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One of the most anticipated cards in UFC history is days away, UFC 300. On Saturday, April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, Alex Pereira will headline against the returning Jamahal Hill in a Light Heavyweight championship bout. The fight has been met with some pushback from the fans, who wanted bigger names to headline a special card like 300.
You can debate if Pereira vs Hill is worth the billing, but you can’t deny the depth and quality of this card, top to bottom. I’m gonna preview and predict the entire card for 300, and I mean entire, from the early preliminaries to the main card. You can watch the video version, or you can just read it then watch the video after (I recommend watching if you wanna see me hyped on video). Here we go:
EARLY PRELIMS
#8 DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO -310 VS. CODY GARBRANDT +250 (BANTAMWEIGHT)
Seems like some have forgotten how good Figueiredo is. His losses to Brandon Moreno took away some of the shine, but he’s still an absolute dawg. Both guys coming off wins, but Figueiredo is a battle tested vet who sports a 22-3-1 record. Garbrandt has a few inches of height to his advantage at 5’8” to 5’5” of Figueiredo. Ultimately this comes down to who the better fighter is and I believe that’s convincingly Deiveson Figueiredo. I see Figueiredo figuring out (no pun intended) Garbrandt quickly and taking him down with a submission to get the win.
WINNER: Deiveson Figueiredo wins by submission in 2nd round
#14 BOBBY GREEN -180 VS. JIM MILLER + 150 (LIGHTWEIGHT):
Bobby Green has become a regular on main cards, here he goes against a longtime fan favorite Jimmy Miller. Why do fans love Jim Miller? Because he’s a gamer (not literally, figuratively), he’s alway putting it all on the line and he’s been in the game for a long time. Bobby Green is coming off a bout with Jalin Turner (more on him coming up), while Jim Miller is coming off a recent win against Gabriel Benitez in January. As much as everyone will be rooting for Miller, I see Bobby Green as the fighter who’s at the tailend of his prime, while Miller is unfortunately past his prime. This will be a good slugfest.
WINNER: Bobby Green in a 3rd round decision
#4 JESSICA ANDRADE -135 VS. #6 MARINA RODRIGUEZ +114 (WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT):
It seems like Andrade fights on every card. She’s one of those fighters that doesn’t take time off. She’s constantly rumbling in the octagon. Credit to her for her availability. Rodriguez has been coming up in the rankings. This one might decide the number one contender spot. Andrade has a ton of experience at 25-12-0, she’s fought a lot. Rodriguez is experienced also and comes off a win against Waterson-Gomez back in September 2023. Andrade is prone to a loss every couple fights, but she comes off an impressive win against MacKenzie Dern and should take care of Rodriguez here in what should be a solid fight.
WINNER: Jessica Andrade via submission in round 3
#10 JALIN TURNER -238 VS. #13 RENATO MOICANO +195 (LIGHTWEIGHT):
The headliner of the pre-prelims is a damn good one. This one surprised me a bit on the moneyline, -238 is a bit heavy for Turner in this matchup. Moicano can go! He’s a very tough fighter that’s hard to put down. Frankly Turners ranking should be flipped with Moicano’s. Turner has a mediocre 14-7 record and hasn’t been overly impressive in his fights. The tale of the tape favors Turner in height 6’3” to Moicano’s 6’1” and Turner does have the edge in reach 77 inches to 72.
I just like Moicano here. He’s coming off a recent February win, so he’s jumping back into a fight very quickly. I think he outlasts Turner and makes him submit. I like the moneyline on Moicano in this one and feel confident in it.
WINNER: Moicano via submission in 2nd round
PRELIMS
#13 SODIQ YUSUFF +120 VS. DIEGO LOPES -142 (FEATHERWEIGHT):
Diego Lopes is fun. I’m surprised that he isn’t the ranked fighter here at #13, but his time is coming, like as soon as this weekend. He’s likable. Is it the hair? Is it the boyish-look? Lopes has charm, but he’s a sniper in the cage. This should be a solid fight, but Lopes will win this one in the early second. He will be ranked after this fight.
WINNER: Lopes via submission in 2nd round
#5 HOLLY HOLM VS. KAYLA HARRISON (BANTAMWEIGHT):
This one has a lot of anticipation behind it. Kayla Harrison is making her UFC debut. Holly Holm is an experienced fighter who at 42, still has a lot of gas in the tank. This is the woman who defeated the boogeyman Ronda Rousey at her height. Harrison has an impressive resume. Just like Rousey, Harrison is a judo ace. A former Olympic gold medalist also. It comes down to the experience versus expectation. Can Harrison translate her nearly flawless record outside of UFC against one of the best to have ever done it? That’s asking a lot. I will lean with the mystery of Harrison and have her pick up a win here. Had this been Holm of a few years ago, no question she’d be the easy pick. This will be a good one and should live up to the hefty hype. I’m buying the hype.
WINNER: Harrison via decision
#8 CALVIN KATTAR +136 VS. #2 ALJAMAIN STERLING -162 (FEATHERWEIGHT):
Interestingly both guys are coming are coming off loses. Aljo losing and dropping the title to Sean O’Malley. Kattar is an interesting matchup for Aljo. Both are very similar on the tale of the tape, with height, reach, etc. I lean with quality here. Aljo is one of the best in the business and losing to O’Malley is nothing to be ashamed about. Should be a decent fight here, but Katter is ultimately not a match to get out of the submission tactics of Aljo “The Funkmaster” Sterling.
WINNER: Sterling via submission in the 3rd
#2 JIRI PROCHAZKA+100 VS. #5 ALEKSANDAR RAKIC -120 (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT):
This one has some bad blood that’s been brewing. Rakic is no fan of the “Samurai”. Both guys are coming off a loss. Prochazka loss was to the man who is main eventing the 300 card, Alex Pereira. Rakic hasn’t fought in nearly two years. There has to be some rust on him. Prochazka has a lot of fights under his belt and fights regularly. He’s the fresher fighter here. We are also talking about a former interim light heavyweight champ in Prochazka, who is an underdog to a guy who’s ranked lower and hasn’t fought in two years? Yeah, give me Prochazka all day. A knockout is coming and it’s Prochazka that will be the one left standing.
WINNER: Prochazka via 2nd round KO
MAIN CARD
BO NICKAL -2100 VS. CODY BRUNDAGE+1100 (MIDDLEWEIGHT):
Bo Nickal is that guy. He’s the guy UFC is clearly banking on being the next big UFC star. The Penn State alum is 5-0 and Vegas seems to love him also with that wild -2100 moneyline. The hype for Nickal is almost over-the-top. He has two knockout wins and three submission wins with five first round finishes to back up that hype. Brundage is no slouch, he should be the toughest opponent Nickal has faced. This fight’s got some heat from the fans for being initially listed number two on the card above Oliveira and Tsarukyan. I feel it actually should have been the headliner for the prelims and had Prochazka and Rakic moved to open the main show, but this is what Dana White wanted. Nickal needs to keep backing up his hype, which I believe he will in this fight via another first round KO.
WINNER: Nickal via first round KO
#1 CHARLES OLIVEIRA +188 VS. #4 ARMAN TSARUKYAN -225 (LIGHTWEIGHT):
This should be a fun one. Did we forget how good Oliveira is? 34-9-1 and the last guy to hold the lightweight championship prior to Islam Makhachev. Oliveira has beaten the best-of-the-best in the best division in the company. Tsarukyan has been impressive though. Both men had wins over Beneil Dariush in 2023, at the time when Dariush was a hot name in the division. Tsarukyan is NOT a fan favorite. He’s been getting booed out of the building anytime he shows up to a fight or presser. If Tsarukyan can pull this off, he will be the rightful number one contender. I wouldn’t wanna bet against Oliveira though. He’s at the top of his game still. Winner gets Makhachev. Oliveira as a +188 dog, I’m taking that money and a finish here.
WINNER: Oliveira via submission in the 3rd round
(C) #2 JUSTIN GAETHJE -170 VS. #2 MAX HOLLOWAY +142 (“BMF”):
Fans have been salivating over this matchup. The real “BMF’s” of the UFC squaring it off. As tough as it it to pick a winner here, it’s equally difficult to pick who is the bigger fan favorite. These guys are beloved and there has been a lot of respect between them leading up to the fight. The reason these two are so loved is that they always deliver and leave everything out there in the octagon. They are such exciting and fun fighters to watch. Fans should eat this fight up. Gaethje is coming of an impressive win over Dustin Poirier to claim that BMF belt. I expect this one to be super close and exciting and go the distance. Gaethje will ultimately prevail over the narrowest of margins.
WINNER: Gaethje via split decision after five rounds
(C) ZHANG WEILI VS. #1 YAN XIAONAN (STRAWWEIGHT):
Weili is an absolute force. She’s the rightful champion and a dominant one at that. Yan is not to be overlooked here, she’s the rightful number one contender and has taken out some viable opponents on the way to this fight. I think Weili might be surprised with what she gets here from Yan. Even though Weili is a lot more versatile of the two, she also likely has an edge in every other matchup, she could be caught off-guard here by Yan. History will be made when two Chinese women face each other in the UFC at a co-main event championship fight, but the history will continue with Yan getting the shocking win. In the video I said Yan wins by decision, but the more I think about I think she could knockout Weili (the only other way I see her winning) earlier in the fight. So let’s go with that.
WINNER: Yan via 3rd round KO
(C) ALEX PEREIRA -135 VS. #1 JAMAHAL HILL +114 (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT):
The big one. The scrutinized main event of 300 wasn’t going to change, no matter what the complaints were. Sure, it would have more mainstream star power with an Israel Adesanya, Islam Makhachev, Hamzat Chimaev, Conor McGregor, Volk or O’Malley. Truth is, most of those fighters fought on the last couple cards. McGregor is promoting a movie and Adesanya is on a bit of a break. Makhachev, Chimaev or any other Muslim fighter wasn’t going to fight during Ramadan. Your pool was limited. Pereira is a solid choice, so is Hill, who has been on a year long hiatus after getting injured.
What’s getting overlooked here is that Hill never lost the title, he had to relinquish it due to injury. The storyline for this fight is naturally laid out here. Hill won the title and seemingly retired Pereira’s mentor and best friend Glover Teixeira, so it’s now up to the pupil to avenge the loss. The storyline is juicy here.
Hill has an unorthodox style and the power to end this quickly. Pereira is a more disciplined fighter. This one should be a battle. With the power on display here, the easy call would be a middle-round knockout, but I’m thinking this goes the distance. Blood will be shed. I expect a physical and entertaining fight. My gut tells me Hill could pull-it-off with a knockout in the second or third. My head says go with the guy who has proven to be a star from day one in the UFC. Pereira has had his way with everyone not named Israel Adesanya, who he also beat. Pereira has what it takes to go the distance and survive the unpredictability of Hill. I’m slightly leaning with that prospect.
WINNER: Pereira via split decision after five rounds
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT:
I expect Gaethje and Holloway two to put on a banger and with the $300K bonus on the line, you better believe both guys will be going for it. This is expected to be a fight of the night and it will be. You have two ideal fighters to make that happen. A feat that will be very impressive on a card of this quality and depth. A fight that could challenge this one is Oliveira and Tsarukyan.
SLEEPER FIGHT:
Another tough one to pick. Holly Holm versus Kayla Harrison can fit the bill here. Jim “F’n” Miller and Bobby Green will be a ton of fun and could be one of the better fights on this monster card. But, if I have to pick one fight that isn’t getting the hype and publicity that we might end up talking about a lot more afterwards is Jiri Prochazka versus Aleksandar Rakic. I just find this one to be a slugfest. Two big dudes who dislike each other. Very different in personality and fighting style. This one is gonna be bloody and hard-hitting. Don’t sleep on it.
UFC 300 streams live on ESPN+ PPV on Saturday, April 13, main card starting at 10 PM ET/9 CT
