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UFC 300: Pereira flattens Hill, Holloway scores KO for the ages

UFC

UFC 300: Pereira flattens Hill, Holloway scores KO for the ages

The UFC’s biggest pay-per-view yet delivered a spectacular night of fights, and one moment that will live in the memory forever.

UFC 300 served up the most stacked fight card in UFC history, and the fights delivered, with some incredible highlight moments on a wild night of fights at T-Mobile Arena in Las  Vegas.

The two UFC title fights saw both champions retain, while the BMF title changed hands after arguably the most iconic moment in UFC history. Here’s how it all played out…

Main card recap

Pereira starches Hill, retains light heavyweight strap

Reigning light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira retained his title in stunning fashion with a first-round knockout of former champion Jamahal Hill.

Hill was returning after relinquishing the title due to a torn achilles, and was confident that he could knockout Pereira and return to the light heavyweight summit. But it was Pereira who held all the aces as he unleashed his punch power for a vicious first-round knockout.

The finishing sequence started with a foul, when Hill connected with a low kick that caught Pereira in the groin. Referee Herb Dean moved to intervene, but was brushed aside by “Poatan,” who was insistent that the action continued without pause. Dean stepped back and Pereira launched into attack mode. A left hook dropped Hill hard, and a salvo of heavy ground strikes finished the job as Pereira ended a spectacular night with a vicious knockout that further showcased his punch power.

Zhang battles past Yan in thrilling all-Chinese title fight

A piece of history was made in the co-main event as two Chinese fighters went head to head for the women’s strawweight title as Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan battled all the way to the scorecards in a crazy back-and-forth contest that saw the momentum swing one way, then the other, in a thrilling 25 minutes.

It looked very much like defending champion Zhang had secured a first-round submission when, as the buzzer sounded, she released her rear-naked choke and Yan appeared to be out cold. But, with referee Jason Herzog ruling that she was still OK to continue, she returned to her corner, where her team, aided by their cornerman, managed to bring her round and get her ready for Round 2.

Despite that early setback, Yan had successes of her own during the fight, as she stung the champion with big punches, but it was Zhang’s takedowns that proved decisive as she managed to control where much of the bout took place. And, after five rounds of back-and-forth action had concluded, the judges scored the fight 49-45 to Zhang, who paid tribute to her opponent after their fight, saying she hoped they could be friends after their epic battle.

 

Holloway delivers KO for the ages, captures BMF title

In a moment that will likely never be repeated inside the Octagon, Max Holloway capped off a brilliant performance with a last-second knockout of BMF champion Justin Gaethje to capture the ceremonial belt after five wild rounds in their lightweight matchup.

Former featherweight champion Holloway moved up to lightweight for the fight, and heading into the fight many cited Gaethje’s heavy striking and ability to take punishment from established world class lightweights as reasons why Holloway could end up on the losing end of the equation. But as the fight played out, it was clear that Holloway was a class above “The Highlight” as he comprehensively outstruck the former title challenger through the first four rounds.

Holloway made the first significant breakthrough at the end of Round 1, when his last-second spinning back-kick connected clean and sent Gaethje back to his corner with a broken nose. “Blessed” then started to let his boxing flow as he pieced up Gaethje through Rounds 2 and 3 to put him in a big lead on the scorecards, though a pair of accidental eye pokes from the Hawaiian didn’t help Gaethje’s efforts to gain a foothold in the matchup.

The only round all three judges scored for Gaethje was the fourth, which Holloway dominated before Gaethje connected with a huge right hand to drop him. But, as the fight went into the fifth round, the win appeared to be in the bag for Holloway, as long as he made it to the final buzzer.

But, such is Holloway’s fighting spirit and penchant for crowd-pleasing moments, he reprised an iconic moment from his 2016 fight with Ricardo Lamas when, with 10 seconds to go, he pointed to the centre of the Octagon and invited Gaethje to stand and bang for the remaining seconds of the fight. Gaethje obliged, and the pair swung for the fences before a colossal right hook from Holloway found its mark and instantly knocked out Gaethje with just one second left on the clock.

On the biggest UFC pay per view card of all time, it was the ultimate highlight reel moment for the UFC, and one that may never be bettered, as Holloway put the capstone on one of the most iconic title fight performances ever seen inside the Octagon.

Tsarukyan edges Oliveira to close in on title shot

After Tsarukyan slipped on an early kick attempt, Oliveira snatched up the neck and locked up a tight guillotine choke that looked close to finishing the Armenian. But, incredibly, Tsarukyan stayed calm under heavy duress and managed to escape the hold. He then managed to turn the tables on the Brazilian and assume top position as he exerted some pressure of his own on the former champion before an illegal upkick from Oliveira forced a pause in the action. Tsarukyan was checked out by the doctor and ruled OK to continue, and the pair shared a respectful embrace before returning to their respective corners.

If the first round was edged by Oliveira, the second was undoubtedly Tsarukyan’s, as he set to work inside the Brazilian’s guard and, with the seconds counting down in the final 90 seconds, he connected with a vicious barrage of elbows that left the former champion bloodied up as he returned to his corner.

It meant the fight was in the balance heading into the last round, and a takedown midway through the round gave Tsarukyan the chance to work from the top once again. This time he went to Oliveira’s back. But, just as it looked like Tsarukyan could ride out the round, Oliveira turned the tables, then locked up a D’Arce choke with just 20 seconds remaining and applied the squeeze until the final horn.

After a super-competitive matchup, the judges were called into action, with Tsarukyan edging a split-decision verdict with scores of 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 to put Tsarukyan in pole position for a shot at the lightweight title, and a rematch with the man he faced on short notice on his UFC debut, Islam Makhachev.

Nickal boos his own win after extending his perfect record

In the opening main card matchup of the night, Bo Nickal was taken into the second round for the first time in his career en route as Cody Brundage provided the most stubborn resistance of Nickal’s career to date. But, despite Brundage’s ability to survive the opening stanza, he wasn’t able to stop Nickal eventually claiming a second-round submission finish.

Brundage appeared to briefly stun Nickal in the opening exchanges before the Penn State wrestling star took Brundage to the mat and dominated the action, though despite his superiority on the mat, he was unable to make any headway in his quest for a first-round submission.

Brundage looked to connect big early in Round 2, but once again Nickal scrambled clear and secured a takedown. This time he transitioned to Brundage’s back and locked up a body triangle to secure position before finishing his man with a rear-naked choke.

After his win, Nickal booed himself and motioned to the crowd with a double thumbs-down gesture, as if to say that he wasn’t happy with his own performance. But, nonetheless, it improved his record to 6-0.

Preliminary card

Prochazka downs Rakic in wild firefight

The featured preliminary card bout between former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka and Austrian contender Aleksandar Rakic looked like a bout that could deliver fireworks, and it delivered in spectacular fashion.

Rakic looked outstanding early as he hammered Prochazka’s lead leg with a succession of punishing calf kicks, while his slick boxing found their mark on the Czech through the opening five minutes.

However, despite looking second best early, Prochazka maintained an air of dismissiveness toward Rakic’s strikes as he continued to walk down the Austrian, and in the closing moments of the round, the big Czech started to connect with shots of his own.

It set up a wild second round as the pair planted their feet and hammered each other with big shots. The key difference was that Prochazka was connecting clean for the first time in the fight, and it made the difference as he hurt Rakic badly before swarming him, sending him to the mat, and finishing him with strikes to put himself right back in the thick of the title picture at 205 pounds.

Sterling dominates Kattar in featherweight debut

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made a winning start to life in his new weight class as he moved up to 145 pounds and defeated longtime contender Calvin Kattar over three rounds.

The fight didn’t win too many friends among the Las Vegas fans as Sterling used his grinding wrestling to nullify Kattar through the first two rounds, but a huge powerbomb from “The Funkmaster” finally got the crowd out of their seats as he looked to claim a late finish.

It wasn’t a performance that will have many clamouring for him to earn a title shot in his next outing, but make no mistake, that was a dominant display from Sterling, who is now a real factor in the 145-pound title conversation.

Harrison dominates Holm on UFC debut

Two-time Olympic champion and former PFL champion Kayla Harrison had a dream UFC debut as she dominated former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, then made clear her desire to end 2024 with championship gold around her waist.

Harrison’s first round in the UFC couldn’t have gone much better, as she took down Holm early and outstruck her 46-0 with ground strikes through the opening five minutes. Then, in Round 2, she used her judo once again to toss Holm to the mat and take her back.

Once she had Holm’s back, the end came very swiftly as she locked up a rear-naked choke and applied the pressure to force a fast tap from the former women’s bantamweight champion.

“I want my title next,” she said.

“That’s what I came over here for – one thing, and one thing only. I don’t care if it’s Raquel. I don’t care if it’s Juliana. By the end of the year I will be UFC champion!”

Lopes blasts past Yusuff

The opening preliminary card matchup saw a huge first-round TKO win for Mexico-based Brazilian Diego Lopes, who needed less than 90 seconds to defeat fellow rising contender Sodiq Yusuff.

Lopes let his hands go early and hurt Yusuff, who did well to survive as the Brazilian looked to claim a super-fast finish. But, despite Yusuff gamely avoiding a quick stoppage, Lopes kept the pressure on and eventually got the TKO at the 1:29 mark to claim the 24th win of his career, and his third straight victory in the Octagon.

After his win, he called for a rematch with the man he pushed to the limit in his short notice debut, Movsar Evloev. Given what he’s shown in his three appearances since his decision loss to the Russian, that’s a bout the UFC matchmakers may well entertain.

Early prelims

The featured early prelim saw a superb come-from-behind performance from Renato Moicano, who bounced back from almost being finished by Jalin Turner in Round 1 to claim a finish of his own in Round 2.

Turner appeared to hurt Moicano to the body early in the opening stanza, as “The Tarantula” used his reach advantage and striking power to excellent effect early on. And, when Turner dropped Moicano late in the round, the rising contender turned to walk off, only for referee Herb Dean to indicate the fight was still on. He would go on to rue that decision in Round 2, as Moicano turned the tables in dramatic fashion after the restart.

Moicano managed to secure a double-leg takedown, then went to work on the mat as he moved into mount and, as Turner looked to escape, the Brazilian loaded up with ground and pound to finish his man and claim an eye-catching TKO victory, before launching into another high-energy post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

Andrade marches on

The early prelims also saw a hard-earned win for former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, who eked out a split decision victory over No. 6-ranked Marina Rodriguez.

Andrade had Rodriguez in trouble late in Round 1, but Rodriguez bounced back and went back and forth with the former champion in Rounds 2 and 3 to take the bout all the way to the judges’ scorecards. The three scorers returned a split-decision verdict, with Andrade getting the nod to claim the 26th victory of her career.

Green batters Miller

In the battle of Octagon veterans, it was ranked lightweight Bobby Green who pulled rank to get the win over history-making Jim Miller.

Miller wrote his name into the UFC history books by completing a remarkable trilogy of fighting on UFC 100, UFC 200 and UFC 300, but he couldn’t mark that occasion with a win as Green’s slick striking and sheer speed proved too much for “A-10” over the three-round duration. Green got better with each round to earn a landslide decision win, with scores of 30-27, 30-25, 29-26, then issued a pointed callout of English lightweight Paddy Pimblett for the UFC’s upcoming event in Manchester in July.

Figueiredo subs Garbrandt

Finally, the night kicked off with a finish, as former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo proved his legitimacy as a bantamweight contender with a second-round submission of former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt.

UFC 300: Official results

MAIN CARD

  • Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:14 – for light heavyweight title
  • Zhang Weili def. Yan Xiaonan via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) – for women’s strawweight title
  • Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via knockout (punch) – Round 5, 4:59 – for BMF title
  •  Arman Tsarukyan def. Charles Oliveira via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bo Nickal def. Cody Brundage via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:38

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 2, 3:17
  • Aljamain Sterling def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Kayla Harrison def. Holly Holm via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:47
  • Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:29

EARLY PRELIMS

  • Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:11
  • Jessica Andrade def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bobby Green def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 29-26)
  • Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:02

POST-FIGHT BONUSES

  • Fight of the Night: Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway ($300,000 each)
  • Performance of the Night: Jiri Prochazka, Max Holloway ($300,000 each)

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A sports editor and MMA reporter with 25 years' experience in sports media, Simon has covered mixed martial arts since 2009 for a host of national and international outlets, including BBC Sport, MMA Junkie/USA Today, BT Sport and the Daily Mirror.

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