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Along with two title fights headlining the fight card, UFC 300 also features a bout for the symbolic BMF belt.  

Lightweight contender Justin Gaethje and former featherweight champion Max Holloway will meet on the UFC 300 main card.  Both meant officially weighed in at 156 pound each on Friday in Las Vegas.  

UFC 300 BMF Weigh-In Video

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Dana White is hoping to seal the deal on a Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler summertime matchup any day now, but don’t expect an official announcement later this evening (Sat., April 13, 2024) at UFC 300 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It goes without saying, but McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon is a pretty big deal. Despite not competing since suffering a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier back in July 2021, “Notorious” remains the biggest star in combat sports today. McGregor has been ready and willing to book his official comeback fight against Chandler, but for one reason or another the promotion hasn’t been able to come to terms.

Rumors began to swirl last weekend that a potential McGregor vs. Chandler fight announcement would be revealed at WWE’s WrestleMania 40 event. Both UFC and WWE are now under the same umbrella so it made complete sense, especially considering the platform and outreach that WrestleMania has. Still, nothing was announced.

Fight fans then figured UFC would wait for this weekend’s massive UFC 300 card to unveil McGregor’s official return date. Chandler flew to Las Vegas hours before Thursday’s UFC 300 pre-fight press conference so fight fans thought the promotion could do a surprise announcement at that event. Still, nothing was announced.

On Friday, UFC president Dana White was interviewed by reporters following a Power Slap event in Las Vegas and was asked about McGregor vs. Chandler. The UFC CEO poured ice cold water on any rumors that McGregor and Chandler would have walked out on stage at the UFC 300 pre-fight presser to announce their matchup.

“They’re expecting them to walk out yesterday. It’s all internet bulls—t, like NBC news,” said White.

Without an announcement at WrestleMania 40 or during UFC 300’s fight week festivities, that only leaves tonight’s massive UFC 300 PPV card to reveal an official McGregor vs. Chandler fight. It seems like the most logical scenario considering UFC 300 is trending towards 1 million PPV buys, but according to White the promotion still needs to work out a deal with McGregor.

“I can honestly sit here right now and tell you we do not have a deal done for the Conor fight,” said White.

Despite whatever White says there’s still a really good chance that something is leaked tonight during the UFC 300 broadcast. It would be a complete miss for the promotion not to take advantage of the biggest combat stage of the year to announce the return of the biggest fighter in the game. Even McGregor is ready to make the announcement as the former UFC double champ took to social media Friday night to post the below:

“The fight is on! McGregor vs. Chandler! See you on the date I said,” wrote McGregor.

What do you think, fight fans? Will we finally get a McGregor vs. Chandler announcement later tonight during the UFC 300 broadcast? Or will this drama continue to drag along?

Sound off!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Contrary to popular belief, Bo Nickal didn’t put himself on the UFC 300 main card.

If there’s one major complaint about the historic event in Las Vegas on Saturday, it’s that a 5-0 fighter with less than six minutes of total cage time in his career occupies a coveted spot on the pay-per-view broadcast. Meahwhile, a litany of former champions and top contenders decorate the preliminary card.

Add to that, Nickal is an overwhelming favorite to win his fight with Cody Brundage. But that kind of showcase might also speak to the decision to place him on the main card.

“I guess first off, it’s not really me that decides that,” Nickal said of his placement at UFC 300 during media day. “I know a lot of people pull up the quote of me saying, ‘I’m a main card guy,’ and stuff like that, but I feel like at the end of the day, the UFC made a business decision, and it made sense for me to be on the main card.

“That being said as far as the opinions of others, they’re not super relevant to me. Those are going to ebb and flow, and I’m confident in a year or two once I’ve established myself more and built my reputation in this sport more, people will think it’s a no brainer and look back on it, and it will make a lot more sense.”

Even Nickal admits he was taken back when he first got word that he would kick off the main card. He was mostly happy just to compete at UFC 300, but he certainly wouldn’t complain about receiving such a prestigious honor.

“I didn’t expect it,” Nickal said. “I think that it’s a big honor for me to be where I’m at on the card and just to be on this card in general. Because there’s so many amazing fighters, and so many guys that have a ton of experience, and who are just doing big things in the sport.

“I feel like it says a lot about me, about the UFC and our plans and I think they align. I’m just grateful to be where I’m at and grateful to have this platform to go do my thing.”

For all the talk about his placement on the UFC 300 card, Nickal hasn’t really spent much time thinking about that. After demolishing his first two opponents in the octagon in less than four minutes total, he felt ready for a step up in competition, which is exactly what he expects Brundage to provide.

“I was excited for that,” Nickal said about his opponent. “Just getting to compete against another wrestler is a new challenge for me. Everybody that I’ve fought thus far hasn’t had a wrestling background.

“So this will present different problems for me to solve in the fight, and that’s going to be a big part of my development. Just continuing to get different looks and improve and feel different things in the cage. Hopefully he can give me a little resistance in there and figure it out.”

Of course, for all the wrestling experience Brundage may possess, he pales in comparison to Nickal as a three-time Division 1 National Champion from Penn State.

Those accolades help to explain why Nickal is considered one of the top prospects to ever join the UFC roster; he was signed after just three pro fights.

Wrestling isn’t fighting, but Nickal certainly got tested on the mats during his four years in college, and it seemed like he was preparing to strap on a singlet during the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Nickal got into a war of words with Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs, who was calling the matches for ESPN. Burroughs said he would absolutely target the injured leg of Penn State national champion Carter Starocci if they met in the upcoming Olympic trials. That didn’t sit too well for Nickal, who called Burroughs a “freaking fraud” for championing wrestling publicly but taking the spotlight away from Starocci and putting it on himself.

Burroughs remains a stalwart in the wrestling community, but Nickal says the reaction he got from other athletes and coaches after making those comments caught him off guard a little bit.

“It’s interesting,” Nickal said. “I definitely expected the wrestling community to be maybe taken back by it, or surprised, just given his standing in the community. But I’ve gotten a lot of support from people that are actually in the community, wrestlers, coaches, people that are in it. Not just fans that are watching from the outside.

“Everybody is kind of on the same page as me, so that was interesting to me. It’s not something I expected. I was just pretty much was frustrated with what he had to say and let that be known.”

Nickal crosses paths with Brundage on Saturday at UFC 300, and then he may do the same with Burroughs when the Olympic trials kick off April 19.

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Bo Nickal tells fans to bet on him at UFC 300, as he calls it free money.

Nickal is set to open the UFC 300 main card against Cody Brundage in an intriguing matchup. Heading into the fight, Nickal is the biggest favorite on the card as he’s a massive -2100 which implies a 95.5% chance of winning the fight.

At the current odds, you would need ot bet $ 2100 to win $ 100 if you think Nickal wins, but the undefeated prospect says it’s free money.

“Yeah, I think the math checks out, to me,” Nickal said at UFC 300 media day (via MMAMania). “If I’m being honest, any number on me is basically just free money at this point. I had some people asking me predictions and things like that for the fight. It’s really tough to predict a fight, but I know I’m gonna win. That’s the one thing I’m really sure of.”

Nickal has been a massive betting favorite in both of his UFC fights, as well as his two Contender Series fights. But, he has made quick work of all of his opponents, so he says it has been easy money for anyone who bets on him.

Cody Brundage questions Betting Odds Ahea Of Bo Nickal Fight

At the current odds, Bo Nickal is expected to run through Cody Brundage, but the Factory X fighter doesn’t think that will happen.

Instead, Brundage questions Nickal’s skillset as he says the NCAA wrestler hasn’t been tested which he plans on doing. He also doesn’t understand the odds, as he thinks Nickal or anyone in MMA should be this big of a favorite.

“So for him to be that big of a favorite, it seems insane to me. Obviously, I’m a little biased.” Cody Brundage said UFC 300 media day (via BJPENN). “But, it seems pretty wild. People think he’s the second coming of Jesus Christ in MMA, but I just don’t see it.”

Heading into UFC 300, both Nickal and Brundage are confident they will be able to get their hand raised on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 300 is upon us!!!

OK, that intro might be a tad too dramatic, given we haven’t exactly been blessed with an earth-shattering main event this Saturday. But 300 is still a hefty number for the UFC to have reached, and you can’t argue with the lineup. Is it the best, most hyped card in combat sports? Maybe not.

But you best believe it’s the deepest.

We don’t need to go over every champion, former champion, contender, and fan favorite on this card. But if you can’t find at least four or five fights to love, then that’s a you problem. Knockout king Alex Pereira taking on the unflinchingly confident Jamahal Hill? Zhang Weili, the best female fighter in the world, facing fellow Chinese star Yan Xiaonan? Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway meeting in a dream match to determine just who is officially the baddest m***********? It’s all spectacular.

That’s not even mentioning former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira having to hold off young juggernaut Arman Tsarukyan, and can’t-miss prospect Bo Nickal opening one of the most highly anticipated pay-per-views ever.

What are you waiting for? Let’s dive into the main card picks.

What: UFC 300

Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, April 13. The card begins with a four-fight early prelims portion on ESPN and ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET, with continuing coverage of the four-fight prelim card also on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The five-fight main card begins at 10 p.m. ET and is available exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)

Alex Pereira (1, P4P-4) vs. Jamahal Hill (4)

It’s not Conor McGregor vs. whoever, like some people wanted, but Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill is one hell of a scrap to close out a card of this magnitude. You’ve got the “champ-champ” vs. the champ that didn’t lose his belt in the cage, a high likelihood of someone getting slept, and plenty of bad blood dating back to Hill retiring Pereira’s master, so to speak. You can’t ask for much more than that.

Well, you could ask for a 100 percent healthy Hill. Coming off of an Achilles’ tear, Hill has said all the right things about being fully recovered from the injury. He’s young and in fantastic shape, so it’s entirely possible that with the best medical attention, he’s ready to be at his best come fight night. But once he eats a couple of leg kicks from Pereira, we’re all going to be wondering if he made a mistake not pushing back a return to action.

Even if Hill is at his best, this is a coin toss. Hill showed in the Glover Teixeira fight that he can fight a smart five rounds, and consulting Israel Adesanya on how to deal with the power-punching “Poatan” can only help him. He can do a reasonable impression of what Adesanya did in his first UFC title fight against Pereira, and that might be enough for Hill to win it.

It’s that one-pop stopping ability that makes it so difficult to pick against Pereira, even knowing Hill has just as much potential to end this one early. I see Hill having success early, taking advantage of a slow start from Pereira, before the champion catches him with a trademark flurry for the knockout win.

Pick: Pereira

Zhang Weili (1, P4P-1) vs. Yan Xiaonan (3, P4P-10)

Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan, two Chinese UFC fighters competing for a title, should be competing for the strawweight belt in their home country. But we have to settle for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Alas.

It’s a shame, because I’m not sure how jazzed up the crowd will be to see Zhang win a lopsided fight over Yan, which comes after a brutal “BMF” battle and precedes the final fight of the night. As fun as Zhang is to watch, she’s still under-appreciated by much of the fanbase, and that lack of recognition could rear its ugly head here.

Too bad, because the champ is about to put in work. On the feet, Zhang could face some risky moments, as Yan has some of the best standup in any of the UFC’s three women’s divisions. Yan has found a smart balance between being aggressive and finding the timing to land her stiff right hand. If there’s to be an upset, it will be Yan outworking Zhang on the feet for five rounds.

Zhang’s wrestling is what tilts the odds considerably in her favor. We saw what Carla Esparza did to Yan and, frankly, if Mackenzie Dern had one reliable takedown entry, she probably would have beat Yan, too. If Zhang gets Yan to the mat, she’s either punishing her en route to a 10-8, or finding a finish. Yan is tough, and she’ll hang in there as long as she can, but this doesn’t go past the third.

Pick: Zhang

Justin Gaethje (3, P4P-T14) vs. Max Holloway (FW-3, P4P-T18)

How you view Max Holloway’s 2019 rematch with Dustin Poirier will tell you a lot about what you should expect to see when he returns to lightweight against Justin Gaethje.

Positives: Holloway has the kind of striking output that has foiled Gaethje in the past. The key to putting Gaethje down (assuming you’re not just Khabib Nurmagomedov) is to bother him from a variety of angles to open up his defenses and press the advantage late. Holloway landed a ton of strikes in his classic five-rounder with Poirier, and if he can replicate that against Gaethje, the door is open for a late finish or a decision win.

Negatives: Holloway gets hit a lot! This has been true throughout his career, which is unavoidable when you’re regularly trading punches with the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Jose Aldo, and Frankie Edgar. But he’s frequently been able to power through those situations. He relies a lot on his unassailable chin, which isn’t a sustainable strategy against Gaethje. I’m skeptical that Holloway’s defense is solid enough to avoid Gaethje’s heaviest punches and leg kicks.

Expect yet another classic to be added to both men’s catalogues, with Gaethje’s size and power being the difference on the scorecards.

Pick: Gaethje

Charles Oliveira (2, P4P-6) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (4)

Arman Tsarukyan is so close to getting his chance to prove that he’s the man to lead the next generation of lightweights. He’s just not going through Charles Oliveira to do it.

“Do Bronx” has been the best lightweight in the world not named Khabib or Islam in the past few years, so there’s no shame in Tsarukyan losing to him. This is a classic lightweight banger on paper, and Oliveira just doesn’t lose those. You want to outsmart him, you want to out-technique him? Fine. You want to go in there and go straight at him to make a name for yourself? Bad move, hotshot.

Tsarukyan is a so far above the second tier of lightweights that it’s easy to see why he’ll be champion someday. But Oliveira is a considerable step above anyone that he’s beaten in the past. He hasn’t had anyone put the heat on him like Oliveira can. I’m fascinated to see how this one plays out, because despite my confidence in Oliveira, Tsarukyan making the leap wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Both these guys rule, I’m torn!

Sigh. Oliveira by submission.

Pick: Oliveira

Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage

All signs point to a Bo Nickal showcase performance.

You can’t completely discount the possibility of a Cody Brundage upset, however. This is combat sports. Brundage has the makings of a proper underdog, too. You get the sense he isn’t shaken one bit by the position he’s been put in, and he has a knack for pulling finishes out of nowhere. If Nickal were the type to take his opponents lightly, I’d be worried.

But one thing Nickal has shown in his brief MMA career is respect for the craft, so you can bet he’s taking Brundage as seriously as any of the elite wrestlers he faced in college. It just so happens that Brundage’s base is wrestling, but if he attempts to shoot on Nickal, he’s getting suplexed. That means that at worst, Nickal will be forced to stand, a scenario he’s been more than comfortable with so far.

Nickal’s explosiveness is going to be too much for Brundage, who has a habit of letting his opponents set the tone. That plays exactly into Nickal’s hands, as he’ll happily set a pace that leaves Brundage in the dust well before the end of Round 1.

Pick: Nickal

Preliminaries (check out full preliminary predictions here)

Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic

Calvin Kattar def. Aljamain Sterling

Holly Holm def. Kayla Harrison

Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff

Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner

Marina Rodriguez def. Jessica Andrade

Bobby Green def. Jim Miller

Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The fighters competing on Saturday’s historic UFC 300 pay-per-view event officially weighed in on Friday morning in Las Vegas.  At 7 p.m. ET, the athletes will weigh-in and face off with their opponents in front of a crowd of enthusiastic spectators during the ceremonial weigh-in.  

The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena and is headlined by two world title bouts. The middleweight title is on the line in the fight card’s main event between champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill. Hill and Pereira tipped the scales at 205 pounds. 

In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion Zhang Weili puts her title on the line against Yan Xiaonan. Both women officially weighed in at 115 pounds.

Also on the fight card, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje puts the symbolic “BMF” belt up against former featherweight champion Max Holloway. Both men officially weighed in at 156 pounds.

UFC 300 Ceremonial Weigh-In Video 

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