Speculation and anticipation for UFC 300 has been rampant for what seems like an eternity. In fact, true fans of the fight will have been keeping an eye on the milestone of the 300th pay-per-view in UFC history since 2016 when UFC 200 concluded.
The main reason for this could be that the high-standard UFC pay-per-view UFC 100 is set to end with two zeros. The company's first landmark event set a company record with 1.3 million pay-per-view buys and featured one of the two or three most high-profile athletes in UFC history, Brock Lesnar. At the top of the card (along with his best moments), he introduced fight fans to many of the stars and shaped how fans viewed the company for the next 100 UFC pay-per-view events.
That doesn't mean UFC 200 is a step backwards. The card featured a level of depth rarely seen on UFC cards, but introduced the all-or-nothing type of matchmaking that fans today are accustomed to, for better or worse. With the main event in which Amanda Nunes defended the women's bantamweight title against Miesha Tate, UFC 200 reached her 1,000,000 buy mark, but just barely. However, it's important to remember that this event was controversial and was not the cash maker that Eric Bischoff once joked.
It remains to be seen how UFC 300 will be remembered, but in the meantime, here's how this card stacks up with UFC 100 and 200.
UFC 100
Modern UFC cards typically feature three title fights if a company wants a really big fight. UFC 200, UFC 251 (the first PPV card on Fight Island), and UFC 261 (the first card at a packed American sports arena since the COVID-19 pandemic) all come to mind.
UFC 100 wasn't quite there yet, but it's important to remember that at the time of this pay-per-view, the company was only recognizing five weight divisions. So this type of matchmaking could have been similar to littering in the UFC. four A title fight on the main card in the modern sense.
Brock Lesnar headlines the pay-per-view, aiming to finish off Frank Mir, avenge his only loss in mixed martial arts at the time, and become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. was. In the co-main event, Georges St-Pierre showed something to the more technical MMA audience as he looked to defend his welterweight title against Thiago Alves. Although he did not win a third title in this feature fight, it was held as a grudge match as follows. ultimate fighter Coaches Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson face off for bragging rights and a spot on the UFC middleweight ladder.
Each of these fights gave fans a little bit of everything. Fans with a penchant for grudge matches in the sport gravitated towards Bisping vs. Henderson. Fans drawn to his technical proficiency had the opportunity to watch GSP put on a show in the co-main event. Lesnar vs. Mir II, on the other hand, borrowed both of these ideas and executed them in a way that ensured the company's continued coverage in mainstream media for years to come.
This card is also notable for introducing martial arts fans to many of the stars of tomorrow. Jon Jones, considered by many to be the greatest fighter of all time, choked out Jake O'Brien in qualifying. Meanwhile, Jim Miller, who continues to be a regular on the UFC's big cards (more on him later), dominated Mac Danzig en route to a unanimous decision. In the preliminary main event, Mark Coleman took control of Stephen Bonnar and was seen en route to a unanimous decision himself in what became a legendary fight in the light heavyweight division.
Seiko Akiyama, a high-profile free agent from Japan, made his debut on the pay-per-view main card opening match against Alan Belcher, winning a split decision. Overall, the UFC didn't have the breadth to stack UFC 200 and UFC 300, nor the means to stack UFC 100, but it served as the most anticipated card of the three, largely thanks to the main event. Very likely. The Lesnar vs. Mir rematch was a huge success and, along with Nunes vs. Tate and Pereira vs. Hill, remains one of the most intriguing matches.
UFC 200
You can't talk about UFC 200 without discussing what was going on. It seemed like the perfect time to invite a rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor (after McGregor faked retirement, but actually requested more time to train), but the rematch didn't happen at UFC 202. ), the UFC chose to replicate the formula from UFC 100. The grudge match rematch is the headline.Daniel Cormier was set to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship against Jon Jones — the only man to have beaten him, and the man who had never actually won. is lost Championship in the cage.
If the main event had been strong, it probably would have surpassed UFC 100 thanks to the company's natural growth and a much-improved undercard. Needless to say, Jones and Cormier infamously got into it during the pre-fight press conference, causing a scuffle on stage that went viral on the internet and received a ton of mainstream publicity. However, three days after the fight, Jones tested positive for a banned substance derived from an out-of-competition sample from the previous month. Cormier begged the UFC to allow him to sign a waiver to allow the fight to proceed as scheduled, but to no avail.
With Jones off the card, the UFC pivoted Cormier to a high-profile bout against former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a sort of impromptu “dream fight.” Meanwhile, Nunes vs. Tate was moved to the main event, with UFC 100 headliner Brock Lesnar taking over the C0 main event in a three-round fight against Mark Hunt.
The result turned out to be an underwhelming card in many ways. The show was head-to-head with star athletes and intriguing matchups, but all four of his televised prelims went to decision. No Fight of the Night bonuses were awarded; Amanda Nunes, Cain Velasquez, Joe Lauzon, and Gegard Mousasi received performance bonuses. Meanwhile, the buy rate was below UFC 100, highlighting several points about the current state of mixed martial arts as a business. The hardcore fan base is a hardcore fan base, but without compelling fights at the top of the card, there's a limit to what an MMA card can do commercially. UFC 200 may be fun on paper for fight fans, but title belts don't sell. I have personal problems.
Despite this, the UFC continues to believe in the myth that the UFC title, not the fighter, is the draw, as evidenced by the company's ability to quickly stage interim title fights at every opportunity.
This criticism aside, UFC 200 was special, and the UFC did everything in its power to make it special. The typical light gray canvas has been replaced with a “gold” canvas. This, while unique, bordered on distracting at times, but it was a natural risk. Like UFC 100 before it, UFC 200 was held as his week-long celebration of the UFC in the UFC's capital, Las Vegas, Nevada, which became International Fight Week. This was also the first UFC event held at the brand new His T-Stadium. Mobile Arena will become the standard for pay-per-view events in Las Vegas going forward.
This created a perfect storm for the live business, with live gates doubling from $5,101,740 to $10.7 million, proving just how much the UFC and the fight business as a whole had grown in the seven years between events.
UFC 300
For UFC 300, which will be broadcast live from T-Mobile Arena this weekend, the UFC made few changes from the format it used prior to UFC 200. UFC president Dana White has promised to put together the most “awful” fight card possible and while UFC 300 may be the deepest, most immersive UFC fight card ever, UFC The personal issues that were meant to drive 100 business and drive UFC 200 business are missing. Instead, this show is devoid of personal issues aimed at promoting UFC 200 business. The UFC was born in line with the martial arts zeitgeist.
The strength of this matchup card is undeniable from top to bottom. Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway is a dream fight for many. Charles Oliveira vs. Armand Zalken has to give something: an irresistible force that meets an immovable object. Zhang Weili vs. Yang Xiaonan is an explosive title fight, although perhaps more suited to the Asian market. Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm is a legendary match in women's MMA. Jiri Prochaska will headline a qualifying match against Aleksandar Rakic's nemesis. Former champion Aljamain Sterling advances to the preliminaries! Former champion Davison Figueiredo advances to qualifying! Its depth is truly unparalleled.
Should Bo Knickal vs. Cody Brundage be the main card? Definitely not, but it would probably be acceptable as a main card opener for another pay-per-view event. UFC 300 isn't one-size-fits-all. As for the main event, it should be fun on paper. Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill will be a kickboxer vs. boxer matchup inside the Octagon, with the fight for the title Pereira just won and Hill has never lost. However, after announcing the Holloway vs. Gaethje match, White went out of his way to hint that the match would take place. do not have This will be the main event, and the announcement of the main event will be made at a later date.
It certainly got the gears turning.What kind of battle could there be? bigger Better than the Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway superfight? It's not like the UFC hasn't had a chance to recreate his UFC 100 and UFC 200 grudge match formula. Really, I have Pereira and former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya pegged to be his 1-1 draw in his MMA fight in the main event. He has a checkered history in another sport (kickboxing) and ended Pereira's light heavyweight championship once and for all.
Perhaps Adesanya wasn't ready? Or maybe the UFC is keeping Adesanya as the top ticket for the International Fight Week card against Doricas du Plessis. By the way, UFC 300 stands out from previous competitions in the following ways: do not have Being in International Fight Week is actually a good thing. Perhaps it was a matter of timing more than anything, but the UFC now allows him to sell two massive shows in the middle of the year instead of one.
I always felt that Conor McGregor could be a headliner as well. Why the UFC hasn't booked McGregor remains a complete mystery. Both sides have different stories about why, and it doesn't seem to be entirely true either way, but there's no shortage of grudges with “Mystic Mac.” There's a match with Michael Chandler, of course, but there's also a match with Tony Ferguson in case they want to tune him up. Or is McGregor attracted to a fourth fight with Dustin Poirier? That could have been right after Poirier weathered the storm to score a win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299.
Instead, Hill will be thrust back into the spotlight against Pereira. That's not to say there isn't a story, but it's fair to wonder if the story of Hill trying to win back a belt he never actually lost was worthy of UFC 300.
There's no question that the UFC is doing everything they can to make UFC 300 a special night. The video package was one of his best promos to date. Additionally, several fighters are debuting special UFC 300 custom fight shorts (which should actually become standard) inspired by their unique characteristics.
The rest is up to the fighter. If UFC 300 goes as planned, it could be a historic and special night for everyone emotionally connected to combat sports.
Will it be as box-office as UFC 100? Unless there's a proven draw at the top of the bill, that's highly unlikely. Needless to say, the pay-per-view business is inherently different behind the ESPN+ paywall. But is there a chance to set an actual business record and further advance the vision laid out at UFC 200? Absolutely; especially if the show delivers as expected.
