UFC 300 Predictions, Betting Tips & Preview

Every seven to eight years, the UFC has a centenary show, and it’s always a blockbuster event. Back in 2009, UFC 100 shattered all company pay-per-view records as former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar gained redemption earning a knockout victory against Frank Mir to unify the heavyweight championship. In July 2016, the stars were again in the Octagon for UFC 200, which was headlined by would-be women’s GOAT Amanda Nunes and her dethroning of Miesha Tate as Bantamweight Champion. 

This April, UFC 300 will take place, and many blockbuster fights have already been announced. Lightweight sensation Justin Gaethje will face off against former featherweight champion Max Holloway for the BMF belt. In contrast, former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira continues his comeback against the hard-hitting Arman Tsarukyan. However, the stacked card is still without a main event. 

What Will Main Event UFC 300? 

Over the last few months, speculation has been rampant about who will headline the marquee card. Initially, plans were in place for Jon Jones to defend his heavyweight championship against former king Stipe Miocic however, those plans were scuppered by injury. More injuries to stars such as Islam Makhachev have left Dana White and the powers that be within the UFC scrambling to find a fight worthy of headlining such a huge event. However, at present, the slot remains unfilled and rumours are running rampant. 

A suitable option may well be a rematch between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The South African star recently controversially dethroned the brash American to become middleweight champion however, the proposed matchup certainly lacks the star power required to headline a centenary show. Then, there is Israel Adesanya. 

The Last Stylebender was also recently champion at 185 pounds however, he shockingly lost to the aforementioned Strickland, before he too was dethroned by Du Plessis. The Nigerian-born Kiwi has plenty of bad blood with the newly minted champ, however, should he go after the championship he used to hold? Or should he head up into the light heavyweight division to face off against his nemesis, Alex Pereira? 

It is thought that a trilogy bout between the pair for all the marbles at 205 pounds is the biggest fight the UFC can make on relatively short notice and with several stars out injured. However, it still may not be big enough to headline in Dana White’s eyes. 

Money Spinning Returns 

With the UFC seemingly running out of options, rumors have been circulating that they may well turn to former lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian wrestling sensation retired undefeated back in 2020 following the untimely passing of his father however, his former coach Javier Mendes mentioned that The Eagle is back in training. Whether that means he is coming out of retirement remains to be seen. 

Should that be the case then he has a tailor-made opponent waiting for him in the form of former foe Conor McGregor. Khabib soundly defeated the Irishman back in October 2018 after a blood feud that saw the pair combine to give the UFC its most lucrative pay-per-view buy rate of all time. Should the pair square off six years later, they would almost certainly do the same. 

Failing that, White may well look to tempt Georges St. Pierre out of retirement as well and face him off against the Dagestani in a bout that had long been mooted but never came to fruition. 

UFC Betting Tips 

Of the bouts that have already been confirmed, there are plenty of opportunities for punters to take some value. At present, the biggest bout on the card is the aforementioned anticipated slugfest between Gaethje and Holloway. The pair are well known for their willingness to fight fire with fire in the Octagon, and their upcoming bout is expected to be a war. 

Gaethje is the reigning BMF belt holder having acquired the title with a brutal knockout victory against Dustin Poirier, as UFC betting odds make him a -200 betting favorite. We fancy him to go one better, and backing him to knock out his naturally smaller opponent could be the bet to make. 

Elsewhere, we anticipate Charles Oliveira to continue in his quest to regain the lightweight championship that he lost devastatingly to Islam Makhachev. Since being submitted by the Russian, Do Bronx has bounced back with a knockout victory, and we expect him to find a way past Arman Tsarukyan, provided he can stand up to the Russian-Armenian’s power strikes. 

One redemption journey we can see ending however is that of Cody Garbrandt. No Love became the bantamweight champion with a lopsided decision victory against Dominick Cruz back in December 2016, however, he immediately dropped the title to TJ Dillashaw with back-to-back knockout losses. That triggered a dismal run of form in which he lost three of his next four fights. He has since returned after 18 months away handpicked up back-to-back victories, but former champion Deiveson Figueiredo should have too much for him to handle.