UFC 300 is an event like no other. and tonight’s card is sure to have the whole entertainment world buzzing.
From Donald Trump to Drake to Halle Berry to Shaq, the UFC has had a long history of celebrity fans cheering from the stands, and the stars are sure to be out for Saturday’s historic pay-per-view event. Add in the shenanigans of the fighters themselves plus whatever special events the promotion has officially set on the schedule, and keeping track of it all can make even the most devoted fight fan’s head spin.
That’s why MMA Fighting is tracking all of the special events, celebrity sightings, and odds and ends of fight night, which you can follow below.
10:45 p.m. ET: Arman Tsarukyan gets into it with the fans
Arman Tsarukyan nearly had a fight before his fight.
On the way down to the cage for his bout against Charles Oliveira, Tsarukyan was briefly caught on camera scuffling with some fans.
Fortunately, security was there to pull Tsarukyan away and defuse the situation before there was any chance that the highly anticipated lightweight fight was in jeopardy.
1:50 a.m. ET Chama, good night
Alex Pereira this is your world, we’re just living in it.
1:17 a.m. ET: Jon Jones chimes in
Jon Jones isn’t relinquishing his claim to being the light heavyweight king just yet.
Currently, Jones holds a share of the UFC heavyweight title (with Tom Aspinall carrying an interim belt), but he made his name at light heavyweight where he was unbeatable for over a decade.
The UFC 300 main event sees 205-pound champion Alex Pereira taking on Jamahal Hill, with the latter walking out to The Champ is Here by Jadakiss.
Jones was puzzled by the song choice.
Pretty sure I’m in Kansas City at a volleyball tournament
— BONY (@JonnyBones) April 14, 2024
Hill is a former light heavyweight champion and, like Jones, he never actually lost it in competition. An Achilles tear that Hill suffered last year forced him to relinquish his belt, paving the way for Pereira to eventually capture the vacant title.
Suffice to say, Jones is confident that he’s still the man to beat in his old division regardless of who is victorious Saturday night.
1:15 a.m. ET: Alexander Volkanovski stunned by Max Holloway’s performance
Alexander Volkanovski has a storied history with Max Holloway, but even though he’s beaten “Blessed” three times, even he had to be impressed by Holloway’s instant classic knockout of Justin Gaethje.
Watch Volkanovski’s shock to the “BMF” title bout finish below.
12:18 a.m. ET: Is Max Holloway the BMF GOAT?
Max Holloway scored arguably the greatest knockout in UFC history with a thudding flurry that put down Justin Gaethje. Not only did Holloway take Gaethje’s “BMF” title, he may have cemented himself as the baddest m*********** to ever step into the octagon.
Afterwards, he delivered a post-fight speech for the ages.
So what do you think, has there ever been a fighter more worthy of the title of BMF than Holloway?
12:16 a.m. ET: Even the best couldn’t believe what they saw
If you loved that Max Holloway knockout, imagine being cageside for it. And imagine being one of the best fighters in the world and still marking out.
Israel Adesanya, Ilia Topuria, and Tom Aspinall were all shown cageside reacting in shock as Holloway put Justin Gaethje down for the count.
Watch their stunned expressions below.
Considering the incredible accolades that these three fighters have compiled in their fighting careers, the fact that they couldn’t believe what they saw only adds to Holloway’s already legendary finish.
11:20 p.m. ET: Chael Sonnen, UFC Hall of Famer
Chael Sonnen is a UFC Hall of Fame inductee at last. With a little help, of course.
During Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast, it was announced that Sonnen’s epic encounter with Anderson Silva at UFC 117 will be inducted into the Fight Wing of the promotion’s Hall of Fame.
Watch video of the announcement below.
Silva was on a 12-fight win streak when he ran into Sonnen in August 2010 and was already regarded as one of the best fighters to ever compete in MMA. But on that night, Sonnen dominated Silva with his grappling for the majority of the five-round contest. It was only a Hail Mary triangle choke from Silva that saved his title reign, forcing Sonnen to tap out with less than two minutes remaining in the final round.
The fight has widely been regarded as one of the most exciting in UFC history, with Silva’s legacy elevated further by the win and Sonnen entrenching himself as a must-see attraction for years to come.
This marks Silva’s second entry into the UFC Hall of Fame after being inducted into its Pioneer Wing in 2023.
11:15 p.m. ET: Islam Makhachev calls his shot
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev appears to have named his next challenger.
Following Arman Tsarukyan’s dramatic split decision win over Charles Oliveira, Tsarukyan called for matchup with Makhachev and the champ appeared to oblige via a comment on social media:
Be ready
See you soon boy— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) April 14, 2024
“Be ready,” Makhachev wrote. “See you soon boy.”
Should Tsarukyan get the title shot, it would be a rematch of his clash with Makhachev in April 2019. Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan by split decision, but both fighters have seen their careers surge since that bout and it could only be a matter of time before they face off again.
11:07 p.m. ET: Bruce Buffer brings the style
Legendary UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer is known for dressing to the nines on special occasions and he didn’t disappoint at UFC 300.
Buffer flashed the inside of his jacket, showing that he has UFC light heavyweight champion and Saturday night headliner Alex Pereira on the inside lining.
That’s one collector’s item plenty of fans would love to get their hands on.
10:42 p.m. ET: A heartfelt homecoming for The Hammer
This past March, Mark Coleman was hospitalized after saving his parents from a house fire.
Tonight, the UFC Hall of Famer was welcomed home.
Prior to the main card bout between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, “The Hammer” was given the spotlight on the pay-per-view broadcast as he entered the arena accompanied by his daughters McKenzie and Morgan.
Coleman is expected to place the belt around the waist of winner of the “BMF” championship bout between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
10:38 p.m. ET: Iron Mike, The Ice Man, and Bullet in attendance
Three of the most dangerous fighters of all time are in the crowd for UFC 300.
During Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast, heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, and former UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko were all shown on camera.
There’s been a cavalcade of talent inside the octagon tonight, but it might just be dwarfed by the star power outside of it.
10:14 p.m. ET: Mark Zuckerberg in awe of Alex Pereira
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest people in the world. And he still went full fan boy when he met UFC champion Alex Pereira.
Pereira meets Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event and you can be sure that Zuckerberg will be cageside cheering “Poatan” on.
10:07 p.m. ET: The champ is here
Aljamain Sterling and Deiveson Figueiredo may have picked up the best bantamweight wins of the night, but 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley might have still stolen the show.
“Suga” arrived at the arena in style, rocking a feathery pink coat, flashy jewelry, and a pair of reflective shades.
Suffice to say, it’s a look only O’Malley could pull off.
9:45 p.m. ET: The stars are out for Kayla Harrison
Kayla Harrison didn’t just catch the attention of the matchmakers with her incredible UFC debut, she also had the celebrities rushing to congratulate her backstage.
Comedian Theo Von and actor Miles Teller praised Harrison for her performance following the former PFL star’s fantastic submission win over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm on Saturday night.
With the victory, Harrison could be poised to challenge for the 135-pound title later this year.
9:35 p.m. ET: Israel Adesanya has his eyes on Dricus du Plessis
Rivals Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis could be facing off in the octagon soon. For now, they’ll have settle on being in the same venue.
The middleweight stars were shown on-screen at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and Adesanya took the opportunity to let du Plessis know that he has him in his sights, metaphorically speaking.
See the interaction below.
Du Plessis won the middleweight title by defeating Sean Strickland—the man who took the belt from Adesanya—this past January at UFC 297. Since then, the two rivals have taken shots at each other in interviews and social media with Adesanya expressing his frustration at du Plessis not wanting to face him at UFC 300. For now, du Plessis is targeting a matchup with Adesanya UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, which takes place on Aug. 17.
8:05 p.m. ET: Face the Pain is back
The UFC went all-out for its start to Saturday’s ESPN preliminaries, breaking out the STEMM classic Face the Pain to cap off a fantastic intro video that brought back fond memories of the promotion’s rise in the early 2000s.
The “Zuffa Gladiator” also made their return along with fighter interviews being presented and black and white.
Never thought that nu metal song would make you so emotional, did you?
9:01 p.m. ET: The Lioness is not impressed
There were several interested parties watching former PFL star Kayla Harrison’s UFC debut, perhaps none more so than retired MMA great Amanda Nunes.
“The Lioness” conquered two divisions and ended her career on an unbelievable 14-1 run before retiring this past June. However, according to a reaction she posted on social media, it looks like she is slightly disappointed that Harrison—who dominated Holly Holm to win her first UFC fight—didn’t mention her as a potential opponent in her post-fight speech.
Nunes and Harrison were teammates at American Top Team in Florida, but there was much talk of the two potentially meeting in the cage with both women dominating their respective promotions. Now that Harrison is officially a top contender in the UFC, it looks like Nunes was hoping that the two-time Olympic judo champion would at least make an attempt to coax her out of retirement.
8:23 p.m. ET: Mark Zuckerberg is in the building
Facebook founder, Meta CEO, and all-around rich dude Mark Zuckerberg took a seat cageside at UFC 300.
Check out his arrival below.
Zuckerberg had a front-row seat for Diego Lopes’ incredible first-round knockout of Sodiq Yusuff, but when Lopes exited the cage to celebrate with Dana White, it appeared that the featherweight contender didn’t even notice Zuckerberg was there.
7:53 p.m. ET: Game respects game, always
Following his impressive submission win over Cody Garbrandt, Deiveson Figueiredo ran into a familiar face backstage: Longtime rival, Brandon Moreno.
Figueiredo and Moreno met in a memorable four-fight flyweight championship series, which ended 2-1-1 in favor of Moreno. Despite the intense battles they engaged in, it was all love backstage at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.
7:25 p.m. ET: The King vs. The Baddy next?
After winning a thrilling and bloody battle with Jim Miller, Bobby Green already has his next opponent in mind: Polarizing UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett.
“Paddy [Pimblett], how dare you, you slimy, sugary little snake,” Green said in his post-fight interview. “How dare you say my name? I’m coming after you. July, I’m coming to your backyard, with your people, to kick your ass.”
“The Baddy” is yet to lose inside the octagon, winning his first five fights for the promotion, most recently defeating fan favorite Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. Along the way, Pimblett has drawn a lot of attention to his fights with his brash personality.
Love him or hate him, Pimblett fighting in his home country of England against another respected veteran would certainly have fans invested.
6:45 p.m. ET: The UFC’s international stars make their presence known
The best of the best from across the globe are in Las Vegas for UFC 300.
That list includes interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (England), two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (New Zealand), and recent bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera (Ecuador).
And let’s not forget UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman representing the good ol’ U.S. of A.
Coleman is set to play a prominent part on tonight’s card as he will wrap the belt around the waist of the winner of the “BMF” title fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
Joe Rogan gets emotional
Joe Rogan has been one of the voices of the UFC for decades and the popular commentator and podcaster couldn’t help but shed a few tears as the event kicked off.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Rogan told fellow commentators Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier. “I kept getting up in the middle of the night, ‘It’s happening! It’s just hours away!’
“I’m so fired up. I’ve been here since UFC 12, so just the fact that it became the sport that it is today is beyond my wildest imagination. And to be here for this card with you guys for UFC 300, I’m just blown away.”
Drake bets big on “Poatan”
Drake is at it again.
No stranger to big wagers on UFC fight, the Canadian rapper announced that he’s thrown a six-figure wager down on Alex Pereira in the hopes of earning a nearly $1.2 million payout.
Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against former champion Jamahal Hill in tonight’s main event. Will the fearsome Brazilian striker fall victim to the infamous “Drake Curse?”
Sketch lets everyone know UFC has begun, brother
TikToker and Twitch streamer Sketch kicked things off in succinct fashion, dropping his catchphrase to announce the start of UFC 300.
With over 3 million followers across his social media platforms, Sketch’s words are the kind of endorsement that are key to the UFC reaching an even broader audience.
Triple H pays respect to his TKO partners
Triple H is tuned in to UFC 300.
The WWE executive and longtime sports entertainment star tweeted his admiration for the UFC, his partner under the TKO umbrella, calling it a “big night,” a “blockbuster card,” and “a milestone event.”
That’s hefty praise considering that Triple H and company just celebrated their own historic occasion this past weekend, WrestleMania 40. The two-night professional wrestling extravaganza set WWE records for viewership numbers and you can bet that UFC CEO Dana White is hoping to match that success.
