UFC president, Dana White is setting the bar high for the much-anticipated UFC 300 event, scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13. The edition of the event means it is special and White is promising to deliver an event like no other.
Speaking at an interview this week, White reflected on the UFC’s journey, recalling early conversations he had at the start of his role as president where he thought he would be well into his seventies before UFC 100 took place. However, the UFC’s rapid rise to prominence changed those expectations, with UFC 300 now on the horizon.
The UFC president has spared no effort to ensure that UFC 300 becomes one of the promotion’s most memorable events to date. White emphasizes his commitment to assembling a stacked card, aiming to surpass previous records at the T-Mobile Arena with an anticipated $15 million gate.
He said: “This time we’re looking at, ‘How do we make 300 different than 100, 200 and anything that we’ve ever done?’ What I wanted was, I wanted it to be, when the first prelim of the night starts, you have to be in front of your television. You can’t miss one fight on this card,” White said.
“So, when you look at 300 right, we have 12 current and former UFC champions or interim champions, seven pound-for-pound [ranked] fighters, almost every single fight features a ranked contender, 16 ranked fighters in total. And it’s expected to break every record at the T-Mobile Arena with a $15 million gate.”
Despite White’s efforts to hype up the event, fan reactions to the announced featured bouts have been mixed. While acknowledging the depth of talent on the card, some fans have expressed disappointment with the main and co-main events, featuring matchups between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill for the light heavyweight championship, and Weili Zhang defending her strawweight title against Xiaonan Yan. Despite their high caliber, these matchups have failed to meet certain expectations set by White’s previous remarks about the event.
Nevertheless, with the UFC’s track record of delivering some of the best fights in all of combat sports, anticipation remains high for UFC 300 as fans eagerly await and there is every indication that it would exceed expectations, even for White.
Leon Osamor
