian Kelleher at UFC 296 in December. A win will likely put the former bantamweight champion back in the top-10 of the division.

Feb. 1: Israel Adesanya teases return at UFC 300 with social media post

Whether or not Israel Adesanya is going to fight at UFC 300 or not, he has certainly caused a bit of a stir on social media.

The former two-time UFC middleweight champion posted to his Instagram story a graphic with a poster from the movie “300,” saying simply, “The gods must be crazy.”

Check out an image of the post below.

After Dricus du Plessis captured the middleweight title at UFC 297 with a split decision win over Sean Strickland, speculation has been running rampant that the long-awaited du Plessis vs. Adesanya matchup was right there to headline UFC 300. As of now, no main event has been announced for the card, but UFC CEO Dana White has been teasing a “crazy” announcement for the past week.

Jan. 30: Dana White poses in front of UFC 300 matchmaker board

As of Jan. 29, there is no UFC 300 main event. But the event’s bout order appears to be shaping up.

During a video shot by UFC influencer Nina Drama, UFC CEO Dana White posed in front of the matchmaking board for the April 13 pay-per-view event – and it’s still TBD vs. TBD at the top of the card.

According to the bout order posted, it appears Kayla Harrison’s bantamweight UFC debut will headline the event’s preliminary card. The main card is as follows:

TBD vs. TBD

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway — BMF title fight

Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Drama turned the mystery into a social media play, with White reportedly promising to get dosed by Crisco vegetable oil if the post got 10,000 comments and he didn’t announce the main event this week.

Jan. 29: Georges St-Pierre shoots down rumors

Strike another legend off the potential list of surprises that could take place at UFC 300.

Former welterweight champion and all-time pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre addressed rumors of a comeback at a recent Q&A Thailand, shutting down the possibility of making a return to the octagon on April 13. Or ever.

“It’s a rumor, I’ve never been offered for a fight,” St-Pierre said (h/t Bloody Elbow). “I’ve made that clear that I have no desire of coming back to fight in mixed martial arts.”

It’s unclear where the chatter came from that “GSP” would consider competing for the UFC after retiring in 2017, but St-Pierre flatly denied the rumor, noting that he’s focusing now on the occasional grappling match. St-Pierre was supposed to hit the mats with old rival Nick Diaz at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event this past December, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Suffice to say, the door is firmly closed on ever seeing a GSP MMA fight again.

“I’m 42 years old,” St-Pierre said. “I’m not the same person I used to be when I was competing. There was a time I had an incredible drive, I wanted to become champion. Nothing in the world could stop me. Like mentally, I was unstoppable. I had a crazy, crazy drive. If a door was closed, I was going to open another door. If two doors were closed, I was going to get in by force. I was ready to do almost anything to achieve my goal, but I’m not that person anymore.

“That hunger is gone. When that hunger is gone, I think it’s a sign that you need to retire. Unfortunately a lot of fighters, they don’t follow that sign and they retire too late. I didn’t—I never wanted to be one of those guys.”

Jan. 28: Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are at it again

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are set for a summertime showdown… right?

Fans may be glued to social media for the next little while as McGregor tweeted his interest in UFC 300, with Chandler answering the call shortly after.

There’s no way to tell what McGregor and the UFC actually have planned as the former two-division champion recently announced himself that he would be fighting Chandler in a middleweight bout on June 29 (the UFC is yet to announce anything officially for McGregor).

Chandler is locked into the matchup, but could McGregor shock the world with a surprise fight at UFC 300 against someone else entirely?

Jan. 26: Dana White promises jaw-dropping main event announcement

Dana White has promised fans that UFC 300 will be as loaded as it can possibly be, and while fans seem to believe the main event could see the rivalry between new champ Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya be settled, perhaps things could trend in a different direction.

Earlier this week on an Instagram live, White said that when it’s announced, fans won’t be ready for it.

“You guys can’t handle the main event,” White said. “We’re working on a couple of different options. Trust me, the UFC 300 main event is going to be crazy.”

Jan. 26: Strawweights take center stage

Another fight has been added to the April 13 lineup as the promotion revealed that former champion Jessica Andrade will remain at strawweight to face Marina Rodriguez.

After both women put vicious beatings on their most recent opponents, both Andrade and Rodriguez will look to get back into title contention in one of the most consistent divisions in the sport.

Jan. 24: Big moves

In a stunning announcement, two-time Olympic champion and two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison has jumped ship from PFL to face Holly Holm at UFC 300. Harrison, 33, is expected to make her bantamweight debut after fighting her entire MMA career at lightweight and featherweight. Holm, 42, is a former UFC bantamweight champion.

Also joining the card is a battle between featherweight veteran Sodiq Yusuff and MMA Fighting’s 2023 Rookie of the Year Diego Lopes.

Jan. 16: BMF title back up for grabs

In a surprise move, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday that Justin Gaethje is set to defend his BMF title against Max Holloway in a lightweight matchup at UFC 300.

White also announced that Jim Miller will get his wish following his third-round submission of Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 84. The current record-holder for the most bouts and wins in UFC history, Miller faces fellow longtime veteran Bobby Veteran in a lightweight bout on the card, per White. Miller is shooting to become the only fighter to compete at UFC 100, UFC 200, and UFC 300.

Jan. 12: Cody Garbrandt gets his wish

UFC CEO Dana White announced Friday a long-awaited matchup between former champions Cody Garbrandt and Deiveson Figueiredo is the latest addition to UFC 300.

Garbrandt called for a matchup against Figueiredo following his latest knockout win over Brian Kelleher at UFC 296. The two former champions were previously booked to meet in August 2020 with Garbrandt moving down in weight and challenging for Figueiredo’s then-held flyweight title, however Garbrandt was forced to pull out of the contest due to illness.

Now they’ll get a chance to settle their business on one of the biggest cards of the year.

Jan. 13: Jim Miller calls out Paul Felder and Matt Brown following UFC Vegas 84 win

Jim Miller has been linked to UFC 300 for years, and there was another hurdle he needed to leap over, and that was his UFC Vegas 84 bout with Gabriel Benitez. Miller extended his UFC win record with a third-round submission victory, and then turned his attention to the April pay-per-view event.

Following the win, “A-10” showed interest in fighting Paul Felder, who was doing commentary for the event, as well as Matt Brown for a potential shootout on the historic card — along with a hilarious callout of Brock Lesnar.

Miller has to be on the card, and at the end of the day, the opponent doesn’t really matter, but either Felder or Brown would be excellent opponents for the veteran lightweight that competed at both UFC 100 and UFC 200.

Jan. 11: Nate Diaz wants to headline UFC 300 after missing out on UFC 200

Nate Diaz might be interested in coming home again.

After he was originally scheduled to headline UFC 200 against Conor McGregor back in 2016, Diaz now likes the idea of returning to his old stomping grounds to potentially serve as the UFC 300 main event instead.

Diaz took to Twitter on Thursday to tease the possible reunion after hitting free agency following his last fight in the octagon — a win over Tony Ferguson in 2022.

“I was supposed to headline UFC 200,” Diaz wrote. “Headline UFC 300 would be better.”

The original plan for UFC 200 was to set with McGregor and Diaz squaring off in a rematch but the bout was ultimately delayed until UFC 202 two months later.

Diaz remains on good terms with the promotion with UFC CEO Dana White often saying that he would welcome the Stockton, Calif. native back if he ever wanted to return. As UFC 300 continues to wait on a headliner, Diaz has at least made an offer that his former bosses might have to consider.

Jan. 9: Alex Pereira says he’s ‘back,’ but will it be at UFC 300?

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been attached to this card already with his math equation that led to remarkable speculation.

Pereira posted to Instagram on Tuesday a photo of himself with the championship wrapped around his waist with a caption of “DE VOLTA,” which translated says “BACK.”

While an announcement hasn’t been made in regards to Pereira’s timeline, UFC 300 is currently without a main event, and with Pereira ending 2023 which incredible momentum, the UFC could certainly put “Poatan” in a spot to capitalize on it.

Jan. 7: Dana White announces Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan for UFC 300, confirms Dustin Poirier will be at UFC 299

One former lightweight titleholder has been booked for UFC 300, while another is now set to compete a month earlier.

UFC CEO Dana White officially announced that Charles Oliveira is set to fight Arman Tsarukyan in a bout that is expected to determine the next challenger for lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. In his announcement, White said that he expects Makhachev to return to competition sometime this summer.

White also confirmed that former interim champion Dustin Poirier will not be competing at UFC 300. Poirier had previously shot down the possibility of a fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 300, and he instead fights fast-rising contender Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 on March 9. The bout is set for five rounds and is scheduled to be the co-main event, with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defending his title against rival Marlon “Chito” Vera in the headliner.

Jan. 4: Dana White says more matchups to be announced soon

During an IG live on Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about what else could be on the UFC 300 card.

White, who has been traveling, said that he returns to Las Vegas in the next few days, and that he will be announcing more matchups “on Tuesday.” White didn’t say anything about whether or not the main event, or any of the top-of-the-bill bouts would be announced, but it appears as if the current three-fight slate will be expanding.

Jan. 3: Dustin Poirier rules out Nate Diaz rematch

If Dustin Poirier competes at UFC 300, it won’t be against Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz.

Poirier ruled out a clash with Diaz overnight with “it ain’t happening.” Poirier has been linked to a showdown with Diaz for years now, but for whatever reason, the two fighters have never met in the Octagon.

Dec. 31: Conor McGregor could be out for UFC 300

Conor McGregor, arguably the UFC’s most popular star, likely won’t compete at the massive event. The former two-division UFC champion has plans to finally fight Michael Chandler during International Fight Week on June 29.

The UFC has yet to announce the fight.

Dec. 31: Leon Edwards puts belt on line at UFC 300

Leon Edwards believes he will compete at UFC 300. The UFC welterweight champion made the announcement during a soccer match and thinks he will return for a summer event in Birmingham, England, as well.

Dec. 23: Nate Diaz comeback?

Nate Diaz’s UFC days might not be done.

In a brief social media post, Diaz teased having interest in returning to the promotion he called home for 15 years, writing, “UFC 300 would be tight but there’s nobody to fight.”

Diaz parted ways with the UFC following a win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022, with the bout marking the expiration of his contract. The split appeared to be an amicable one, despite Diaz occasionally having a contentious relationship with the promotion and UFC CEO Dana White, and the octagon doors have remained open for a Diaz return.

Since parting ways with the UFC, Diaz was able to book a lucrative boxing match against Jake Paul, who defeated Diaz by unanimous decision this past August.

It’s too early to say for sure if Diaz has genuine interest in fighting at UFC 300, but a pair of lightweight contenders have already volunteered their services should he come back. Dustin Poirier not-so-subtly called Diaz out to potentially put the bow on a matchup that was once set to be resolved at UFC 230 before Poirier withdrew due to an injury, and Michael Chandler also mentioned Diaz as an option as he continues his interminable wait for a fight with Conor McGregor.

Dec. 23: Izzy vs. Khamzat?

Israel Adesanya could fight before 2027 after all. The former UFC middleweight king might also have a dance partner in the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev, who recently defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, put his hat into the ring for Adesanya with a pair of Instagram slides on Saturday.

Dec. 23: Tom Aspinall fans the flames

With Jon Jones on the shelf for the near future, Tom Aspinall doesn’t want to wait until the end of 2024 for his return to the Octagon. He responded to UFC light heavyweight Alex Pereira’s recent math equation with his own graphic on his IG story.

Dec. 21: Dana White announces first three fights for UFC 300

On Thursday night, UFC CEO Dana White announced the event’s first three fights. Although he didn’t announce the main event, White did reveal that former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will officially make the move up to featherweight to face the dangerous Calvin Kattar.

Additionally, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka will return for the second time in five months following recovery from a shoulder injury and will face Aleksandar Rakic, and super prospect Bo Nickal will make his third octagon appearance against Cody Brundage. White also said he plans to announce more bouts for the card after the new year.

Dec. 21: Alex Pereira’s combat algebra problem, and a possible heavyweight move?

Alex Pereira has already broken the sport (and the way rankings are done) forever. Pereira began 2023 on the receiving end of the probable Knockout of the Year when he lost the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in April, only to move up to 205 pounds, beat a former champion, and then capture the vacant title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. In just seven UFC fights — and 11 pro MMA bouts total — Pereira is a two-division UFC champion. But is that enough?

On Thursday, Pereira went to his Instagram stories and posted a math problem with a thinking emoji that read 30 + 300 = 3. I’m certainly no math expert, but I do know that the answer doesn’t fit in the equation — so what is Pereira trying to say?

Many people believe that Pereira is teasing a move to heavyweight: Gain 30 pounds, fight at UFC 300, win a third divisional title. If that’s what he means, would he fight heavyweight Jon Jones or 30-year-old (!) interim champ Tom Aspinall? Considering what the UFC has been telling us, and just using logic, this doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. But maybe that’s the beauty of it — a swerve, if you will — to throw people off for this mega card.

Another way you can look at the problem is that Pereira has 30 knockouts in his combat sports career, wants to fight at UFC 300, and maybe the “3” means an MMA trilogy fight with Adesanya. Whatever Pereira is trying to say, it may soon be revealed.

Dec. 17: Dustin Poirier calls out Nate Diaz for UFC 300?

The day after the UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year, Poirier continued to tease competing at UFC 300, before throwing out a name on social media — his longtime rival Nate Diaz.

Diaz fought out his UFC contract at UFC 279 in September, where he stopped Tony Ferguson in the main event. Since then, the superstar fighter lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in a boxing match in August, and has yet to reveal his next move.

Personally speaking, and with so many factors in play, I doubt Diaz returns for UFC 300, and based on the lay of the land, I’m quite confident Diaz will fight in the first half of 2024 but it won’t be in the UFC. The most notable factor is that Diaz is not on the roster, or a part of the organization in any way. Diaz is a star, and he can make a ton of money competing outside of the octagon, scratching any and all itches in combat sports. While I’ll never say never, given the current lay of the land, I would be shocked if it happens.

Poirier certainly will have other options, including surging contender Arman Tsarukyan, who is fresh off of a 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin.

Nov. 7: Dustin Poirier eyes return at UFC 300

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Poirier said that he’s hoping for a fight that excites him, which would include the opportunity to fight at UFC 300.

“My current mindset, I’d fight in six weeks, I’d fight in eight weeks if the fight made sense and I was excited about it,” Poirier told MMA Fighting. “But other than that, I think a chance to fight on UFC 300 is a big deal.

“I’ve been in the UFC since UFC 125 and I missed 200. Know I’m not gonna be around for 400, so it’s kind of a cool opportunity if it comes together, but I honestly have no clue of my my return date or time frame, but UFC 300 is enticing.”

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Dana White praised reigning UFC welterweight world champion Leon Edwards following Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Anaheim.

Immediately after Ilia Topuria’s spectacular second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski to claim the featherweight crown, the UFC CEO finally revealed that main event matchup for UFC 300.

On April 13, fans will see the return of former light heavyweight king Jamahal Hill as he faces current champ Alex Pereira for the 205-pound crown. The announcement comes after months of rumors and speculation that had everyone from Khamzat Chimaev to Tom Aspinall earmarked for the highly anticipated headliner.

Leon Edwards was also heavily rumored to feature on the landmark card. Speaking with members of the press, White confirmed that ‘Rocky’ was in negotiations and had accepted fights with no less than three potential opponents for UFC 300.

“We were out there talking to lots of people, trying to make lots of fights, and in this business, it’s about taking opportunities,” White said during the UFC 298 post-fight press conference. “Headlining UFC 300 with all the buzz and all the energy around it… Let me say this. Leon Edwards has had three opponents throughout this thing. Leon Edwards doesn’t say no to anybody. This kid is an absolute stud. He’s had three opponents thrown at him for UFC 300. Yes, yes, yes. He was willing to take on anybody.”

Two of Edwards’ potential opponents were likely No. 2 ranked contender Belal Muhammad and undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev with the third being division standout Shavkat Rakhmonov. Muhammad is widely considered to be the next man in line for a shot at Edwards’ welterweight gold.

With the UFC 300 main event now officially announced, this is how the card stacks up so far:

UFC 300 Main Card:

• Alex Pereira(c) vs. Jamahal Hill – UFC light heavyweight championship
• Zhang Weili(c) vs. Xiaonan Yan – UFC strawweight championship
• Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – BMF title fight
• Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
• Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic

UFC 300 Prelim Card:

• Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
• Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
• Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison
• Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
• Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff
• Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

As always, the card is subject to change.

LowKickMMA.com

The UFC 298 co-main event featured a middleweight bout with significant implications in the division’s rankings.  Former champion Robert Whittaker took on knockout artist Paulo Costa in the co-featured fight at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday.  

Whittaker was defeated by current champion Dricus Du Plessis in his last fight at UFC 290 last July.  Despite the loss, Whittaker remained ranked third in the rankings.  

Costa last fought in August 2022 defeating former titleholder Luke Rockhold.  He and Whittaker was tied to a fight at UFC 284 in February 2023, but Costa disputed the fight announcement saying he never signed a bout agreement.  A year later, the fight finally happened.  

Costa rushed across the cage.  He landed a jab.  Whittaker responded with a leg kick.  Costa went high with a kick but Whittaker blocked it.  Costa lands his jab.  Whittaker bounced on the outside.  Whittaker connected with back-to-back jabs.  Whittaker landed a clean counter right hand.  He landed a left hand and Costa responded with a right hand.  

Midway through the round, Whittaker landed another right hand followed by a leg kick.  Whittaker pressured Costa and landed another leg kick.  Costa delivered an inside leg kick.  Whittaker stepped in with a jab.  Costa responded with a jab.  Whittaker drove forward and landed a right hand.  Costa landed his jab but Whittaker appeared to be the faster fighter.  Costa landed a spinning back kick that put Whittaker on wobbly legs with seconds remaining.  Whittaker survived the round but was badly hurt.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Costa.

Whittaker looked to have recovered.  He landed a leg kick.  Costa delivered a leg kick of his own.  Costa went high with a kick but it was blocked.  Costa connected with back-to-back jabs.  Whittaker is bleeding out of his nose.  Costa accidentally poked Whittaker in the eye.  Whittaker didn’t need time to recover and the fight was restarted.  

Whittaker connected with a leg kick followed by a hard left hand.  Costa threw a head kick that was blocked.  Whittaker stepped in with a jab followed by a hard leg kick.  Whittaker delivered a combination.  Costa looked to have slowed.  Whittaker landed a right hand.  Costa delivered a solid leg kick.  With a minute remaining in the round, Whittaker landed another leg kick.  Whittaker landed a hard right hand.  Costa’s chin held up.  MMAWeekly scored the second round 10-9 for Whittaker.    

Costa landed a right hand to start the third frame.  Whittaker responded with a leg kick.  Whittaker partially landed a. left hand.  Costa connected with a leg kick.  Whittaker delivered a clean right hand.  Costa landed a knee to the body.  Both men appeared to have slowed.  Whittaker landed a massive right hand and Costa shook it off.  Costa motioned to Whittaker to engage.  He landed a leg kick.  

Midway through the final round, Costa delivered a kick to the body.  Whittaker answered with a jab followed by a leg kick.  Costa inched forward and landed his jab.  Costa missed with a spinning heel kick.  Whittaker connected with a right hand.  They exchanged left hands.  Whittaker continued to land leg kicks.  He landed his jab.  Whittaker briefly looked for a takedown just before the end of the round.  MMAWeekly scored the third round 10-9 for Whittaker.  

The judges scored the fight for Whittaker by unanimous decision.  The scorecards read 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.

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