UFC 300 Takeaways
Main Card
Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill
Two takeaways that come from this fight. Firstly about the challenger and the rest of this division, it's weak, no one in 205 has the technical striking ability or the power to stand with Alex and other than Ankalaev who will most likely get the next shot at gold, no ones grappling really scares me for Alex either. His power is genuinely otherworldly and whenever he connects with that left the lights go out. Onto my second take away, put Alex at Heavyweight ASAP. Ignoring how cool a triple champ would be, the matchups at Heavyweight are insane and he isn't too small. He was in the cage at 232 pounds at 300, Stipe fought Ngannou weighing 234. A dream match between Alex and Tom Aspinall, or even between Alex and the Goat Jon Jones would really be something to watch. Those specific matchups may be too much for him, but they would be a sure fire banger to watch.
Zhang Weili vs Yan Xianan
Xionan really impressed me, her striking was crisp and her power was there. Weili is simply so complete. She knew the standup wasn't going well for her and she absolutely dominated on the ground. I would love to see Weili move up but she seems content wiping the Strawweight division.
Max Holloway vs Justin Gaethje
After letting that KO simmer in my mind, I have decided it is the third greatest KO of all time for me. Falling behind only Leon's head kick on Usman, and Conors 13 second Ko on Aldo. I would say both Men are absolute BMF’s as my takeaway but that was already a given. What I want is a real Featherweight run by Holloway. He was bigger, he was stronger, and he didn't lose a bit of speed or stamina. That version of Max gives everyone, including Islam, problems and I would love to see how far he can go. Though it is much more likely he goes down to fight Ilia in what will be the greatest display of boxing ever in a UFC octagon. As for Geathje, I really hope this isn't the end. It is common knowledge Gaethje wants one final run at the title but this devastating KO may have altered plans for Gaethje. I would love for him to have one more opportunity at truly being a contender.
Charles Oliveira vs Arman Tsarukyan
Arman is the real deal and he has improved tremendously since his first fight with Islam. I was a little surprised by the split decision result. I thought Arman had done enough to win a clear 29-28 UD and would argue a 30-27 for Arman is more accurate than the 29-28 for Oliveira one judge gave, but that's another discussion. Arman deserves to wait and fight Islam towards the end of the year, he has proven that he is the strongest competitor in the division and should be treated as such. The era of Oliveira is coming to an end, Similar to Justin, Oliveira deserves at least one more run at gold.
Bo Nickal vs Cody Brundage
Ok, its time, give Nickal a real fight. Brundage may not seem like a big test, but he has a legit wrestling background and Nickal had to prove that his traditional wrestling could translate to MMA. I would love to see Nickal get a ranked opponent next, but I could also see the UFC giving him a little bit more time, considering he is in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC.
Prelims
Jiri Prohaska vs Alexander Rakic
Despite jiri winning this fight with a beautiful KO, he didn't look good. Whether it is an IQ problem or an ego problem, Jiri simply refuses to check low kicks. Maybe he is inable to check low kicks, i don't know, but he needs to fix it. A rematch with Alex will end the same exact way if he cant figure out how to check kicks. Ignoring that his hands are never in proper defensive position, his offense was actually quite worrisome to me as well. No combinations, all straight and slow punches with the occasional knee attempt and weak leg kicks. It seemed the whole fight he was looking for one hard elbow. Yet, with all that being said, the dude is simply a killer and genuinely has the samurai spirit. I think he has a lot of holes to fill if he wants to reclaim gold.
Aljamain Sterling vs Calvin Kattar
It seems the general public's main takeaway is that Sterling is boring, despite him hitting a batista bomb. MY takeaway is simple, as of right now I dont think Aljamain beats the top 3 at Featherweight (Volk Max and Ilia) but I do think that Aljamain vs Ortega would be one of the best displays of grappling the UFC has ever seen, and I want that fight very badly.
Holly Holm vs Kayla Harrison
I don't want to take anything away from Kayla as she looked utterly phenomenal, but I do think it needs to be mentioned that this Holly Holm is not the Holly Holm that ended Ronda Rousey. With that being said, holy shit, Kayla Harrison is legit. Jumping up to 4 in the Women's Bantamweight ranking, and rightfully so, Kayla’s next fight will likely be a title eliminator against Ketlen Vieira. We need to see Kayla fighting someone in their prime and not 10 years older than her before she can get the title shot.
Sodiq Yusuff vs Diego Lopes
The fight was too short to have too many takeaways. Lopes second run in the UFC has been nothing short of magical. There are so many fights Lopes could take in the Featherweight division. Of course he wants the Mosvar Evloev rematch, and I for one think he will take it when they eventually do meet again, but I don't think that is next for Diego. The middle of the Featherweight division is wide open for Lopes, he could go for a guy like Bryce Mitchel or guys like Edson Barboza and Giga Chidakze. There are endless possibilities for Diego and he is genuinely good enough to make a move at that top 5.
Jalin Turner vs Renato Moicano
Three takeaways for this fight. First and foremost, Jalin Turner, you are an idiot. He had the fight won, Moicano was down and almost out, all Turner had to do was follow up with one maybe two punches. That decision lost him the fight and it lost him the chance at 300k. Second, Turner could be a legit contender if he had any sort of grappling game. Turner has some great standup, especially in tandem with his size for 155. It simply won't matter how good his striking is, when he is a toddler the second the fight hits the ground. He needs to work on his ground game desperately. Finally, and positively, Moicano is a damn star.
Jessica Andrade vs Marina Rodriguez
This fight was a legit banger. Rodriguez had a clear gameplan of fighting at range and keeping the fight standing. The plan looked good at moments but Andrade is such a powerful striker that despite landing less, her shots were the more damaging shots. On the ground Andrade was in control, which shouldn't surprise anyone. Sadly for Andrade, Tatiana Suarez is a lock to challenge Weili next, especially considering she beat Andrade in her last fight. Aside from Weili and Tatiana, this division could go in a lot of directions. If I were in charge I would have Andrade fight Virna Jandiroba for a title eliminator. Both women are coming off of wins against Marina Rodriguez and are definitely in line for Weili. Rodriguez should likely fight down in the rankings considering she is 1-3 in her last 4, but a rematch against Yan Xionan could also be interesting, and Yan will surely want that loss back.
Bobby Green vs Jim Miller
Jim Fucking Miller is a dog. How he stayed in that fight is beyond me. Bobby and Jim painted the canvas red in this fight. Bobby was incredibly impressive, just in a flow state the whole time. Miller had no answer on the feet and seemingly no intention to take it to the ground. There aren't many names above him in the rankings that would make sense for him, so maybe Bobby will be the one to introduce Paddy Pimblet to ranked fights. Paddy’s ground game could cause Bobby problems, but Bobby's slick boxing could also make Paddy very uncomfortable.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Cody Garbrandt
Figgy should have been fighting at Bantamweight for the majority of his career. The weight cut he aws making for Flyweight was legitimately dangerous. Now at 135, he has the speed and power from 125, without sacrificing his well being and cardio. Skill wise, Figgy is so complete its almost scary, grappling and striking is genuinely top top tier. Kinda reminds me of another 135 pounder who also is a former champ, who also is unbelievably well rounded, who also lost his title in controversial fashion. If it wasn't obvious, I'm talking about Petr Yan. This fight would be legendary especially if it was during their primes when they both held gold. Still, I think it would be a great fight now. Both incredibly balanced fighters with virtually no holes.
Predictions: 11/13