Predictions! UFC 300 Early ‘Prelims’ Preview – Pt. 1

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+/ESPN this weekend (Sat., March 9, 2024) when UFC 299: “O’Malley vs. Vera 2” storms Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg kicks off the UFC 299 “Prelims” party with the first installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.

Nearly eight years after UFC 200 lit up Las Vegas, Nevada, nearly eight years ago, the Octagon heads to T-Mobile Arena this weekend (Sat., April 13, 2024) for the star-studded pay-per-view (PPV), UFC 300.

The evening’s main course sees two-division champion, Alex Pereira, defend his Light Heavyweight belt against former division kingpin, Jamahal Hill, while Strawweight queen, Zhang Weili, battles countrywoman, Yan Xiaonan, in the co-feature and Justin Gaethje dukes it out with Max Holloway in what promises to be a hellacious five-round war.

Eight “Prelims” undercard bouts set UFC 300’s PPV stage, all of them on ESPN+/ESPN. Let’s check out the first four …

155 lbs.: Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano

The five-fight UFC win streak for Jalin Turner (14-7) gave way to two consecutive split decision losses against Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker. His third fight of 2023 pitted him against Bobby Green, who “The Tarantula” violently knocked out in less than three minutes to claim his second post-fight bonus (watch it).

Ten of his 14 professional finishes have come by knockout.

Undeterred by a 3-4 skid that featured three knockout losses and a mauling at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos, Renato Moicano (18-5-1) proved he was still a threat by choking out Brad Riddell in the first round. After more than a year on the sidelines, he returned in Feb. 2024 to grit out a unanimous decision over Drew Dober.

He faces a four-inch height disadvantage and five-inch reach disadvantage.

Pressure is the key to beating Turner, whether in the form of aggressive striking like Hooker or constant takedowns like Gamrot or Matt Frevola. It’s a different story when he can set the tempo, as he should against the more measured Moicano. Moicano will have a helluva time matching the lengthier, more powerful Turner at distance, especially with Turner’s stout takedown defense taking Moicano’s lethal ground game off the table.

Unless Moicano can reinvent himself for this fight and push a ferocious pace, it seems inevitable that Turner will keep him on the outside until one of his power punches turns off the lights. In the end, Turner starches him inside of five minutes.

Prediction: Turner via first round technical knockout

115 lbs.: Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez

Previously on the brink of another title shot, Jessica Andrade (25-12) struggled her way to three stoppage losses in the span of six months. She entered her subsequent clash with Mackenzie Dern as the underdog, but returned to form to batter Dern into submission midway through the second round (see it).

The win marked her tenth professional knockout and eighteenth finish overall.

A four-fight win streak put Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) near the top of the Strawweight pack, only for Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba to knock her right back down. She showed that she still had something left in the tank in her next bout, an absolute demolition of Michelle Waterson-Gomez that earned Rodriguez her second UFC bonus.

She is the taller woman by four inches and boasts a three-inch reach advantage.

This really boils down to whether Andrade is genuinely in peak form again — the version of her who out-classed Amanda Lemos, Lauren Murphy and the aforementioned Dern eats Rodriguez for breakfast. Rodriguez has been overwhelmed by raw aggression before, as seen in her struggles with Yan Xioanan and Amanda Lemos. And the Jandiroba fight showed that her bottom game is still a huge liability. If Andrade just sprints at her like she did in her own run-in with Yan, though, Rodriguez’s right hand will end things in a hurry.

All things considered, Andrade’s win over Dern was dominant enough to make me an optimist, especially considering how many issues Rodriguez has had with the weapons at “Bate Estaca’s” disposal. Indeed, she overwhelms Rodriguez for a finish in the first half.

Prediction: Andrade via second round technical knockout

155 lbs.: Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller

Reeling from a 2-4 (1 NC) slump, Bobby Green (31-15-1) put himself right back on the map by choking out Tony Ferguson and subsequently shocking Grant Dawson with a 33-second knockout. He signed on to face Dan Hooker two months later, only to instead face Jalin Turner, who put “King” to sleep midway through the first.

He stands two inches taller than Jim Miller (37-17) at 5’10.”

Back in 2021, “A-10” put together his first three-fight win streak since 2016, only to fall short against Alexander Hernandez his next time out. That would not spell the end for Miller, however, as he went on to stop Jesse Butler and Gabriel Benitez in back-to-back bouts.

He’s ended 27 pro bouts inside the distance, 20 of them via submission.

As much as I want to see Miller pull off the three-peat, I don’t see it happening. He’ll have all kinds of trouble getting past Green’s jab and his takedowns don’t look sufficient to put “King” on his back with any consistency, especially since Green’s distance management makes getting close enough to shoot a daunting task.

Green did admittedly get slept by another southpaw slugger in Drew Dober, but Dober had to weather a ton of damage and throw a ton of volume to make that happen. I’m not convinced the current Miller can do the same, especially after seeing him struggle with a lesser boxer than Green in Hernandez. In short, Green spoils the fun by sharp-shooting his way to a comfortable decision win.

Prediction: Green via unanimous decision

135 lbs.: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt

The nearly six-year run for Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1) as a UFC Flyweight came to an end when Brandon Moreno stopped him in the fourth bout of their two-year rivalry. A move to 135 pounds proved just what the doctor ordered, out-slugging Rob Font to claim a unanimous decision in his divisional debut.

He sports a 2.5-inch reach advantage over Garbrandt despite standing three inches shorter.

The sterling UFC start for Cody Garbrandt (14-5) came crashing to a halt thanks to five losses in six bouts, culminating in a disastrous Flyweight debut that saw Kai Kara-France stop him midway through the first. He broke a nearly three-year winless streak in March 2023 with a decision over Trevin Jones, then returned to his finishing ways by knocking out Brian Kelleher nine months later (watch it).

All 11 of his professional finishes have come via knockout.

Here’s the thing: even if you believe Garbrandt is back to the form that saw him snap Dominick Cruz’s win streak, Figueiredo is a nightmare matchup for him. Functionally indestructible, too good a wrestler for Garbrandt to grind out, and boasting the sort of devastating right hand that’s long been Garbrandt’s Kryptonite.

The only way Garbrandt wins here is if he can put Figueiredo to sleep, which isn’t impossible considering the amount of mileage on “Deus da Guerra.” If I had to pick one guy to fall to strikes, though, it’d be the one with four knockout losses on his record. When the dust settles, Figueiredo melts him in an exchange before the second bell.

Prediction: Figueiredo via first round technical knockout

Four more UFC 300 “Prelims” undercard bouts remain to preview and predict, including Kayla Harrison’s long-awaited Octagon debut, Aljamain Sterling’s Featherweight debut, and the latest from former Light Heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka. Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.

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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.