UFC 300: What you need to know so far about the huge anniversary event
From a betting perspective, it’s early we know, but buzz is building for UFC 300, looking at the quality of the fight card.
Just the facts, first: UFC 300 is happening April 13, to be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, with the early prelims starting at 6 p.m. EDT, the prelims at 8 p.m. EDT, the main card at 10 p.m. EDT.
There are not one, but three titles on the line: Alex Pereira (9-2-0) defends his title against Jamahal Hill (12-1-0) in the light heavyweight main event title fight, Zhang Weili (24-3-0) defends her title against Yan Xiaonan (17-3-0) in the women’s strawweight category, and Justin Gaethje (25-4-0) defending his title, up against Max Holloway (25-7-0) in the lightweight category.
Hill is a former champ – he won a five-round unanimous decision over Glover Teixeira in January 2023, but he never lost the title because of a loss. Injury (Achilles) forced him to vacate it. Pereira lost his middleweight title in early 2023 then took the light heavyweight belt with a Round 2 KO win over Jiri Prochazka last November.
Weili has won three straight. Xiaonan has won two in a row – including knocking out former champ Jessica Andrade in the first round of their fight at UFC 288 last May.
Holloway versus Gaethje should be five rounds of nasty. Both men have won two in a row. Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier in Round 2 at UFC 291 last July.
Charles Oliveira (34-9-0), a fan favourite, coming off an impressive win by Round 1 KO over Beneil Dariush in Vancouver last June, takes on Arman Tsarukyan in the lightweight category (Tsarukyan also defeated Dariush by KO in December), and Bo Nickal (5-0-0) takes on Cody Brundage (10-5-0) in the middleweight category, to round out the main card.
UFC 300 will be available via PPV on Sportsnet+.
For sports betting, futures at BetMGM and FanDuel look like this today:
BetMGM | FanDuel |
|---|---|
Pereira 1.69 | Pereira 1.67 |
Hill 2.20 | Hill 2.18 |
Weili 1.26 | Weili 1.26 |
Xiaonan 3.95 | Xiaonan 3.80 |
Holloway 2.85 | Holloway 2.90 |
Gaethje 1.44 | Gaethje 1.40 |
Brundage 10.75 | Brundage 9.70 |
Nickal 1.05 | Nickal 1.05 |
Oliveira 2.65 | Oliveira 2.76 |
Tsarukyan 1.50 | Tsarukyan 1.43 |
While early, Pereira is seeing 47% of bets, 48% of handle (Hill 53% and 52%), Weili 35% of bets, 39% of handle (Xiaonan 65% and 61%), Holloway 70% of bets, 57% of the handle (Gaethje 30% and 43%), Oliveira 76% of bets, 59% of handle (Tsarukyan 24% and 41%), and Brundage 90% of bets, 85% of handle (Nickal 10% and 15%).
FanDuel is even offering a Connor McGregor (1.78) versus Michael Chandler (2.00). Has that fight even been scheduled yet? Not officially, according to UFC. Flyweight Cody Durden leaked the news this week while announcing his fight in the Octagon for UFC 303 on June 29. McGregor has already said he’ll be returning to the Octagon this summer.
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