UFC 300
Fight Coverage
Fighters on the Rise | UFC 300
Highlighting Three Competitors With The Opportunity To Make A Massive Impact This Weekend At UFC 300
Before the BMF title goes up for grabs.
Before Zhang Weili defends her strawweight title against compatriot Yan Xiaonan in the first all-Chinese championship fight in UFC history.
Before Alex Pereira looks to cement his standing as the top light heavyweight in the sport and Jamahal Hill attempts to reclaim the title he never lost in competition, the three athletes below attempt to deliver the kind of performances that allow them to stand out amongst the crowded field that comprises the greatest fight card to ever grace the Octagon.
There is precedent for these types of things happening, as well, as a young Jon Jones further cemented his status as a must-see prospect on the come-up with a second-round submission win over Jake O’Brien at UFC 100, and UFC 200 served as a platform for further elevating TUF winners Kelvin Gastelum and Julianna Peña.
Will the same hold true for this weekend’s tricentennial and the competitors profiled here? Time will tell.
UFC 300: Every Champion On UFC 300 | Watch The UFC 300 Promo | Justin Gaethje Loves The Unknowns Of Fighting | Max Holloway Just Wants To Build His Legacy | The History Of Chinese Fighters in The UFC | BMF Title Lineage
Bo Nickal
There was a ton of hype surrounding the former Penn State wrestling standout Nickal when he embarked on his first year as a member of the UFC roster in 2023, and the three-time National champion did not disappoint.
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Debuting at UFC 285 in March, Nickal cruised through Jamie Pickett, securing a first-round submission win by arm-triangle choke that showed both his overall upside and of the room he had to grow at the same time. Four months later at UFC 290, he stepped in with late replacement Val Woodburn, offering a glimpse of the developments he’s made in the striking department by registering a second consecutive first-round finish to move to 5-0 as a professional.
This weekend, Nickal finally makes his return to competition, facing off with Cody Brundage in the UFC 300 main card opener.
MORE UFC 300: Weili's Top Finishes | Gaethje's Top Finishes
What makes the unbeaten 28-year-old prospect so fascinating to watch and track at the moment is that his ceiling remains undetermined and the foundational elements in place paint a picture of an athlete that could blossom into a championships contender in the not too distant future.
Nickal’s wrestling is outstanding, but from the outset of his career, he’s shown an ability to fuse it with strong MMA grappling that makes him more of a finishing threat, which then heightens the danger he presents when he looks to close the distance and initiate grappling entanglements. But Nickal has also shown that he’s got hands too, and while his striking certainly isn’t at the level of his grappling at this stage, we’ve seen enough to recognize that it has to be respected and he cannot be viewed as a one-dimensional fighter.
Couple that with his championship pedigree from the collegiate wrestling ranks, the fact that he’s surrounded himself with an excellent team, and the unwavering confidence that he has in himself, and you have a fighter that could do big things inside the Octagon.
Saturday’s matchup with Brundage is another step forward for the relative newcomer; a pairing with a far more experienced fighter that has flashed some upside of his own while putting together a 4-4 record under the UFC banner. Last time out, Brundage slammed his way to victory against Zachary Reese in Austin, advancing to 10-5 for his career in the process.
UFC 300 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Pereira vs Hill | Zhang vs Yan | Gaethje vs Holloway
Should Nickal pass this next test at UFC 300, there will be calls for a greater step up in competition next time out, and should he continue showing out on Saturday, such calls would certainly be warranted.
Middleweight is in a bit of a transition period and Nickal is someone that could make an expedited run into the rankings, and maybe even position himself in the Top 15 before the year is out if things continue going the way they have thus far.
Kayla Harrison
A two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL tournament winner, Harrison is one of the most intriguing new arrivals to touch down in the UFC in a number of years.
The 33-year-old judo standout spent the last six years amassing an outstanding 16-1 record, collecting victories over familiar names like Larissa Pacheco, Cindy Dandois, Kaitlin Young, and Aspen Ladd, utilizing her tremendous strength and overall physicality to — more often than not — get opponents to the canvas and maul them. She has been a force of nature and burgeoning star outside of the UFC walls, and this weekend, she makes her first appearance inside of them, stepping in against former bantamweight champion Holly Holm in the kind of immediate test that could elevate Harrison into title contention if she should emerge victorious.
Preview Every Fight On This Historic Card
There are a number of pieces to this fight that elevate the excitement and anticipation surrounding it, including the fact that Harrison has never competed in the 135-pound weight class; the majority of her bouts took place at 155 pounds. Couple that curiosity about how she’ll look on the scale on Friday with the fact that this is a classic “striker vs. grappler” pairing against a Hall of Fame boxer and proven elite talent, and you have the makings of a can’t-miss matchup on Saturday’s prelims.
Hitting the mark for this fight is a significant hurdle for Harrison to clear, but given how long she’s been competing at a world-class level and the resources and team she’s surrounded herself with, it would be surprising if she didn’t look impressive while making the bantamweight limit on Friday morning.
Kayla Harrison Talks Holly Holm, Amanda Nunes, Championship Aspirations | UFC 300
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Kayla Harrison Talks Holly Holm, Amanda Nunes, Championship Aspirations | UFC 300
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And in the Octagon, it’s a matter of how she’ll adjust to facing someone with the movement, speed, and diverse striking arsenal that Holm brings to the table, which can only be answered once they’re in there.
WATCH: Catching Up With Kayla Harrison | UFC 300
A win over Holm still rightfully carries a great deal of weight, so if Harrison can turn in a dominant effort in her debut this weekend, a move right into the championship mix is certainly not out of the question.
Diego Lopes
Lopes was the feel-good, breakout fighter of 2023 in the UFC, coming off the bench on short notice to give unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev all he could handle at UFC 288 in May before posting first-round stoppage wins over Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini to close out his rookie season on the UFC roster.
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At UFC 300, the Brazilian featherweight faces off with Sodiq Yusuff, a tenured member of the Top 15 and serious challenge for the surging fan favorite.
What made Lopes’ effort against Evloev such a standout effort despite the loss and carried through into his tandem wins is that there is absolutely no point in the fight where he’s not attacking.
From the outset against the undefeated Russian, Lopes was looking for ways to generate offense and force Evloev to deal with the attacks being thrown at him, whether standing or on the ground. There was no point where he was stuck on his back, static with his guard; instead, he was shifting his hips and looking for setups and openings, limiting the offense that was coming back his way.
The fact that he ran through Tucker and Sabatini in roughly the same amount of time — 98 seconds and 90 seconds, respectively — while finishing the former with a flying triangle into an armbar and the latter with strikes coming out of a sequence where he stuffed a takedown then tossed Sabatini to the canvas, only further accentuate the point.
Yusuff is an ultra-technical kickboxer that has gone 6-2 in the UFC and 13-3 overall, including wins over Andre Fili and Alex Caceres. He’s polished, defensively sound, and likely champing at the bit to get back to work after a frustrating loss to Edson Barboza last time out, upping the anticipation surrounding this one.
Lopes’ star is on the rise right now, and beating a ranked opponent to register a third consecutive win is the kind of thing that would not only elevate him into the Top 15, but also position him for a marquee assignment next time out.
UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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