Ariel Helwani claims Dana White has a non-headliner "rabbit in the hat" for UFC 300 that doesn't feature Israel Adesanya, Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal
The highly coveted UFC 300 will take place on Saturday, April 13, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While a headliner for the event is yet to be confirmed, Ariel Helwani reckons Dana White and Co. are working on a special non-main event for the pay-per-view.
On the MMA Hour, the veteran journalist said that there seem to be few fights that fit the bill as the headliner for the much-awaited fight card. However, talking about the surprise non-headliner bout, he said:
"They have a rabbit in their hat that they're working on. It’s not a main event. There is one, but it's not a main event. Meaning: they’re trying to make this as special as can be, I know that... There are some rabbits. I know there’s one in particular that they’re hoping, I don’t know if it’s going to come to fruition just yet."
Furthermore, the 41-year-old speculated that superstars, including Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal, won't be fighting on the card:
"I don’t see the big fight out there. I asked around about Izzy, I don’t think he’ll be on there. There’s some talk about Izzy vs. Pereira, I don’t think that’ll happen. Maybe that changes.
"There’s some talk about Masvidal; he came out and said, 'Unretired.' Masvidal’s not on that card. He’s not referring to [UFC] 300, in case you’re wondering."
Catch Ariel Helwani's comments about UFC 300 below (10:50)
Per the MMA reporter, Conor McGregor's grand return to the octagon against Michael Chandler would have been the only bout that could've matched the grandeur of the historic pay-per-view as its headliner.
Ariel Helwani says Conor McGregor wanted UFC 300
Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the octagon on June 29 during International Fight Week against Michael Chandler. However, it seems that it was not the Irishman's original plan.
In a recent tweet, Ariel Helwani speculated that 'The Notorious' wanted to make his return at the historic UFC 300 pay-per-view. Last year, 'The Notorious' had also teased the same in a social media post. Helwani's post read:
"McGregor wanted to fight at 300. He pushed hard for it. He was ready, I’m told."
Conor McGregor has been on a hiatus from the sport since suffering a leg injury during his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. Per the former two-division champion's New Year announcement, his comeback fight against 'Iron' will happen at 185 pounds.
Both men are 2-3 in their last five, with McGregor's last win coming against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, while Chandler's came against Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 in 2022.