UFC 300: Who’s fighting and when is it?

The UFC is the worldwide leader of mixed martial arts promotions, and they’re synonymous with putting on record-shattering events with big-time fights. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they went all out to celebrate UFC 300 — a flagpole card — just like they did with UFC 200 and 100.

UFC 300 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, April 13. At the time of this writing, 13 matches featuring champions, fan favorites, beloved veterans, and highly touted prospects are scheduled. And the hype is real.

“There was obviously a level of expectation for this card,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a promo trailer for the event. “How do we make this card not only different, but better than 100 and 200? And the answer to that is: the greatest card ever assembled in the history of combat sports. Not in the history of the UFC, in the history of combat sports — there has never been a card that was better than this top to bottom.”

Out of the 26 combatants competing at UFC 300, 12 are current or former champions and seven are in the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings. More than half of the fighters are sitting in the top 15 of their respective divisions — yeah, it doesn’t get much better than this.

So, who is fighting, and what time do the fights air on Apri 13? Let’s take a look.

Main Card

Here’s who will be on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 300 — the first names on the list will open the main card and the last names will serve as the event’s headlining act.

• Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage — Middleweight
• Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan — Lightweight
• Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway — “BMF” championship and lightweight
• Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan — Women’s strawweight championship
• Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill — Light heavyweight championship

The main card will begin on ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT.

The main event features Pereira’s first title defense as the 205-pound kingpin. He’s drawn Hill, the man that held the light heavyweight title prior to “Poatan.” He vacated it after rupturing his Achilles tendon last year, and Pereira snagged it by knocking out Jiri Prochazka in November. The co-main event features the first-ever China vs. China UFC title fight. Fresh off the first title defense of her second run as the 115-pound queen, Zhang will duel the division’s next contender, Yan, who is bolstered by a two-fight win streak.

The main card’s featured bout is the third “Baddest Motherf*****” ceremonial title fight. Gaethje became the UFC’s “BMF” by knocking out Dustin Poirier, and he’ll look to defend the belt against former UFC featherweight champion Holloway, who is jumping back up to 155 pounds.

Former UFC lightweight champion Oliveira is on the hunt to win back his old belt. And to do so, he’ll need to halt the momentum of the surging Tsarukyan. And to start things off on PPV, Nickal will clock in as the promotion’s hottest prospect, and he’ll put his undefeated 5-0 record on the line against seven-fight UFC veteran Brundage.

Preliminary Card

Before the main card drops on PPV, the outrageously stacked preliminary card will air on ESPN proper and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT. Here’s who’s on it, starting with the opening clash.

• Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes — Featherweight
• Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison — Women’s bantamweight
• Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling — Featherweight
• Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic — Light heavyweight

Here’s some info about each contest.

Yusuff vs. Lopez is a fun 145-pound fight featuring two dynamic finishers. But, what comes after is one of the highest-stake matches of the night between former women’s bantamweight champion Holm and two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka and ex-Professional Fighters League queen Harrison. For years, fans have waited for Harrison to make her UFC debut, and she’ll do it against “The Preacher’s Daughter,” one of the UFC’s biggest stars. Don’t be surprised to see the winner earn a title shot for her next outing.

Then, we’ve got Sterling, whom some regard as the greatest 135-pound fighter in UFC history, moving up to 145 pounds to begin a campaign toward winning his second divisional title. But first, he needs to get past a longtime top-10 athlete in Kattar.

The preliminary card will wrap with Prochazka making his return after losing to Pereira. He’ll welcome back Rakic, a well-respect title threat who has been on the shelf since injuring his knee in 2022. Unless the organization decides to go with Magomed Ankalaev, whoever wins between Prochazka and Rakic will likely receive a crack at UFC 300’s main event victor.

Early Preliminary Card

UFC 300 will begin with the early preliminary card, and that’ll start broadcasting from the T-Mobile Arena at 6 p.m. EDT/3 p.m. PDT. Sticking with the blockbuster event’s theme, the early preliminary card is brimming with big names and former champions. Here’s who’s fighting, beginning with the duo jerking the curtain.

• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt — Bantamweight
• Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller — Lightweight
• Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez — Women’s strawweight
• Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano — Lightweight

The UFC’s pulled no punches with this card — they’re starting it with a banger between two former champions. Figueiredo’s days as a 125-pound combatant are seemingly behind him as he’s made a move north of the division he ruled. And he’ll attempt to earn a second win at bantamweight by disrupting Garbrandt’s redemption story and two-fight win streak.

After that is a battle between two beloved lightweights, Green and Miller, and it’s a match the MMA community rallied between. Green is on a mission to get back into the win column while Miller has his eyes set on becoming a ranked name. An anecdote to this fight is that Miller, who holds the record for most Octagon appearances, competed at both UFC 200 and 100 (he won both contests). He’s the only fighter to show up for all three events.

Ex-women’s strawweight ruler Andrade and No. 6-ranked Rodriguez plan to continue their momentum in the 115-pound division and hopefully earn a top-contender affair soon. But, considering they both recently ended losing streaks, getting their hand raised at UFC 300 is paramount for their championship dreams.

And to usher in the preliminary card, Turner and Moicano will represent the talent-stacked lightweight rankings. And with Turner at No. 10 and Moicano at 13, the man who leaves the black cage triumphant will look forward to another match that’ll edge them closer to contender status.

There you have it — UFC 300 is no joke. Although there isn’t a superstar like Conor McGregor or Jon Jones at the top of the bill, the card is an absolute dream for MMA fans worldwide. And luckily, it’ll be live this Saturday night.