UFC 300 finally has a main event, but it’s tough to say if many predicted Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill would headline the historic card on April 13.
UFC CEO Dana White made the surprising announcement just after UFC 298 ended following rumors that initially swirled about Pereira defending light heavyweight title at UFC 301, which takes place in his native Brazil in May.
Instead, Pereira takes the top spot at UFC 300, while Hill returns to action for the first time since suffering a torn Achilles tendon that forced him to relinquish the light heavyweight title in 2023.
Addressing the main event, White said the decision to book Pereira vs. Hill really came down to timing and opportunity after the promotion sought out a number of different options. He added that UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards was a frontrunner to potentially headline the event, and he accepted each and every opponent thrown at him but nothing came to fruition.
“We were out there talking to lots of people, trying to make lots of fights,” White said at the UFC 298 post-fight press conference. “In this business, it’s about taking opportunities. Headlining UFC 300 with all the buzz and all the energy around it.
“Let me say this — Leon Edwards has had, like, three opponents throughout this thing. Leon Edwards doesn’t say no to anybody. This kid is an absolute stud. He’s had like three opponents thrown at him during UFC 300 [conversations] — yes, yes, yes. He was willing to take on anybody. Kid’s an absolute stud. Leon, thank you, much respect.”
Obviously, Edwards didn’t end up on the card, and White said despite plans to book at least one more fight for UFC 300, it won’t be the welterweight champion defending his title. White didn’t reveal the three opponents offered to Edwards, but he couldn’t say enough good things about “Rocky” after trying to line him up for a marquee bout in April.
“This guy doesn’t care – he’ll fight anybody,” White said about Edwards. “Think about this, we call, and we’re talking about UFC 300, you’re going to headline, you’re going to fight this guy. Then we call back and say, ‘You’re going to fight this guy.’ Then a third time we call and change opponents on him again. It’s just crazy.
“This guy could care less. He’s up for the challenge. He’s ready to fight anybody. I love it and respect it very much.”
As far as obstacles that stood in the way to book the most desirable UFC 300 main event possible, White promises there were no outrageous demands for more money – or other perks in exchange for taking the top spot on April 13.
White admitted that the biggest hurdle that the UFC had to clear really came down to stacking three pay-per-view cards in a row between UFC 298, UFC 299 and then UFC 300 that the cupboard was nearly bare. Thankfully, Pereira and Hill were available and ready to fight.
“This was not about money,” White said. “It was all about timing. We’ve got three killer cards in a row and in this business you have injuries and all kinds of other bulls*** that goes on behind the scenes. We’ve been talking about 300 forever. We were just trying to make the best fights that we could possibly make. We had two more fights to make and we’re trying to put on two bad ass fights.
“These two guys are it. I’m sure you saw the video, I walked through who they both are, what they’ve both done. Both guys are hungry. They both want it. No way that fight sucks.”
This will serve as another monumental achievement for Pereira, who came to the UFC less than three years ago with only four MMA fights on his resume, but now he’s about to headline one of the biggest cards in the company’s history and he’s defending his second divisional title after already winning middleweight gold in the past.
“[Alex Pereira with] how fast he did it, in such a short amount of time, two different weight classes,” White said about the current UFC light heavyweight champion. “A guy coming from basically one style and being able to accomplish what he’s accomplished here, obviously it was impressive when [Israel Adesanya] did it and now this guy did it even faster and in two different weight classes.”
As for Hill, this will be his first fight since he won the light heavyweight title back in January 2023 when he defeated Pereira’s head coach and mentor, Glover Teixeira. Since then, Hill suffered the torn Achilles tendon that made him give up his belt, but White has confidence “Sweet Dreams” will be more than ready come UFC 300.
“I’m friends with Kelsey Plum from the WNBA, she had the same injury [as Jamahal Hill],” White said. “She came back, and won MVP, and won a National Title. He’s been going to the [Performance Institute]. She recovered from that injury at the PI. So hopefully he’s good.”
