At long last, the time has come. A journey that began as a one-night tournament during the fall of 1993 in the now-closed and long-since demolished McNichol Sports Arena in Denver, CO has led a once-controversial combat sports promotion that was banned from cable television for a time to an anticipated night 31 years in the making.
Las Vegas is where the UFC calls home and this weekend, the T-Mobile Arena opens its doors once more to fans of MMA for what may very well be the most important evening that the sport will ever have.
On this Masters weekend, not everybody in the world will have their eyes focused on the state of Georgia where a top golfer will receive a green jacket at sunset on Sunday evening. Saturday evening, just as the third round of golf’s first major tournament of 2024 is concluding, Nevada is the focus for UFC 300.
There are so many storylines surrounding this card even before the weigh-in happens on Friday morning, and our staff has been covering the show throughout the week. Three title fights top the bill this weekend, and it culminates in the UFC 300 main event.
Light Heavyweight Supremacy Up For Grabs Saturday in Vegas
Your headliner takes place at 205 lbs. Incumbent UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), the former GLORY Kickboxing Light Heavyweight Champion, meets up with challenger and No. 1 contender Jamahal Hill (12-1, 1 NC MMA, 6-1, 1 NC UFC).
As with all title bouts, the UFC 300 main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the show.
LHW's go head to head this weekend 😠@AlexPereiraUFC vs @JamahalH is your #UFC300
main event![ B2YB @CryptoCom ] pic.twitter.com/4WFHVJnj0Y
— UFC (@ufc) April 11, 2024
UFC 300 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the UFC 300 main event on Saturday night, the tale of the tape is a close one. Both the champion and the challenger stand level at 6-foot-4 and have identical 79-inch reaches.
It’s in the leg reach category where these contestants gain some separation, although not by much. Alex Pereira owns a half-inch advantage (44 inches to 43 1/2 inches) over Jamahal Hill.
At the present time, the oddsmakers have Alex Pereira installed as a -140 favorite on the money line, while Jamahal Hill counters as a +115 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
UFC 300 Latest Chapter of Long Journey for “Poatan”
Champion Alex Pereira has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a two-fight winning streak. Last time out, he scored a second-round knockout with a left hook against Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) during UFC 295’s main event in November.
Prochazka will also appear at UFC 300 on Saturday against Aleksandr Rakic.
UFC 100 took place in July of 2009, a little less than 15 years ago. At that point in his life, combat sports wasn’t even on “Poatan’s” radar, something that he told The New York Post recently.
“In 2009, I actually had not even started training yet,” Pereira began, through his translator. “[I] had not even trained soccer or anything like that.”
15 years is a long time and Pereira’s acumen has developed and matured during that period. How will he perform during the UFC’s biggest card ever?
Hill Looking To Ride Momentum of Four-Fight Winning Streak Into UFC 300 Main Event
In the other corner, challenger Jamahal Hill, who previously held the 205-lb. strap before he had to relinquish it due to rupturing his Achilles tendon last summer, enters the UFC 300 main event with a 4-1 record over his last five appearances. He’s on a four-fight winning streak going into this weekend, one that was most recently extended in January of last year vs. Glover Teixiera (39-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) in UFC 283.
One of the biggest talking points of UFC 300 is the negativity surrounding the matchmaking for this weekend, a topic that came up in Hill’s recent interview with Kevin Iole.
“It’s a little crazy, but it’s understandable,” Hill said. “Just because it’s a simple fact of what was promised and how it was hyped, they were promised something that was going to blow their minds, that they didn’t see coming and a lot of people already knew that me and Alex were going to fight. He [UFC CEO Dana White] did very well hyping this card up.”
Will this main event live up to the hype? We’ll find out on Saturday.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the UFC 300 main event looks to favor Alex Pereira. Both fighters are brown belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but the champion is a black belt in kickboxing.
Watch for Poatan’s Elbows
Given that Alex Pereira is a striker by trade, he can end the fight with one big punch. You don’t need to travel too far back in time to find his last such win, as he just scored a knockout last November.
During the second round of a scheduled five, “Poatan” absorbed some hooks from Jiri Prochazka, along with a knee to his body before returning fire and getting in the clinch. From there, Pereira unloaded with a counterpunch after absorbing a right-handed shot.
A flurry of elbows put Prochazka away for good that night. If Alex Pereira can counterstrike effectively on Saturday night, he’ll defend the championship.
Jamahal Hill is a Vicious Striker
In the other corner, Jamahal Hill’s striking game is amazing to watch. His striking is what got him to the UFC in 2019 on Contender Series vs. Alexander Poppeck.
Late in round two, he scored with knees to Poppeck’s body, and although Poppeck grabbed Hill’s leg, it did nothing to pacify Hill’s attacks. Hill landed another knee before ending the fight with a burst of ground and pound.
Jamahal Hill has to take Alex Pereira to the mat in the UFC 300 main event. He can unload on Pereira if this one goes to the ground.
Final Thoughts
It may not have been the main event that MMA fans wanted to have for the UFC 300 main event, but it’s going to be an awesome fight on Saturday nonetheless. If you miss this card, you’ll have nothing to talk about on Sunday.
Prediction: Alex Pereira by Third-Round TKO.
