Combat Sports Today: UFC 300 is in the History Books, A Personal MMA Journey

UFC 300 was one for the ages.

Zain Bando | Apr 15, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira celebrates after defeating Jamahal Hill (not / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UFC 300 was one for the history books. No, seriously. I genuinely feel bad for you if you missed it, especially if you’re an MMA fan. If not, thank you for reading anyway.

I haven’t had a chance to fully express my love for the sport during my time at MMAKO, but I guess I will do that now.

Zain Bando's Journey with MMA

I began watching and embracing combat sports at age 6. That’s right. Basic addition and subtraction, along with pronouncing names like Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, and Frankie Edgar, came naturally to me while the rest of my friends were figuring out how to spell Massachusetts.

In any event, my jams were Spike TV, TUF, the Countdown show, and All Access. I was obsessed with combat sports. It was the only thing I watched on TV until around age 10, when I became enthralled with other major sports, like my Chicago-area teams.

Over the past 18 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to witness the magic of several UFC events. From the intense Aldo-Holloway 2 to the thrilling Cejudo-Moraes and the historic Silva-Coté and Whittaker-Romero fights at UFC 225, each event has left an indelible mark on my memory.

But it was the Conor McGregor fights that truly took my breath away. Even through my television screen, I could feel the electric energy of the arena as Poirier finished McGregor in Las Vegas three years ago. It was a feeling that was mirrored when Max Holloway, seemingly up four rounds, knocked out Justin Gaethje with a single second left in the fight.

Whether it was shocking, sad, or happy, something was felt in the arena that could only be described as pure bliss. It was something out of a movie. Something that only scripted writers could dream of, and yet, it happened. Is it the greatest of all time? That’s up for debate. But what is a fact is that I always remember where I was when I saw it, just like I remember all the other moments mentioned above. Last Saturday was a night that MMA fans will never forget, long after many of us leave the planet.

It was a special night that will go down in history. People will remember the date, the year, and where it was, and most of all, it served as a reminder that MMA, loved or hated, made its case for being the greatest sport on the planet.

Period.

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Published Apr 15, 2024

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99