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UFC 300: Pereira v Hill — Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., April 13, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remain in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 300. Ever since the promises of an ultra stacked card were uttered months ago, fight fans have been eagerly awaiting UFC 300. Three title fights (counting the BMF wildness) topped the event, but really, it was the wall-to-wall action fighters from the very first bell that sold the night as a special one.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC 300’s best performances and techniques:

The Best Eyes In MMA

Alex Pereira did it again. Remember when he patiently measured Sean Strickland for a couple minutes, waited for his moment, then perfectly executed the boxer? He did the exact same thing to Jamahal Hill, a fearsome striker by MMA standards.

Pereira’s ability to read his opponents is top-notch. I don’t think he loaded up a single power shot until the one that ended the fight. Even better, Pereira has an ability to lose a minute or two of the fight then ruthlessly capitalize. This isn’t Petr Yan or Marlon Vera-esque “downloading information” for entire rounds at a time — Pereira gets the bead on his opponent quickly and sets them up for destruction.

It does of course help that Pereira hits like a Mack Truck. We’ve never seen Hill seriously hurt by punches, and he’s squared off with some heavy hitters. Conversely, Pereira sent his eyes rolling with just one punch!

The man has a special gift and is clinical in its execution.

Strength Vs. Grit

Zhang Weili is outrageously strong. That’s not news, but it’s my takeaway from her latest title defense against Xiaonan Yan. Nearly every time the two grappled, Weili was able to overpower her opponent and force her way into dominant positions. On several occasions, Yan would execute the correct defensive move, and that Weili would throw her to the floor and take back mount anyway.

Matching Weili’s strength was Yan’s grit and determination. She was choked just about unconscious at the end of the first and pounded within an inch of a stoppage in the second. Yet, in round three, it was Yan pushing the pace and stinging her opponent with sharp, straight punches. On the whole, Yan probably won the kickboxing battle — an accomplishment in its own right.

The strength and wrestling advantage of the champion was just too great an obstacle to overcome, however. I’m not sure what Strawweight can handle all the various tools “Magnum” brings to the table …

It Doesn’t Get Any More BMF

I’m a fan of Jorge Masvidal. I’m a fan of Justin Gaethje. Neither hold a candle to Max Holloway in the indeterminable realm of being a bad motherf—ker.

The final 10 seconds of this 25-minute fight overshadow the rest. They simply have to. Holloway may have put on a masterclass against an elite fighter up a weight class, but his willingness to stand in the center and trade with nothing to gain? That’s BMF s—t if I’ve ever seen it. Truly, there was nothing to gain in terms of outcome. Victory was assured for the Hawaiian. He won at least four rounds, hurting Gaethje on numerous occasions. He didn’t need to stand directly in front of the heaviest hitter at 155 lbs.

In terms of creating a moment? In terms of BEING HIM? Holloway gambled and won massively. He put Gaethje to sleep with a single punch, something that nobody has ever done. He demonstrated himself the better technician, the better brawler, the better BMF.

Let it be a lesson to fighting world. If Max Holloway is standing across from you, pointing at the floor … back the f—k away!

Arman Gets The Job Done

I wrote a full article on Arman Tsarukyan’s victory and what it means for the Lightweight division right HERE! Missing from that piece, however, are my thoughts on Charles Oliveira.

I don’t think “Do Bronx” looked bad here. A split-decision loss to the bluest of blue chip prospects is far from embarrassing, and he nearly secured a finish in the opening minute. Still, though it pains me, I must admit that Oliveira looked a touch slower and a little more tired than usual.

14 years into his UFC career, that shouldn’t come as a surprise, and I’m not saying he won’t pick up more wins. All the same, this defeat feels like the end of his era as a threat to the UFC title.

I sincerely hope I’m wrong.

Nickal Keeps Rolling

Bo Nickal didn’t show too much new at UFC 300. Cody Brundage brought intense aggression and solid first-layer takedown defense to the cage, which brought about a little anxiety from Nickal. All the same, he got to his takedown entries without too much issue. Once he secured a grip on Brundage, the difference in caliber was clear.

Nickal’s wrestling transitions are beautiful to watch, and his top control is smothering. He broke Brundage down over time, continually working towards the submission. It wasn’t a flashy process, but Nickal still got hit maybe three times en route to the tapout win?

It could be a lot worse!

The Czech Samurai Will Not Be Denied

Jiri Prochazka is one of my favorite active UFC fighters, and last night was a perfect example of why.

Aleksandar Rakic is very arguably better technically everywhere than Prochazka. He torched both of Prochazka’s calves in the first round, stung him with about a dozen hard counters, and generally controlled range masterfully. Prochazka’s landing percentage was abysmal, and Rakic was stuffing a lot of his combinations before they even started with frames and footwork.

None of that discouraged Prochazka a bit! He finally put together one good combination near the end of the first, and he went back to his corning grinning. “BJP” has a truly unshakeable confidence, and he’ll throw himself into the fire endless to prove it. Not even the lead in Alex Pereira’s fists could reveal his mortality to him!

The thing about Rakic is that he had to be perfect for 15 minutes. He managed it for probably four of them? Prochazka, conversely, made mistake after mistake. Yet, when it came down to it, Prochazka was surging forward in the second, stringing together savage combinations.

When a Prochazka right hand finally got through and stung his opponent, he didn’t let Rakic off the hook. He chased him around the cage, flurrying wildly and manhandling his foe down to the floor. Rakic fought hard to survive and fought well overall, but Prochazka simply wasn’t going to lose tonight unless he was put to sleep in the process.

Kayla Harrison, UFC Champion 2024

I’ll confess that I’ve been doubtful about Kayla Harrison’s UFC future. I questioned her ability to make the weight, and in the cage, Larissa Pacheco exposed some weaknesses when Harrison wasn’t able to secure the early finish, and I somewhat expected UFC-level competition to do the same.

I’m now fairly convinced otherwise. If Harrison can continue to make the weight, I’m quite confident in her ability to dominate her way to gold. The way she put together that combination into high kick then double leg in the second round? Nobody is going to stop that.

It helps, of course, that the women’s Bantamweight division has never been more mediocre. Raquel Pennington is a highly beatable champion, Julianna Pena is wildly flawed, and there remain very few new faces at the top of the division. Holm demonstrated that point for me nicely by willingly wrestling with the Judo master — a bizarre decision to say the least.

Diego Lopes Proves His Greatness

There’s no more questioning whether Diego Lopes is an elite Featherweight.

Running through Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini is impressive, but ranked contenders are usually a different story. How many times have we seen a talented up-and-comer blow through unranked opposition and then slow down significantly when faced with more experienced opposition? It happens all the time!

Lopes is not that guy. He ran through Sodiq Yusuff like it was nothing, overwhelming the veteran slugger with gnarly combinations in the pocket. When Yusuff was hurt, Lopes showed off his killer instinct by threatening the neck, advancing position, and letting brutal uppercuts rip — all at a breakneck pace!

Put him in the cage with a Top 10 opponent next.

Additional Thoughts

Renato Moicano defeats Jalin Turner via second-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): It’s actually pretty shocking just how little of this fight Turner won. To be clear, there were a couple big moments: some stabbing front kicks in the first minute and a knockdown in the closing seconds of the first. Otherwise, Moicano was in complete control! He controlled quite a bit of the fight from top position, and early in the second, he actually touched Turner up with his straight punches before powering his way into another double leg. Really, it seemed like “The Tarantula” was a little fatigued at the start of the second — maybe the weight cut is finally too much for the 6’3” Lightweight?
Deiveson Figueiredo defeats Cody Garbrandt via second-round rear naked choke (HIGHLIGHTS): Man, Garbrandt started this fight so well! He was landing his calf kicks, making Figueiredo miss, and occasionally scoring with his punching combinations. It was vintage “No Love!” Then, Figueiredo scored his first takedown of the fight early in the second, and it proved to be quite a game changer. He immediately moved into mount, threatening an arm triangle choke. Garbrandt defended for nearly two minutes, but when he exploded in an attempt to escape, Figueiredo snuck behind him and wrapped up the rear naked choke quickly. He’s officially the first man to submit Garbrandt, now 2-0 in the Bantamweight division

For complete UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” results and play-by-play, click HERE!