Jon Anik fully supports Bo Nickal’s spot on the UFC 300 main card. Earlier this month, the promotion announced…
Jon Anik fully supports Bo Nickal’s spot on the UFC 300 main card.
Earlier this month, the promotion announced its bout order for what is primed to be the biggest card in UFC history. However, fans were quick to notice that Nickal, a fighter with only two appearances inside the Octagon thus far, would feature in the main card opener against Cody Brundage.
Backlash immediately ensued with pundits arguing that Nickal was not deserving of the spot over fighters like former UFC champions Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling who had been relegated to the preliminary portion of the card — not to mention two-time PFL champ Kayla Harrison who makes her highly anticipated debut against ex-titleholder Holly Holm.
But for Anik, Bo Nickal is right where he belongs in the coveted main card slot, noting that the promising prospect brings a certain “electricity” to the Octagon that will likely get things off to a roaring start at the promotion’s landmark event on April 13.
“Khamzat Chimaev, I would even throw out there 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., Bo Nickal – there’s just a different electricity when it comes to some of these guys,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “You parlay their fight style with the expectation, and the pressure, and the fan intrigue, and I just think Bo Nickal checks a lot of boxes.
“For us, when we get through our pay-per-view open, and we have that exhale moment, when we get to sit down and watch that first fight on pay-per-view with all the masses around the world, that’s a very strategic position on the card. It’s a prime slot. Maybe at times you don’t get as many people as seen on during the featured prelim on ESPN, but they don’t mess around when it comes to that first fight. I can’t necessarily speak to Cody Brundage and the decision to feature him against Bo Nickal” (h/t Yahoo! Sports).
Bo Nickal is a massive favorite going into UFC 300
Thus far, Bo Nickal is a perfect 5-0 in his mixed martial arts career with all of his fights ending in the opening round. It only took him a combined 1:54 to run through back-to-back opponents on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 before earning his UFC contract. Since then, he’s added two more wins, dispatching Jamie Pickett via an arm triangle choke in his promotional debut before sending Val Woodburn to the shadow realm with a 38-second KO at UFC 290.
Currently, Nickal is a massive -2100 favorite on DraftKings, meaning you would have to put $2,100 on the line to win $100. Brundage comes in at a +1100 underdog which would turn a $100 bet into $1,100 — should he pull off the upset.
The bout order for UFC 300 is as follows:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champion Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill – UFC light heavyweight championship
Champion Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan – UFC women’s strawweight championship
Champion Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – BMF title fight
Former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has been sharp and on-point ahead of his UFC 300 title-eliminator against Arman…
Former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has been sharp and on-point ahead of his UFC 300 title-eliminator against Arman Tsarukyan next month, with the Brazilian receiving plaudits for his striking prowess in new training footage released.
Oliveira, the current number one ranked lightweight contender, has been out of action since last June, successfully returning to the winner’s enclosure with an emphatic win over common-foe, Beneil Dariush with a first round ground strikes TKO win.
And as for Armenian contender, Tsarukyan, the surging contender himself turned in a similarly blistering win over Iranian veteran, Dariush in his last walk, atop a UFC Fight Night Austin card in December.
Charles Oliveira prepares for UFC 300 return
Both opening and remaining a notable betting underdog to beat Tsarukyan next month on the main card of UFC 300, Oliveira is closing the distance with the bookies – including with some of the best blockchain-based casino brands – with the promotion set to return to ‘Sin City’ for its next pay-per-view card in Las Vegas in the form of the massive spectacle in Nevada.
Seeing a division-best unbeaten run come to a staggering end back in October of 2022, Charles Oliveira was submitted by current champion, Islam Makhachev in the pair’s long-anticipated vacant title fight, succumbing to a second round arm-triangle choke submission loss.
And slated to fight his Russian rival a year later at UFC 294 last annum, just weeks out from the bout, the Sao Paulo finisher was forced to withdraw after he suffered a notable laceration on his right eyebrow during a sparring session.
With his loss to Makhachev, Charles Oliveira’s stunning finishing streak in championship fights also came to an end, following a knockout win over Michael Chandler, as well as a pair of back-to-back submissions of former interim titleholding duo, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
Maintaining his confidence in beating Charles Oliveira and earning his own respective rematch with Makhachev later this yeat – who himself is welcoming the chance to fight Poirier in a June comeback, Tsarukyan claimed the Brazilian was not overly “special”.
“Charles (Oliveira) is good at one thing: taking his opponent’s back and choking him out from that position,” Arman Tsarukayn said. “He has long limbs, so he’s good at taking the back, locking the triangle, and finishing the submission. But overall, he’s nothing special.”
“He has some tricks when pulling guard, but nothing extraordinary,” Arman Tsarukyan explained. “He’s got a great back-mount game where he chokes everybody out. This morning, we worked on these types of situations – what I should do if I get caught in that position. We’re working on it, but we shouldn’t let this happen in the fight.”
However, in new training footage on the pads this week, Charles Oliveira – who is yet to bleach his head traditionally ahead of his fighting return at UFC 300, appears to be in razor-sharp condition and has turned up his ever-evolving striking arsenal once more under the watchful eye of Chute Boxe coach, Diego Lima – who has guided the promotion’s most prolific finisher to lightweight spoils previously with aplomb.
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka eyes rematch with Alex Pereira, labelling himself as ‘better’. At the time, the…
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka eyes rematch with Alex Pereira, labelling himself as ‘better’.
At the time, the booking of Prochazka vs. Pereira seemed a perfect one–two stone-faced and dynamic finishers who have both displayed their willingness to exchange on the feet. On fight night there was a certain level of tension in the air, topped off with a all-time stare down between the two which truly looked like something out of a movie.
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
The fight never really caught fire, not that it was boring, but it maybe just lacked the highlight finish or bloodbath that was hoped for. In the first, Pereira would hurt Prockazka with calf kicks before the Czech initiated grappling against the cage. With two minutes to Prochazka landed a takedown, ending the round in half guard where he got off some ground and pound.
Jiri Prochazka vows to avenge loss to Alex Pereira after UFC 300
Prior to the fight Prochazka was undefeated in the UFC and recorded some vicious knockout victories on his way to the title. Currently ranked No.2 he is currently booked to face Aleksandr Rakic – a win could earn him another title shot, or at the very least a number one contender match.
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
Speaking to Full Violence, Prochazka said he is gunning for a rematch with Pereira, feeling he is still the better fighter.
“Yes, I want that fight,” Prochazka began. “Not because of revenge or whatever because I believe I’m better. Up until that one mistake in the fight that I did, that fight was mine and I believe that I’m able to win that fight and win the belt.”
Pereira is currently booked to face Jamahal Hill for his first title defence, if he comes through with a win, he may just face off with Prochazka should no other challenger present himself.
Who wins in a rematch, Alex Pereira or Jiri Prochazka?
When you set expectations high, people’s minds start to race. And wow, race did they ever once chatter about UFC 300 started.
UFC 300 was billed as a fight card like none before: Can’t-miss fights from the earliest prelim to the main event. UFC CEO Dana White said he wanted it to be “the best card that’s ever been built.” It’s a card that will celebrate UFC’s 30-plus-year tradition of numbering their top events, bringing them to the impressive tri-centennial number arriving in April.
For some, it might be hard to judge whether UFC 300 has lived up to the hype. If you go back and see some of the lineups that fans fantasy booked months ago, you will soon realize that many had far higher hopes for the show than the already ambitious lineup that is now being promoted. While the pay-per-view offering is easily the strongest card produced by the promotion this year or even in recent years, people’s expectations previously were through the roof.
Hopes for the show were so high that White had to come out and say, “No, you aren’t going to get Ronda Rousey, or Georges St-Pierre, or some other retired fighter who people constantly discuss potentially returning.”
It’s a card without the promotion’s top active star, the name that defined a generation for the sport’s popularity, Conor McGregor. However, it seems like the promotion has struggled greatly to get him on any lineup, not just their biggest show in some time.
And even some of the more successful champions of recent years: Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev, and Sean O’Malley, all aren’t on the show. With all of these facts combined, is UFC 300 actually as good as people should have expected?
When looking at the logistics surrounding the promotion’s schedule, UFC 300 is arguably the best it could be. There’s a fair explanation for a large amount of the major absences on this show, and the matchups that were made are all quality.
The three big fights
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC
The headlining spot of the UFC 300 card will go to a clash between UFC light heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and former title holder Jamahal Hill. The matchup provides a solid storyline, pitting an incumbent champ against a fighter who had his reign ended due to an out-of-competition injury. Pereira is a name that, while only a few years into his UFC run, has earned a significant amount of popularity. He’s no McGregor or Jones, although his rivalry with Israel Adesanya and recent title bid at light heavyweight has made him a substantial figure in the promotion’s current landscape.
The evening’s co-main event is a match that isn’t receiving as much hype as it arguably deserves. Strawweight champ Zhang Weili will look to defend her belt for the second time when she faces Yan Xiaonan. Zhang has been an incredibly dominant name in her repeat run as champion, absolutely slicing through Carla Esparza to claim the belt within two rounds and then dominating Amanda Lemos last year. From a pure in-cage talent standpoint, she is one of the most fun champions to watch in the promotion currently. Yan is coming off an impressive first-round win over former champ Jessica Andrade, putting the biggest win yet on year lengthy climb toward the 115-pound division’s top.
In what is being billed as the first of three title fights, Justin Gaethje will meet Max Holloway at lightweight. They’ll be competing for the “BMF” title, a belt that exists somewhere in between kayfabe and reality. It’s easy to have mixed feelings about this fight: While it’s a matchup between two fan favourites that will likely be enjoyed by viewers, it’s two contenders in packed divisions essentially putting themselves on the sidelines for the first half of the year.
The matchup undoubtedly is a huge addition to UFC 300, but in the same arguably breathe does more long-term damage to the promotion’s booking. When completely ignoring the logistical issues that it presents, it’s a massive fight to have on the card.
An incredibly stacked prelim card
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC
An important factor to the UFC 300 lineup is the depth. The card’s quality from start to finish—something that was hyped up before even one fight was known—has absolutely lived up to the hype. The undercard has numerous former champions or veteran names in the company’s history, telling a story about the events that led up to the big 300. Holly Holm, Charles Oliveira, Jessica Andrade, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Jim Miller are all fighters who have undoubtedly been an important part of the promotion’s history since UFC 200 and thus are stellar additions to the card.
There are also interesting glimpses into the present and future. Former PFL champ Kayla Harrison will make her bantamweight debut and test Octagon waters for the first time at UFC 300. Jiri Prochazka will look to begin another climb towards a belt against Aleksandar Rakic. And while the placement of Bo Nickal high up in the lineup has caused controversy, there’s no doubt that his inclusion on the card is solid.
The prelims are well crafted, with the perfect amount of relevant and popular names throughout the card.
Breaking down who couldn’t be at UFC 300
Mandatory Credit: Giuseppe Cacece
There are many big additions to UFC 300 that would have been big, but simply couldn’t be made. Let’s go through all of the possibilities and discuss why:
Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev turned down a fight due to the event coming just days after Ramadan, which is a completely valid reason. Many other champs have either fought too recently or already have their next assignment. Four champions (Ilia Topuria, Dricus Du Plessis, Raquel Pennington and O’Malley) have all fought in the past three months, and another titleholder, Alexandre Pantoja, is booked for an upcoming PPV (UFC has to book fights for PPVs after this event, don’t forget that!).
Alexa Grasso is also locked into a fight in late 2024 against Valentina Shevchenko. Jones said he wouldn’t be back from injury by that point, and it’s hard to tell what the UFC wants to do with interim champ Tom Aspinall. That leaves things down to just one more champ: Leon Edwards.
If there is a fight that could have been a strong fight to add, it might have been a clash at welterweight between Belal Muhammad and Edwards. Muhammad mentioned that Ramadan wouldn’t cause an issue with his training for the fight and that he was willing to compete on that date. While we potentially don’t know all of the backstage politics of why that fight didn’t happen — especially if Muhammad has been publicly campaigning for it — it seems like a matchup that would have made sense to be on the card.
The verdict?
UFC 300 is great, even spectacular, but arguably falls short of the claim that it will be the best card ever. Which, to be fair, is a standard that is hard to live up to. Three-title fight lineups like UFC 217 and UFC 205 were arguably stronger, presenting three high-quality matchups at the top of divisions. However, it feels like there wasn’t much more they could do. UFC put together the best possible card for 300, and it’s hard to not consider it the best lineup we have seen in over a year.
UFC has crafted a card that features names of the promotion’s past and present. It’s a show that is stacked way far beyond the average PPV lineup and features fights that will appeal to both casual and hardcore audiences. Could it have been better? Sure. But with all things considered, it seems like UFC did as best they could with what was available, making it a suitable celebratory show. All that’s left to see is if the UFC 300 card will be as entertaining as it has the potential to be.
What are your thoughts on next month’s UFC 300 card?
When you set expectations high, people’s minds start to race. And wow, race did they ever once chatter about UFC 300 started.
UFC 300 was billed as a fight card like none before: Can’t-miss fights from the earliest prelim to the main event. UFC CEO Dana White said he wanted it to be “the best card that’s ever been built.” It’s a card that will celebrate UFC’s 30-plus-year tradition of numbering their top events, bringing them to the impressive tri-centennial number arriving in April.
For some, it might be hard to judge whether UFC 300 has lived up to the hype. If you go back and see some of the lineups that fans fantasy booked months ago, you will soon realize that many had far higher hopes for the show than the already ambitious lineup that is now being promoted. While the pay-per-view offering is easily the strongest card produced by the promotion this year or even in recent years, people’s expectations previously were through the roof.
Hopes for the show were so high that White had to come out and say, “No, you aren’t going to get Ronda Rousey, or Georges St-Pierre, or some other retired fighter who people constantly discuss potentially returning.”
It’s a card without the promotion’s top active star, the name that defined a generation for the sport’s popularity, Conor McGregor. However, it seems like the promotion has struggled greatly to get him on any lineup, not just their biggest show in some time.
And even some of the more successful champions of recent years: Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev, and Sean O’Malley, all aren’t on the show. With all of these facts combined, is UFC 300 actually as good as people should have expected?
When looking at the logistics surrounding the promotion’s schedule, UFC 300 is arguably the best it could be. There’s a fair explanation for a large amount of the major absences on this show, and the matchups that were made are all quality.
The three big fights
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC
The headlining spot of the UFC 300 card will go to a clash between UFC light heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and former title holder Jamahal Hill. The matchup provides a solid storyline, pitting an incumbent champ against a fighter who had his reign ended due to an out-of-competition injury. Pereira is a name that, while only a few years into his UFC run, has earned a significant amount of popularity. He’s no McGregor or Jones, although his rivalry with Israel Adesanya and recent title bid at light heavyweight has made him a substantial figure in the promotion’s current landscape.
The evening’s co-main event is a match that isn’t receiving as much hype as it arguably deserves. Strawweight champ Zhang Weili will look to defend her belt for the second time when she faces Yan Xiaonan. Zhang has been an incredibly dominant name in her repeat run as champion, absolutely slicing through Carla Esparza to claim the belt within two rounds and then dominating Amanda Lemos last year. From a pure in-cage talent standpoint, she is one of the most fun champions to watch in the promotion currently. Yan is coming off an impressive first-round win over former champ Jessica Andrade, putting the biggest win yet on year lengthy climb toward the 115-pound division’s top.
In what is being billed as the first of three title fights, Justin Gaethje will meet Max Holloway at lightweight. They’ll be competing for the “BMF” title, a belt that exists somewhere in between kayfabe and reality. It’s easy to have mixed feelings about this fight: While it’s a matchup between two fan favourites that will likely be enjoyed by viewers, it’s two contenders in packed divisions essentially putting themselves on the sidelines for the first half of the year.
The matchup undoubtedly is a huge addition to UFC 300, but in the same arguably breathe does more long-term damage to the promotion’s booking. When completely ignoring the logistical issues that it presents, it’s a massive fight to have on the card.
An incredibly stacked prelim card
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC
An important factor to the UFC 300 lineup is the depth. The card’s quality from start to finish—something that was hyped up before even one fight was known—has absolutely lived up to the hype. The undercard has numerous former champions or veteran names in the company’s history, telling a story about the events that led up to the big 300. Holly Holm, Charles Oliveira, Jessica Andrade, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Jim Miller are all fighters who have undoubtedly been an important part of the promotion’s history since UFC 200 and thus are stellar additions to the card.
There are also interesting glimpses into the present and future. Former PFL champ Kayla Harrison will make her bantamweight debut and test Octagon waters for the first time at UFC 300. Jiri Prochazka will look to begin another climb towards a belt against Aleksandar Rakic. And while the placement of Bo Nickal high up in the lineup has caused controversy, there’s no doubt that his inclusion on the card is solid.
The prelims are well crafted, with the perfect amount of relevant and popular names throughout the card.
Breaking down who couldn’t be at UFC 300
Mandatory Credit: Giuseppe Cacece
There are many big additions to UFC 300 that would have been big, but simply couldn’t be made. Let’s go through all of the possibilities and discuss why:
Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev turned down a fight due to the event coming just days after Ramadan, which is a completely valid reason. Many other champs have either fought too recently or already have their next assignment. Four champions (Ilia Topuria, Dricus Du Plessis, Raquel Pennington and O’Malley) have all fought in the past three months, and another titleholder, Alexandre Pantoja, is booked for an upcoming PPV (UFC has to book fights for PPVs after this event, don’t forget that!).
Alexa Grasso is also locked into a fight in late 2024 against Valentina Shevchenko. Jones said he wouldn’t be back from injury by that point, and it’s hard to tell what the UFC wants to do with interim champ Tom Aspinall. That leaves things down to just one more champ: Leon Edwards.
If there is a fight that could have been a strong fight to add, it might have been a clash at welterweight between Belal Muhammad and Edwards. Muhammad mentioned that Ramadan wouldn’t cause an issue with his training for the fight and that he was willing to compete on that date. While we potentially don’t know all of the backstage politics of why that fight didn’t happen — especially if Muhammad has been publicly campaigning for it — it seems like a matchup that would have made sense to be on the card.
The verdict?
UFC 300 is great, even spectacular, but arguably falls short of the claim that it will be the best card ever. Which, to be fair, is a standard that is hard to live up to. Three-title fight lineups like UFC 217 and UFC 205 were arguably stronger, presenting three high-quality matchups at the top of divisions. However, it feels like there wasn’t much more they could do. UFC put together the best possible card for 300, and it’s hard to not consider it the best lineup we have seen in over a year.
UFC has crafted a card that features names of the promotion’s past and present. It’s a show that is stacked way far beyond the average PPV lineup and features fights that will appeal to both casual and hardcore audiences. Could it have been better? Sure. But with all things considered, it seems like UFC did as best they could with what was available, making it a suitable celebratory show. All that’s left to see is if the UFC 300 card will be as entertaining as it has the potential to be.
What are your thoughts on next month’s UFC 300 card?
Former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway explains decision to take Justin Gaethje fight rather than wait for a potential…
Former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway explains decision to take Justin Gaethje fight rather than wait for a potential title shot.
Holloway is under a month out from his clash at UFC 300 against ‘The Highlight’. While an exciting clash, the booking came out of the blue and actually left some a little concerned for Max Holloway, who will be moving up in weight.
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
Last time he did so, he was soundly beaten by Dustin Poirier which left him bloody and swollen. Holloway is also riding back-to-back wins over Chan Sung Jung and Arnold Allen, leaving him as a front-runner for a shot at Ilia Topuria and his title.
Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and with an immediate rematch unlikely, Holloway seemed a viable candidate. Aside from both Volkanovski and Topuria, Holloway has practically cleared out the rest of the top featherweights but instead chose to take on Gaethje.
Max Holloway reveals reason for UFC 300 fight with Justin Gaethje
“There’s a lot of people talking about like, ‘Oh, this fight is crazy, Why you guys are doing this fight?’” Max Holloway said. “‘Why, why Max? Why don’t you just wait for Topuria? Why don’t you just wait?’ Not a lot of people know: this game, it goes by you fast, man. It goes by you quick.”
Holloway’s clash against Gaethje will be his 30th UFC fight and is experience enough to understand the MMA game. It moves quick, anything can happen.
“Nothing is promised. How many times do we see someone promised a title shot and it never happened? Holloway questioned. “How much time do you see someone fight for an interim title shot and it never happens? Me and Gaethje were the next guys respectfully up in our title shot. Correct? But how many times does that work? It doesn’t work all the time. So with the Topuria thing everybody keeps saying, ‘Oh, you’re the next one.’ It’s like, am I really?
Mandatory Credit: Suhaimi Abdullah
“I thought this whole time that if Topuria beat Volk in any way, Volk gets a direct rematch,” he continued. “Volk did enough work to earn himself a direct rematch. And everybody’s like, ‘Oh yeah, but after the knockout,’ and blah blah. Volk still earns it. He still earns it. He did what he did. He has a bunch of title defensive. Just because he went up a weight class and lost, I don’t think it should affect him at his own weight class.”
Former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has been sharp and on-point ahead of his UFC 300 title-eliminator against Arman…
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka eyes rematch with Alex Pereira, labelling himself as ‘better’. At the time, the…
Is UFC 300 as good as it can be?
Former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway explains decision to take Justin Gaethje fight rather than wait for a potential…
