Islam Makhachev, Dricus du Plessis: 5 fighters who missed the chance to feature on UFC 300 and why

The UFC 300 event is considered to be one of the most important combat sports events of the 2024 calendar year. It'll mark the world's premier MMA organization's third centenary numbered pay-per-view (PPV) fight card and will transpire at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on April 13, 2024.

Headlining it will be a UFC light heavyweight title showdown between reigning champion Alex Pereira and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill. The co-headlining matchup will see UFC women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili put her title at stake against Yan Xiaonan.

Meanwhile, the third title bout on the card will be a lightweight bout for the BMF title, as current titleholder Justin Gaethje defends his belt against former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.

Speaking of the monumental event, the MMA community has been divided in its opinion about it. Certain sections of fight fans have criticized the main event slot's matchmaking, highlighting that neither Pereira nor Hill is a UFC megastar yet.

They believe the UFC could've booked MMA icon Conor McGregor's long-awaited comeback fight against Michael Chandler to headline UFC 300. Some have repeatedly highlighted that the organization could've perhaps brought back Nate Diaz, who'd previously expressed interest in making his UFC return on the centennial card.

Today, we take a closer look at a few prominent UFC stars who many felt would feature on the UFC 300 fight card but ultimately didn't. So, without further ado, let's dive into it...

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#5. Islam Makhachev – UFC lightweight champion

Reigning UFC lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev is regarded as one of the best fighters in the world today. The Dagestani fighter enjoys significant popularity, courtesy of his stellar combat prowess and his association with MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Considering that, a number of fans lobbied for Makhachev to be given a spot on the UFC 300 card.

For the past several months, Makhachev had been campaigning for a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Aiming for a 'champion vs. champion' superfight at welterweight, he's been raring to dethrone 'Rocky', capture the welterweight belt, and become a two-division champion.

Nevertheless, the 32-year-old wasn't booked to compete at the event. Makhachev, who's a devout Muslim, subsequently pointed out that the event is set to take place right after Ramadan. The grappling savant is known for observing the traditional Islamic fasts, as part of the prayers and penance, during the holy month.

With the festival ending around April 9, 2024, competing on April 13 would've been unfeasible for Makhachev, something that he himself acknowledged. Instead, Justin Gaethje, who's been viewed as the next rightful challenger for Makhachev's lightweight belt, will defend his BMF belt against Max Holloway at UFC 300.

For his part, Makhachev has lately set his sights on Dustin Poirier. 'The Diamond' is coming off a thrilling knockout win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 and has given an affirmative response to the lightweight king's callout.

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#4. Dricus du Plessis – UFC middleweight champion

Dricus du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title by dethroning then-champion Sean Strickland with a razor-thin split decision win at UFC 297 in Jauary. The grueling showdown witnessed 'Stillknocks' sustain considerable facial damage. Regardless, speculation abounded that du Plessis could make a relatively quick turnaround for a grudge match.

The matchup in question was Dricus du Plessis' long-awaited clash against Israel Adesanya, a former UFC middleweight champion and one of his biggest rivals. 'The Last Stylebender' claimed that while the UFC was on board with his fight against du Plessis, the South African turned it down.

In a subsequent appearance on UFC bantamweight Cameron Saaiman's podcast, du Plessis confirmed that Adesanya's statements were indeed true. Expounding upon why he turned down the chance to fight at UFC 300, the South African fighter said:

"With the conversations of 300, that would have been a massive fight, me and 'Izzy.' It was on the table, 100%."

'Stillknocks' then harked back to the time he was expected to face then-middleweight champion Adesanya for the belt at UFC 293 last September. However, du Plessis suffered a foot injury, forcing him out of that matchup.

Adesanya faced Strickland at UFC 293, lost the middleweight belt, and then announced that he was taking a hiatus from competition. Dricus du Plessis indicated that he didn't want to start training for another match against Adesanya while nursing an injury/significant damage.

Moreover, du Plessis claimed that he's taken several risks en route to the middleweight throne and doesn't need to continue adopting that strategy now that he's a champion. He then jibed at Adesanya and emphasized that the timeline of their possible fight would be decided by him and not by the former champion.

Check out du Plessis' comments below (24:30):

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#3. Israel Adesanya – former UFC middleweight kingpin who was willing to return at UFC 300

Although Israel Adesanya's possible fight against UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis didn't materialize at UFC 300, many believed that there was still a possibility of the legendary fighter partaking in the landmark event. Among Adesanya's many rivals in the UFC, one that stands out is Alex Pereira, who's fought him twice in kickboxing and MMA respectively.

'Poatan', who's a former UFC middleweight champion and the current UFC light heavyweight champion, has been booked to defend his light heavyweight belt against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. However, around the time the Pereira-Hill matchup was announced, Adesanya seemingly teased fighting the Brazilian MMA stalwart at the historic event.

Taking to his Instagram Stories, Adesanya posted an image referencing the UFC 300 event. The post set the MMA world abuzz and led many to speculate that 'The Last Stylebender' could be targeting a fight against Dricus du Plessis or Alex Pereira at UFC 300. Regardless, neither matchup came to fruition for Adesanya, and the combat sports megastar's comeback fight hasn't been announced yet.

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#2. Jon Jones – UFC heavyweight champion

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones ended his three-year hiatus, moved up in weight, and captured the UFC heavyweight title in March 2023. In the ensuing months, the UFC superstar was booked to defend his heavyweight championship against former divisional kingpin and fellow MMA great Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last November.

Unfortunately, 'Bones' suffered a pectoral injury and was ruled out of UFC 295. The severity of the injury was such that in the meantime, Jones chose to get another surgery, an elbow procedure. He's yet to return from the hiatus brought about by the pectoral injury.

With that being said, many fans and experts alike clamored for the UFC to have the 36-year-old fight game legend return at UFC 300. Rumors were rife that his eagerly awaited fight against Stipe Miocic could finally come to be at the historic event. Its winner would then be able to face interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall later this year.

Well, that wasn't to be, as Jones turned down the opportunity to compete at UFC 300. In an interview with Submission Radio, 'Bones' revealed that UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell reached out to him and tried to rope him in just nine weeks away from the event. The timeline didn't work for the champion, which is why he refused the offer. Jones recalled:

"As honored as I am for the opportunity, I just don't think I'll be ready."

Check out Jones' comments below:

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#1. Leon Edwards – UFC welterweight champion

UFC welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards' most recent fight saw him dominantly beat former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington by unanimous decision at UFC 296 last December. Edwards notched another successful defense of his UFC welterweight championship and appeared to set himself up for a main event spot on a high-profile card next.

Many concluded that 'Rocky' would face Belal Muhammad in a rematch of their anti-climactic 2021 fight next. At the start of this year, UFC CEO Dana White suggested that Edwards would likely defend his title in a rematch against Muhammad next. However, during the UFC 298 post-fight press conference in February, White made, what many feel, was a contradictory allusion.

The UFC head honcho noted that Edwards had been offered three opponents for a possible spot on the UFC 300 card, but didn't mention Muhammad's name. The 54-year-old lauded 'Rocky' for accepting all potential matchups and said:

"This kid [Edwards] is an absolute stud. He's had like three opponents thrown at him during UFC 300. Yes, yes, yes, was willing to take on anybody, man. Kid's an absolute stud. Leon, thank you, much respect."

Check out White's comments below:

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani later reported that the three opponents Dana White referred to are unbeaten middleweight Khamzat Chimaev and undefeated welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov, as well as UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Given that all three fighters happen to be devout Muslims, the April 13 timeline didn't work out for them as it was too close to the holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking to Fight Club Rush MMA, Chimaev later implied that his religious obligations disallowed him from fighting at UFC 300. As for Edwards, he wasn't booked to fight at UFC 300 but is expected to return, likely against Muhammad, later this year.