On April 13, the UFC traveled to Las Vegas for UFC 300. What was hyped up to be the most stacked line-up in the promotion’s history, not only lived up to expectations but gave fight fans moments to remember forever. The night started strong from the first bell and saw five out of the eight undercard bouts end in a finish, but it was the last three fights of the main card that really got the T-Mobile Arena rocking.
In the main event of the evening, Alex Pereira gave himself an early night and secured a first round knockout against Jamahal Hill at the 3:15 mark to defend his light heavyweight (205 lbs) belt. Hill came into this fight with great confidence and predicted he would win the fight by knockout; but, in the end, he was the one on the receiving end of Pereira’s infamous left hook.
Moments before the finish, Hill landed an illegal strike below the belt of his opponent. As referee Herb Dean was about to step in to give Pereira a break, the champion put his arm out to shrug him off, regathered his rhythm, and knocked out Hill with the next punch he threw.
The confidence to tell the referee to back off, the focus to land the punch right after, and the hilarious shrugging celebration to top it all off – was the perfect way to end a historic event.
Weili Zhang and Yan Xiaonan made history for their country, competing in the first ever all-Chinese UFC title fight. They represented Chinese MMA proudly, while also showcasing the development of women’s MMA, putting on a show for the biggest stage possible. The strawweight (115 lbs) champion, Zhang, came out on top, winning the fight by unanimous decision on all judges’ scorecards 49-45. There was, however, some controversy when referee Jason Herzog did not stop the fight when Xiaonan had been choked unconscious at the end of the first round. She was able to recover quickly and go the full distance, but Zhang still cruised to a comfortable victory.
No star shined as bright as Max Holloway, whose last second buzzer beater is believed to be one of the greatest knockouts of all time.
With 10 seconds left in the fifth and final round of the BMF title fight, Holloway decided to point to the center of the octagon challenging Justin Gaethje to brawl it out in the center of the octagon, punching each other back and forth until the final bell. With just one second remaining on the clock, Holloway caught Gaethje with a right hook that knocked him out cold – the latest knockout in UFC history.
Holloway came in as the underdog after moving up to lightweight (155 lbs) from the featherweight division (145 lbs). He had fought a perfect fight, was up on the judges’ scorecards and on his way to a unanimous decision. He had no reason to engage like that at the end, but he wanted to give the fans a memory they would cherish forever. And that he did.
The UFC introduced the BMF belt in 2019, also known as the baddest m—–f—– belt, for fan favorite fighters who are known to be exciting, tough, and durable. “Tonight totally embodied what the [BMF] belt was built for,” UFC CEO and President Dana White told reporters at the post fight press conference.
It was a moment that truly defines martial arts. A moment that illustrates the highest of highs and lowest of lows of fighting. A moment that attracts attention and brings new fans to this sport. A true BMF moment.
It was a great way to cap off UFC 300, which will forever be remembered as one of the greatest nights in mixed martial arts history.
