UFC 300: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill: Full results
UFC 300 is in the books. The milestone UFC event took place at the T-Mobile Arean in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13 and marked the UFC's ever-growing footprint in the sport of MMA.
The event featured 13 fights in seven weight classes and 11 current and former champions. Back-and-forth wars, sneaky submissions, and devastating knockouts elevated the occasion. So, without further delay, let's take a closer look at the full event results.
UFC 300 results: Alex Pereira, Zhang Weili retain titles, Max Holloway creates historic moment in BMF title fight
Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
In the main event, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira attempted the first defense of his title against his predecessor Jamahal Hill. Despite the trash-talk before the fight, both men showed respect for each other's skills inside the octagon and started with cautious leg-kicking attacks.
However, Hill fell prey to Pereira's short left hook a few minutes in. 'Poatan' followed up with a few strikes on the ground. The former champion could not defend himself and the referee stepped in to stop the fight, declaring Pereira the winner by KO.
'Poatan's' win marked the first defense of the promotion's light heavyweight title since Jan Blachowicz defeated Israel Adesanya in 2021.
Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan
In the co-main event, reigning UFC women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili attempted the second defense of her title against fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan.
Contrary to popular perception, Xiaonan proved to be a tough opponent for the champion and got away with precise strikes in the early going. A striker by trade, Xiaonan also surprised 'Magnum' with a takedown in Round 1. However, Weili took the fight to the ground in the closing minute of the round with a judo throw and got a tight rear-naked choke that threatened to end the fight.
Xiaonan, who was on the verge of passing out, recovered between rounds. She survived Weili's relentless ground-and-pound and submission attempts in Round 2, surprising the fans with a reversal.
Weili, who spent a lot of energy in the second frame, found herself struggling to maintain the pace by the mid-way point. However, she made a solid comeback in the championship rounds, securing a unanimous decision victory to retain the title.
Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway
The ceremonial BMF title was on the line once again as champion Justin Gaethje fought former 145-pound king Max Holloway on the main card.
Gaethje invested in low kicks from the get-go as Holloway has struggled to check them in the past. Meanwhile, Holloway focused on landing damaging shots and hurt Gaethje on several occasions. Holloway's measured attacks started having a huge impact on Gaethje's performance. The Colorado native seemingly had an issue with the nose, which bled profusely as the fight progressed.
By the midway point of the fight, Holloway appeared to be the fresher fighter as Gaethje had little success outside slicing calf kicks. Holloway's activity level steadily increased towards the end of Round 3 and Gaethje's reactions suggested that he might be fading rapidly.
Gaethje offered some resistance in Round 4 but failed to shift the momentum in his favor. Holloway, who was winning the fight on the scorecards, invited Gaethje to slug it out in the middle of the octagon in the closing seconds of the bout.
In one of the most iconic visuals in sport's history, both men embodied the BMF spirit and threw wildly at each other with the crowd cheering on. An overhand right sealed the deal for Holloway as Gaethje went crashing down to the mat.
The end came with one second left in the fight and Holloway was crowned the new BMF champion. UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, who recently threw himself in a life-threatening situation to save his family from a house fire, wrapped the belt around Holloway's waist.
Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
Top-ranked veteran fighters of the UFC lightweight division have fended off rising contenders like Mateusz Gamrot, Rafael Fiziev, and most recently, Benoit Saint Denis.
Another young talent, Arman Tsarukyan, fought former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira in a bid to replace him as the top contender of the division.
'Do Bronx' threatened Tsarukyan with an early guillotine as the Armenian struggled to find his rhythm. However, Tsarukyan started taking over the fight from the second half of Round 1 and walked away with a split-decision win.
Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
Wrestling powerhouse and rising middleweight prospect Bo Nickal opened the main card along with Cody Brundage. Nickal, who had won most of his previous professional MMA fights within three minutes, met with a lot of resistance from Brundage. But in the end, Nickal secured a submission win while being relatively unscathed. However, social media reactions suggest that fans were not happy with the 28-year-old's gesture after the win.
UFC 300 Preliminary Card: Jiri Prochazka weathers early storm, Aljamain Sterling controls Calvin Kattar to decision
Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka fought Austria's Aleksandar Rakic in the headline prelim bout to find his way back to the 205-pound title.
Rakic came out with an effective game plan and maintained a sustained attack on Prochazka's legs. A few minutes into the fight, it appeared that the calf kicks were having a devastating impact on Prochazka's leg and 'Rocket' appeared to be cruising to victory.
Rakic refused to get entangled in a chaotic fight that Prochazka prefers. However, he was not prepared to handle his opponent's unorthodox attacks. Despite the initial damage, the former light heavyweight champion started clipping Rakic with thunderous strikes, which had a visible impact on 'Rocket's' performance.
After visibly hurting his opponent in close-range exchanges, Prochazka pushed him to the mat and punished him with fists and elbows until the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
During the octagon interview, Prochazka expressed the desire to fight the winner of Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill next.
Watch the interview below:
Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made his long-awaited featherweight debut against New England Cartel standout Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.
Sterling, who is a credentialled grappler, smothered Kattar for three rounds to score a unanimous decision win. Fans did not seem to enjoy the grappling-heavy contest as Sterling landed eight takedowns in the three-rounder en route to the victory.
Kattar was the No.8-ranked UFC featherweight heading into the fight and with a win over him, Sterling may enter the division's rankings in the coming days.
Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison
Former PFL lightweight Kayla Harrison fought former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm in her promotional debut to start the new chapter of her career.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka competed in the lightweight division for the vast majority of her career and there was a lot of curiosity about how the weight cut might affect her.
However, Harison proved the doubters wrong. Holm had no answer to her dominant grappling once the fight hit the mat. After softening up the 42-year-old with powerful ground strikes, Harrison finished the fight with a rear-naked choke in Round 2.
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes
Featherweight prospect Diego Lopes became an instant sensation when he gave Movsar Evloev a tough fight in his short-notice UFC debut. The Brazilian scored the biggest win of his professional MMA career in the preliminary card opening bout by knocking out No.13-ranked featherweight Sodiq Yusuff within 90 seconds.
UFC 300 Early Prelims: Deiveson Figueiredo and Renato Moicano strengthen their positions in their respective divisions
Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano
In the featured bout on the early prelims, No.13-ranked lightweight Renato Moicano challenged No.10-ranked Jalin Turner in a bid to surge into the division's top 10.
Turner, who had won all of his professional MMA fights by finishes (10 KO, four submissions), had a great start as he outclassed Moicano in striking. Turner dropped Moicano with a left hand toward the end of Round 1 but walked off assuming the Brazilian was finished.
This proved to be a mistake as Moicano stood back up and earned a TKO win with ground-and-pound in Round 2.
Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, who got back in the win column with a win over Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295, scored her second straight win at UFC 300 as she defeated No.6-ranked Marina Rodriguez via split decision.
Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
Veteran fighter Jim Miller, who also fought on the UFC 100 and UFC 200 fight cards, attempted to go 3-0 in his third centennial event appearance. However, fellow veteran Bobby Green spoiled the party for him, handing Miller a unanimous decision loss.
Green dominated the majority of the fight, outlanding Miller 186 to 57 in terms of total strikes landed. The striking differential was the highest at the event. But Miller continued to fight on and offered a lot of resistance in a valiant effort, producing one of the grittiest performances of his career at 40.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and former 135-pound king Cody Garbrandt kicked off the event with an explosive fight at bantamweight. The fight was previously expected to take place when Figueiredo held the 125-pound strap but could not materialize at the time.
Garbrandt gave Figueiredo different looks and made the fight competitive in Round 1. However, Figueiredo proved to be the more effective grappler in the ground exchanges, defeating Garbrandt via submission due to a rear-naked choke in Round 2. This was the first submission loss of Garbrandt's professional MMA career.
Catch the full event results below:
Main Card
Light heavyweight - Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill via KO (R1, 3:14) - Title fight
Women's strawweight - Zhang Weili def. Yan Xiaonan via unanimous decision (49-45 X 3) - Title fight
Lightweight - Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via KO (R5, 4:59) - BMF title fight
Lightweight - Arman Tsarukyan def. Charles Oliveira via split decision (29-28 X 2, 28-29)
Middleweight - Bo Nickal def. Cody Brundage via submission (Rear-naked choke) (R2, 3:38)
Preliminary Card
Light heavyweight - Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic via T/KO (R2, 3:17)
Featherweight - Aljamain Sterling def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (30-27 X 3)
Women's bantamweight - Kayla Harrison def. Holly Holm via submission (Rear-naked choke) (R2, 1:47)
Featherweight - Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff via T/KO (R1, 1:29)
Early Prelims
Lightweight - Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner via T/KO (R2, 4:11)
Women's strawweight - Jessica Andrade def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29-28 X 2, 28-29)
Lightweight - Bobby Green def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-25, 29-26)
Bantamweight - Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt via submission (Rear-naked choke) (R2, 4:02)