If Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill was initially planned for Brazil, which matchup did Dana White want for UFC 300? Exploring potential main events

UFC 300 will be headlined by Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, with the Brazilian defending his newly minted light heavyweight strap against its prior champion. However, the matchup was considered a massive letdown for MMA fans everywhere, who expected a main event of greater magnitude.

This has become especially noticeable after it was revealed that Pereira's title defense against Hill was initially planned for UFC 301, which is set to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is safe to assume that the light heavyweight title clash was not the first main event the promotion had in mind for UFC 300.

So, what were the main events in discussion that never made it? Unfortunately, given Dana White's own words at the UFC 298 post-fight press conference, it appears that Conor McGregor was never in consideration to headline UFC 300. So, who was?

---

Leon Edwards vs. three different opponents at UFC 300

At the UFC 298 post-fight press conference, Dana White revealed that he had proposed three separate matchups for reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Fortunately, the Englishman accepted the bout against all three men, and recent reports have revealed their identities.

Apparently, the proposed opponents for the welterweight champion were lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev and unbeaten phenoms Khamzat Chimaev and Shavkat Rakhmonov. Curiously, streaking welterweight contender Belal Muhammad was not mentioned as one of the Englishman's reported foes.

Unfortunately, none of the proposed matchups went through due to the three men's religious commitments. None of Edwards' prospective foes, who are all Muslim, were willing to fight so close to Ramadan, which ends days before UFC 300, depriving them of optimal preparation.

So it appears that among the potential headliners for the marquee event, one of them involved Edwards facing Makhachev in the latter's pursuit of two-division championship status. The other involved him taking on Chimaev, who was once booked to face Edwards in the past but withdrew after contracting COVID.

The final matchup would have seen him defend his title against the undefeated Rakhmonov in a bout that White seemed interested in scheduling after 'The Nomad's' win over Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. But what of the other potential headliners outside of the welterweight division?

---

The other UFC 300 headliners

Welterweight isn't the only division that the promotion considered for a source of potential UFC 300 headliners. Heavyweight was also among the few choices, with Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones, and Stipe Miocic allegedly being reached out to. The interim heavyweight champion revealed that he was ready for a bout.

However, he claimed that Miocic turned down the matchup. Meanwhile, Jones claimed to have also been contacted by the UFC for a potential UFC 300 spot. But due to the severity of his recent pectoral tendon tear, he is yet to recover fully and is in no condition to fight any time soon.

Besides heavyweight, the promotion's middleweight division was also regarded as a potential source of headliners. First, the proposed title fight was between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. But for whatever reason, the matchup didn't come to pass.

Whether it was due to the damage du Plessis sustained from his title-winning bout with Sean Strickland or because of 'The Last Stylebender' not recovering in time from his injury remains unknown. Even a potential bout between the reigning champion and Khamzat Chimaev was ruled out.

So, with no choice, the promotion went with Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, and it has garnered a negative response from fans who were previously told that the main event would shatter expectations.