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UFC 300 is next weekend's marquee MMA pay-per-view. In fact, it is the sport's marquee pay-per-view for the entire year, and if the UFC has its way, will be the biggest event in mixed martial arts history. Much is expected of it, least of all because it features 12 champions, current and otherwise.
Thus, there is good reason to believe that UFC 300 will exceed expectations. Yet, there is also the possibility that it could fail and, in doing so, leave fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. If certain social media trends are to be believed, a segment of the MMA fandom is already underwhelmed by the event.
The headliner failed to meet their expectations, and there's a distinct absence of massive stars on the card, at least the ones the fans had hoped would have populated the top of the card. So, for all the hype, UFC 300 may very well fall flat.
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#5. A Jamahal Hill win at UFC 300 is suboptimal for the UFC
Jamahal Hill takes on Alex Pereira in the event headliner, where he hopes to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. While 'Poatan' is a far more credentialed striker, Hill is an athletic 205-pounder with nuclear heat in his punches and enough skill to guide them toward Pereira's suspect chin.
However, a title win for 'Sweet Dreams' would not be a positive outcome for the promotion. Pereira is a star with a cult fanbase and draws far more interest and social engagement. Furthermore, he is one-half of several hypothetical matchups that fans are eager to see.
Hill, entertaining as he may be inside the octagon, does not have a strong fanbase. And while he posts fun skits on social media, he is best remembered for how easily offended he gets and how many internet squabbles he gets into with fans. A win by him would likely deflate both the fans and the promotion.
#4. Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm could be boring
Kayla Harrison is an Olympic champion in judo, but anyone expecting Holly Holm to have a repeat of her performance against Ronda Rousey, another Olympic-level judoka, is mistaken. Harrison and Rousey are different fighters, and Holm is not the same fighter she was back in 2015. Not even close.
Back then, 'The Preacher's Daughter' was a mobile counter-striker who sniped Rousey every time the latter charged into range. Her left head kick has become the stuff of legend. Yet, having been slowed massively by age, Holm has resorted to becoming a wall-and-stall fighter who seeks the clinch.
She uses her great physical strength to pin her opponent to the fence and do little else. Against Harrison, a judoka who will almost certainly be severely depleted from her weight cut to 135 pounds, a tepid wall-and-stall affair is to be expected, which will only draw boos from the fans.
#3. Yan Xiaonan may very well lead to a boring co-main event
UFC 300's co-headliner will feature the first Chinese vs. Chinese title fight in the promotion's history when Zhang Weili defends her women's strawweight championship against Yan Xaionan. While 'Magnum' is an entertaining fighter capable of knocking her opponent out as much as submitting her, Yan is different.
Yan is a point-fighter who is skilled at neutralizing engagement. She isn't terribly skilled, nor is she a finisher. Her knockout of Jessica Andrade stems only from the Brazilian being so reckless as to throw four looping left hooks in a row with no setup. It was an invitation for her to get countered, and it was Yan's only UFC finish.
If she manages to avoid engaging Zhang inside the octagon by playing it too safe, it could lead to an uneventful fight that ends in a judges' decision after Yan jabs, straights, and low kicks her way to a five-rounder.
#2. UFC 300 has fallen flat on fan expectations
Before the full fight card was revealed, fans speculated as to which matchups UFC 300 would feature. Notably, every hypothetical bout the fans brought up featured a massive star or legend. Fans spoke about a potential comeback for the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Others wondered if the great Georges St-Pierre would make his return to the octagon. Some even talked about a potential return for blockbuster stars Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar. UFC CEO Dana White shut down these rumors, which were indicative of the fan headspace.
White had promised fans an unforgettable UFC 300 with jaw-dropping matches that would shock the world. But what has been offered has not met fan expectations. Nothing on UFC 300 matches the hype of a Nurmagomedov or 'GSP' return, and it is White's fault for overpromising and not delivering.
#1. There is no Conor McGregor
From the fans' perspective, there was no better card to welcome Conor McGregor back into the fold than UFC 300. The Irishman was once booked to headline UFC 200, but those plans fell apart when he refused to honor his media obligations, and the promotion made an example out of him by pulling him from the event.
UFC 300 could have been the chance to rectify that past misunderstanding. Despite McGregor's own desire to fight at UFC 300, whether against longtime rival Nate Diaz in a trilogy bout or Michael Chandler in his current, expected fight, the UFC revealed that McGregor was never in consideration.
Some fans on social media are even hoping, despite the lack of sense in it, that the UFC will surprise them with a last-minute McGregor appearance. Without the Irishman headlining the card, fans have soured on its actual main event.
