VIDEO: All UFC 300 media day interviews - Alex Pereira, Jamahal Hill, Max Holloway, and more
UFC 300 takes place this Saturday, and as the marquee mixed martial arts event of 2024, has drawn more attention than any other card. Naturally, its featured fighters have been doing the rounds with the media, taking part in various interviews to generate hype for their fights.
Among them are former champions, top contenders, promotional debutants, and reigning titleholders, all of whom were present for the event's media day.
Cody Garbrandt aims for the top
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is determined to defeat Deiveson Figueiredo, and due to the Brazilian's ranking in the top 10, believes it will catapult him into title contention, which is where he believes he should have always been.
Specifically, he is aiming to face Sean O'Malley, with whom he has enmity.
Check out Cody Garbrandt's media day interview:
Deiveson Figueiredo is thankful for UFC 300 opportunity
Deiveson Figueiredo punctuated his media day interview by expressing his gratitude for the promotion's decision to book him in one of the most stacked cards of the year. Furthermore, he expressed his belief that he does not believe his bout with Cody Garbrandt will go to a decision, as he will bring the fight to him.
Check out Deiveson Figueiredo's media day interview:
Jim Miller intends to extend his UFC win record
Despite being a long-tenured member of the UFC roster who is in his forties, Jim Miller has no intention of retiring. He is determined to defeat Bobby Green this Saturday, which would extend his record of the most wins in the promotion's history.
Check out Jim Miller's media day interview:
Bobby Green vows to retire Jim Miller at UFC 300
The always-fun Bobby Green will head into the weekend looking to retire his opponent, Jim Miller. He also touched on the harrowing stoppage in his last fight, where he was on the receiving end of a brutal knockout at the hands of Jalin Turner.
While he recognized that knockouts are part of the game, he did point out that the referee's job is to protect the fighters.
Check out Bobby Green's UFC 300 media day interview:
Marina Rodriguez stakes her claim as number-one contender
Marina Rodriguez believes that a win over former UFC women's strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade will earn her a title shot, which would be her first-ever. It would also put her on a two-fight win streak. Becoming the champion is her ultimate goal, as outlined in her media day interview.
Check out Marina Rodriguez's UFC 300 media interview:
Jéssica Andrade wants a women's BMF title fight
Despite being a former champion at strawweight, Jéssica Andrade has thrown her name into the hat for a potential women's BMF championship bout. She even listed several renowned WMMA fighters, including reigning strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, to whom she lost in the past, as potential foes.
Check out Jéssica Andrade's UFC 300 media day interview:
Renato Moicano dulls his expectations for UFC 300
While he is a thrilling action fighter beloved by fans for entertainment value and outlandish personality, Renato Moicano does not expect to earn a bonus for either the Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night honors due to the stacked nature of the card.
Check out Renato Moicano's UFC 300 media day interview:
Jalin Turner expects to finish Renato Moicano
While Renato Moicano isn't expecting to win any bonuses at UFC 300, Jalin Turner believes that he will be able to stop the Brazilian, given his natural breadth of punching power. He recently knocked out Bobby Green and doesn't believe his upcoming foe will be as durable as Dan Hooker, who last beat him.
Check out Jalin Turner's UFC 300 media day interview:
Diego Lopes aims to make history at UFC 300
Diego Lopes has quickly become a fan-favorite, and come fight night he intends to elevate his goodwill by authoring yet another finish. Specifically, he hopes to become the first fighter to knock out Sodiq Yusuff in the UFC. The Nigerian-American has only ever been finished once, at Titan FC.
Check out Diego Lopes' UFC 300 media day interview:
Sodiq Yusuff is determined to prove his doubters wrong
Heading into the weekend, Sodiq Yusuff is an underdog. However, the top 15 featherweight is not surprised by his status. Instead, his goal is to prove his doubters wrong by beating Diego Lopes to earn more respect from the MMA fandom.
Check out Sodiq Yusuff's UFC 300 media day interview:
Kayla Harrison intends to lure Amanda Nunes back into competition
It has always been Kayla Harrison's goal to be the best fighter in the world. Now, she has proclaimed herself the UFC queen ahead of her promotional debut against Holly Holm. The two-time Olympic gold medalist also hopes to coax all-time great WMMA champion Amanda Nunes back into the octagon.
Check out Kayla Harrison's UFC 300 media day interview:
Holly Holm hits back at Ronda Rousey's revision of their past fight
Holly Holm was behind one of the greatest upsets in MMA history at UFC 193. However, according to her past opponent, Ronda Rousey, 'The Preacher's Daughter' only won because Rousey herself was suffering from concussion symptoms. Holm, however, addressed Rousey's claims with a counter.
Check out Holly Holm's UFC 300 media day interview:
Aljamain Sterling has double champion status in his sights
Saturday evening will play host to Aljamain Sterling's featherweight debut, with the former bantamweight champion aiming to defeat Calvin Kattar, which he hopes will earn him a crack at Ilia Topuria's divisional title at some point in the future.
Check out Aljamain Sterling's UFC 300 media day interview:
Calvin Kattar is gearing up to ruin Aljamain Sterling's featherweight debut
While Aljamain Sterling has big plans for his run in the UFC featherweight division, his opponent Calvin Kattar is prepared to see those plans go up in flames. 'The Boston Finisher' will look to finish Sterling in their scrap and show 'Funk Master' that there are weight classes for a reason.
Check out Calvin Kattar's UFC 300 media day interview:
Aleksandar Rakić aims to crown himself the MMA King of Europe
Aleksandar Rakić and his opponent, Jiří Procházka, have come to an agreement that their light heavyweight clash will crown MMA's European king. However, for Rakić, it is more than just a symbol title, as he hopes that a win over the former champion will earn him a title shot against the event's headline winner.
Check out Aleksandar Rakić's UFC 300 media day interview:
Jiří Procházka fires back at Aleksandar Rakić labeling him a 'fake' samurai
It is a well-known fact that Jiří Procházka is a follower of the Bushido code of conduct, widely used by Japanese samurai. This has led his opponent, Aleksandar Rakić, to label him fraudulent, to which 'Denisa' responded by clarifying that he never claimed to be a samurai and that his foe does not know him personally.
Check out Jiří Procházka's UFC 300 media day interview:
Cody Brundage doesn't buy into the hype surrounding Bo Nickal
Cody Brundage is a massive underdog heading into his fight with Bo Nickal. However, the 10-5 middleweight isn't intimidated by his opponent and doesn't buy into the tremendous amount of hype behind Nickal, who he believes he has the tools to beat this Saturday.
Check out Cody Brundage's UFC 300 media day interview:
Bo Nickal is thankful for his main card spot
Fans have been up in arms over Bo Nickal's spot in the event, as he features on the main card, ahead of several former champions. However, the highly touted wrestler believes that his position is warranted, framing it as the UFC making a decision for the good of the promotion from a business standpoint.
Check out Bo Nickal's UFC 300 media day interview:
Arman Tsarukyan targets a title shot with a win over Charles Oliveira
Arman Tsarukyan believes he is the superior fighter to Charles Oliveira, and believes that a win over the former lightweight champion will earn him a title shot. According to him, it was promised to him by UFC CEO Dana White himself, and although such promises went unfulfilled in the past, he is confident about getting a title shot next.
Check out Arman Tsarukyan's UFC 300 media day interview:
Charles Oliveira is aiming for a title rematch with Islam Makhachev
Charles Oliveira lost his lightweight strap to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 and has since been on a mission to reclaim it. He believes that a win over Arman Tsarukyan will solidify his status as the number one contender, especially given that he was set to rematch Makhachev before a cut forced him to withdraw.
Check out Charles Oliveira's UFC 300 media day interview:
Max Holloway labels Ilia Topuria 'questionable'
Max Holloway's primary goal is to become the UFC featherweight champion again. At this moment, Ilia Topuria holds the belt. 'Blessed,' however, is anything but impressed, branding the Spaniard 'questionable' due to the latter's unwillingness to fight him.
Check out Max Holloway's UFC 300 media day interview:
Justin Gaethje wants a war with Max Holloway
Justin Gaethje is one of the most violent fighters in the UFC, and the reigning 'BMF' champion has recently revealed that he fights so recklessly that he doesn't often think about his well-being following his bouts. Come fight night, he will look to drag Max Holloway into a war for the ages.
Check out Justin Gaethje's UFC 300 media day interview:
Yan Xiaonan feels a lack of support from her home country
Yan Xiaonan and Zhang Weili will take part in the first Chinese vs. Chinese title fight in the UFC when Yan challenges 'Magnum' for the strawweight strap. According to Yan, her countrymen are firmly behind Zhang, who has quickly become a fan favorite. That, however, won't dissuade her from her goal.
Check out Yan Xiaonan's UFC 300 media day interview:
Zhang Weili continues to train with elite male UFC fighters
Zhang Weili drew some attention in the past for training with Henry Cejudo, who helped massively improve her grappling. Now, she has trained with streaking bantamweight contender, Merab Dvalishvili, from whom she has learned much.
Check out Zhang Weili's UFC 300 media day interview:
Jamahal Hill brushes off injury woes
The main event features Jamahal Hill challenging Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight title he vacated after injuring his Achilles tendon. Hill, however, has dismissed any talk of being compromised and, while respectful of Pereira's skills, is supremely confident that he will have his hand raised.
Check out Jamahal Hill's UFC 300 media day interview:
Alex Pereira dismisses Jamahal Hill joining forces with Israel Adesanya
Ahead of their bout, Jamahal Hill sought advice on fighting Alex Pereira from Israel Adesanya. However, 'Poatan' believes it to be a fruitless effort on his opponent's part. Furthermore, he touched on Hill's injury, asserting that his foe will almost certainly be fully fit, as he does not believe he would have faced him otherwise.
Check out Alex Pereira's UFC 300 media day interview: