We're extremely excited to announce that UFC artist Gian Galang u/giangalang will be joining us for an AMA tomorrow afternoon at 5PM PDT / 8PM EST. He's been putting in the work for this PPV with this absolutely extraordinary mural for UFC 300 as well as this Artist Series Poster done in the same style.
If you're an admirer of his &$ ^%ing awesome work, send him a follow here on his Instagram, where you can see even more work he's done for the UFC as well as other athletes and organizations.
Note that this is not the AMA thread, so while you're free to get your questions ready there's no need to post them here.
Like always, please make our guests feel welcome, as that's the only way we'll continue to get fun and exciting interviews like these.
We want to send a big THANK YOU to Gian for joining us tomorrow! See his work come to life at UFC 300, which airs on Saturday, April 13th with the Early Prelims starting at 3PM PDT / 6PM EST.
Dricus du Plessis | Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images
Dricus du Plessis will defend his title when he’s good and ready.
“Stillknocks” claimed the UFC middleweight championship with a hard-fought split decision win over Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297. The damage sustained in that fight prevented du Plessis from making a fast return to training, which left him unable to consider another fight in the following months.
That meant du Plessis could not accept a fight with longtime rival Israel Adesanya that would have headlined UFC 300 this Saturday. Adesanya recently said he was “summoned” to fight du Plessis, but du Plessis has an explanation as to why he declined the booking.
“I was in a moon boot,” Du Plessis said on the Shadow Banned podcast. “I wasn’t able to train, because with a broken foot, it’s stationary, I couldn’t train. So now you want me to have a six-week camp to fight at UFC 300. [Against] one of the best people to ever do it. I don’t think people understand what it would mean to fight at 300, be the main event. That’s life-changing s***.
“But even talking about the financial side of it, for people that were wondering, I didn’t want more money. The money they offered me was great. For me, it’s a legacy thing. Going out there, after performing the way I’ve been performing and going out there and not being 100 percent really, and people saying, ‘Why aren’t you taking the risk?’ I’ve taken the risk every fight. I’ve been injured for a couple of fights, the Whittaker fight especially. Just jumping to fighting, I’ve fought three times in seven months. That’s taking a risk. Once you get the title, you don’t have to make those risks, because it’s not an opportunity, it’s an opportunity for the contender, not mine. I declined fighting. It was with a heavy heart I had to decline UFC 300 because what an amazing privilege it is to be headlining that card.
“But Izzy saying he’s been summoned, no. You are summoned when I say you’re summoned.”
Du Plessis has since proposed that he and Adesanya fight on Aug. 17 at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. A matchup between the two has been inevitable ever since they came face-to-face inside the octagon following du Plessis’ win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July 2023.
Adesanya was in line to defend the middleweight title against du Plessis at UFC 293, but again injuries prevented du Plessis from making a quick turnaround. Instead, Adesanya went on to lose his title via an upset loss to Strickland.
That led to Strickland and du Plessis facing off in Toronto this past January. The winning fighter would likely be in consideration to compete at UFC 300, but after edging out a decision over Strickland, du Plessis knew he was in no shape to make the April 13 date.
“I knew going into this fight, UFC 300 is probably going to be a possibility. It was discussed, but was never official,” Du Plessis said. “… If you look at that [Strickland] fight, I don’t think people realize what that feels like. It’s easy to sit there and say, ‘He walked out of the cage.’ Yes, because I don’t know if you know what adrenaline is and I’m tough and you’re not. I mean, you saw the next morning, I was in a wheelchair.”
On his way up the ranks, du Plessis made a name for himself taking on some of the UFC middleweight division’s most established contenders. He knocked off Whittaker, Derek Brunson, Darren Till, Brad Tavares and others en route to his title shot.
That hectic pace to start his career took a toll on him and now that he’s the champion being chased, he wants to take his time when it comes to signing his next bout agreement.
“I would have been in camp for two weeks,” Du Plessis said. “I’ve only started training again and being able to move on my foot for the last week. That doesn’t make sense. So yeah, I declined 300 at the end of the day, and it was with a heavy heart. It wasn’t easy to decline a fight like that and it wasn’t easy to decline a payday like that or the legacy that in itself would have been. That’s the fight game.”
Former UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland and influencer-turned boxer Jake Paul don’t agree on most things but seem to have found common ground on the topic of fighter pay.
Strickland took to social media on Tuesday to discuss the financial differences between UFC athletes and athletes in major sports leagues like the NFL and the NBA.
“Here’s the thing guys. UFC isn’t the NFL or the NBA it’s absolutely cut throat. You don’t leave this sport happy or well,” Strickland wrote on X. He then considered the move to professional boxing for the money.
“If I fought Jake Paul 1. I’d murder him but 2. We would make millions. Something you guys experience at your jobs. The pay gap just keeps getting wider,” Strickland said.
Many former UFC fighters have made the leap over to the squared circle, including former middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Nate Diaz, and Jorge Masvidal in recent years. Paul’s next boxing match is against former heavyweight titleholder Mike Tyson.
Strickland on the other hand has been lobbying for a rematch against current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, but it appears the fight promotion has other plans for “Tarzan.” Former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa revealed that he was offered a fight against Strickland but Strickland turned it down citing pay.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Bantamweight contenders Holly Holm and Kayla Harrison will duel this weekend (Sat., April 13, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC 300.
It’s been four years since Holm’s last title shot, a shocking statistic when you consider how often Holm used to fight for the belt. At 42 years of age, she might finally be slowing down, having effectively lost two of her last three … though Mayra Bueno Silva’s victory was overturned for a silly reason. Harrison, meanwhile, is the biggest new signee to the women’s roster in recent memory. The Judo Olympian and multiple-time Professional Fighters League (PFL) queen may face her steepest challenge prior to the actual fight, however, as she has yet to make 135 pounds successfully. If she can hit the Bantamweight mark, she definitely has championship potential.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Holm vs. Harrison Betting Odds
Holly Holm victory: +300
Holly Holm via TKO/KO/DQ: +1000
Holly Holm via submission: +3500
Holly Holm via decision: +550
Kayla Harrison victory: -425
Kayla Harrison via TKO/KO/DQ: +350
Kayla Harrison via submission: +250
Kayla Harrison via decision: +120
Draw: +5000
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
How Holm Wins
Holm is probably the most credentialed boxer in UFC, which is very funny because she hasn’t won a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight because of her boxing in years. In the cage, Holm is very much and kicks-and-clinch fighter who avoids trading in the pocket. She greatly prefers long range battle of kicks, but is willing to wrestle reactively when pressed.
It’s cliche and reductive to compare Harrison to Ronda Rousey, but like … that’s the gameplan here. Holm wins this fight by utilizing lateral movement, countering her opponent’s attempts to close distance, and framing at the waist when her foe does manage to clinch — exactly like she did perfectly to Rousey nearly a decade ago.
Stylistically, it’s very much the same fight. Harrison doesn’t jump off top position chasing armbars, but the overall goal of avoiding the takedown and kicking her opponent in the face remains. Holm will live or die by her clinch defense and footwork, as well as the simple fact that every minute the bout goes on increases the odds of Harrison fatiguing from her monster weight cut.
How Harrison Wins
Harrison is a two-time gold medalist in Judo who has adapted her skill set well in the cage. Her kickboxing is thoroughly okay, but more important, Harrison has added clinch double legs and shooting below the waist into her game quite well.
I have to say, the primary way Harrison wins this fight is by having functioning kidneys on fight day. I don’t know what team of nutritionists is overseeing Harrison’s weight cut, but I hope they have Ivy League qualifications. From the outside looking in, it would appear to be a monumental challenge to get Harrison on weight and able to perform in the cage.
Assuming — a big assumption — that all goes well, however, Harrison should be able to dominate this fight on the floor. She’s bigger, stronger, and much more skilled in the clinch, which is usually a safe zone for Holm. Provided she doesn’t sprint at the boxer face-first, there’s no reason that Harrison cannot implement her usual gameplan to great effect.
Holm vs. Harrison Prediction
I guess it would be a cop-out to write, “Harrison doesn’t make weight and the fight is canceled.” Wonder if DraftKings will post those odds anytime soon?
If we ignore the weight cut aspect — the biggest narrative of this whole match up — then everything lines up in Harrison’s favor. She’s a decade younger and has the skill and team behind her to practically guarantee a dominant performance. Holm is reasonably tough to take down, but part of that is because of a usual physicality advantage that absolutely will not exist here.
I would wait until after weigh-in day to bet on this bout, but …
Prediction: Kayla Harrison via decision (+120)
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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.
The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Wednesday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time.
In a special edition of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani hosts and extended version of On the Nose, answering fans’ questions about all the latest happenings in MMA and, of course, the mega-event coming Saturday, UFC 300. The Parlay Pals will also break down best bets for the fights.
Later this week, Helwani and the crew will go live in Las Vegas to preview the event and interview all the luminaries attending the fights at T-Mobile Arena.
For the latest episodes of The MMA Hour, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has eyes set on a rematch with Alex Pereira should he be victorious at UFC 300.
Following his first loss in the UFC, Prochazka seems as motivated as ever to progress his career and eventually regain his title. Despite being stopped by Pereira in November, Jiri Prochazka will return to action this weekend as part of the upcoming 300 card and will face No.5 ranked Aleksandar Rakic.
Jiri Prochazka eyes title fight after UFC 300
The winner will place themselves firmly in title contention and could potentially face the winner of Pereira and Jamahal Hill. This is ultimately the goal for Prochazka, but as he explained to The Schmo the 31-year-old is also gunning for a rematch against Pereira.
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
“I’m happy to be back in this fast time,” Prochazka began. “I believe after the last fight, after the early end, that end of the fight, if I win [on April 13] — and I hope and believe I’m able to win, to handle that fight — I deserve the title shot. So let’s go for that.” (H/T MMA News)
“From one angle of me, I’d like to fight him, I’d like to fight (Pereira) next,” Prochazka continued. “But, it depends if he wins. It doesn’t matter. Like last time, for me it’s not too important to get the title back, but I want to prove the next step of the mastery on my way. That’s all (it’s) about; about the performance, about showing the best performance every time, and about the joy from fighting.”
Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier
Prior to his fight against Pereira, Prochazka had not been defeated since December 2015 when he was stopped by Muhammed Lawal. The Czech had embarked on a 13-fight win streak across RIZIN and the UFC, only going to the decision once during this time.
During such a run it would be hard to not build an image of oneself which would make a loss difficult to face.
A rematch between Prockazka and Pereira is really not the end of the world given the pairs habit of firefights which result in knockouts. The first fight never really caught fire like expected, maybe better luck the second time around.
Who would win in a rematch, Alex Pereira or Jiri Prochazka?
File under: Reddit.com/r/MMA | Leave a comment »