UFC 300 News: Dana White Explains How Main Event Surprisingly Came Together

UFC CEO Dana White broke down what went into crafting the UFC 300 main event.
UFC 300 News: Dana White Explains How Main Event Surprisingly Came Together
UFC 300 News: Dana White Explains How Main Event Surprisingly Came Together /

Right after the UFC 298 pay-per-view conclusion, UFC CEO Dana White finally unveiled the UFC 300 main event, which will see Alex Pereira take on Jamahal Hill for Pereira's UFC light heavyweight title.

White, who has overseen the UFC and the growth of mainstream MMA since 2001, said putting together the best possible main event was a long process.

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"Yeah, listen, we were out there talking to lots of people, trying to make lots of fights," White said during his post-fight scrum. "In this business, it's about taking opportunities [by] headlining UFC 300 with all the buzz and all the energy around it."

White clarified whether or not UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who successfully defended his title at UFC 296 in December, could compete.

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"Let me say this – Leon Edwards has had like three opponents throughout this thing," White said. "He doesn't say no to anybody. This kid is an absolute stud."

White said monetary negotiations were not a factor in determining which two fighters would headline the card but did say it came down to who was available and when they were available. 

"You got three killer cards in a row [UFC 298, UFC 299, UFC 300]," White said. "In this business, you have injuries and and all kinds of other bulls*** that goes on behind the scenes. We've been talking about [UFC] 300 forever and we were just trying to make the best fights that we could possibly make. We had two more fights to make, and we're trying to put on two badass fights."

UFC 300 is finally coming together; the event is less than two months away, and the anticipation continues.

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Zain Bando
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