UFC 300: Five Things We Learned
UFC 300 lived up to expectations. The card was sensational from start to finish and featured several moments that will go in UFC history. The event leaves us with plenty to discuss. That begins with the five biggest lessons we learned from the event.
Alex Pereira Has Other Worldly Power
At UFC 302, Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill with a shovel left hook in the first round. It was the first punch that Pereira landed and it closed the show.
I am not breaking news to anyone, but Pereira’s power is absurd. Still, in comparison to previous performances, this knockout was special. It is absolutely ridiculous that he landed a single shot and it ended the fight. On top of that, he didn’t even land the shot clean. Regardless, it was enough to knock Hill out.
In the history of MMA, Pereira is on a short list of the hardest hitters of all time. It is hard to claim anyone as the hardest hitter defensively. The best power punchers in history all finish fights in a single shot. At a minimum, Pereira’s name is in that conversation.
It should also be noted that Pereira has cemented himself as an MMA legend in three years. The resume and highlight reel he has assembled in eight UFC fights is ridiculous.
Zhang Weili Finds A Way
The UFC 300 co-main event was one of the strangest championship fights in UFC history. Amidst all the weirdness, Weili Zhang was able to pick up a decision win over Yan Xiaonan.
The most insane aspect of this fight came at the end of the first round. Zhang nearly submitted with a rear-naked choke Xiaonan in the final moments of the round. The bell saved Xiaonan, but she was unconscious when Zhang released the choke. The fight should have been called off and Zhang should have won the fight with a first-round submission. Instead, Xiaonan got to the stool and recovered.
In the second round, Zhang continued to out-grapple Xiaonan and nearly submitted her again; however, Xiaonan managed to escape. At that point, Zhang’s arms were spent after using her grip strength to finish a pair of chokes. That allowed Xiaonan to get back into the fight and pick up some momentum.
Xiaonan was finding success on the feet in the middle of the fight. That changed when Zhang landed a takedown in round four and began landing ground and pound. That trend continued in round five.
This was not Zhang’s best performance. In fact, it is likely far from it. The champion landed less than usual, she was hit clean, she was hurt on several occasions, and she nearly gassed out. That said, a lot of things went wrong and she managed to find a victory. That is always a positive. Plus, this is a completely different conversation if she was awarded the submission at the end of round one.
Max Holloway Does Not Have Pillow Fists
For years, many claimed that Max Holloway had pillow fists and did not believe he held much power. That narrative was even more extreme when he moved up to lightweight. At UFC 300, Holloway proved that he has power in his hands.
The highlight of Holloway’s night was the final five seconds of his fight against Justin Gaethje. In signature fashion, Holloway pointed to the center of the octagon and offered to throw down. In the chaotic exchange, he landed a right hand that put Gaethje out cold.
Holloway’s legendary knockout is understandably overshading a sensational performance. Holloway hurt Gaethje on multiple occasions. The power was evident throughout the fight. It was not like Holloway also landed powerful shots in the last ten seconds.
In Holloway’s last two fights, he landed walk-off knockouts against Gaethje and Chan Sung Jung. If you go back a fight further, he dropped Arnold Allen. The power has been evident for a while. It just cannot be debated.
Arman Tsarukyan Will Not Tap
One of the most compelling fights on UFC 300 was the lightweight matchup between Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira. In a close fight, Tsarukyan got his hand raised while showing he would never tap to a submission.
The game plan was clear for Tsarukyan. The goal was to land takedowns and damage Oliveira from top position. That is great until the first takedown results in a prolific submission specialist being in deep on a guillotine choke. Oliveira had a tight guillotine and was looking to finish the fight. Tsarukyan was in a terrible position and there was a chance that he was going to sleep. In that position, he didn’t even think about tapping. Furthermore, Oliveira used the choke to get to mount and Tsarukyan was eventually able to land a sweep.
Tsarukyan deserved a lot of credit for defending that choke and coming back to win the fight. Despite the guillotine threat, he did not stop wrestling and continued to land takedowns. Once he landed those takedowns, he did damage with ground and pound.
Tsarukyan deserved credit for his toughness and it got him a win at UFC 300.
Jiri Prochazka Is Still Insane
The UFC 300 featured prelim between Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic was a wild fight. Fortunately for Prochazka, that is where he thrives. Prochazka showed fans that he is still an insane person (in a good way) in his comeback victory.
Rakic was doing a lot of sensational work against Prochazka. It began with landing a ton of leg kicks and really hurting Prochazka’s down low. That eventually turned into Rakic landing some massive shots on the feet. All that did was create a war and that allowed Prochazka to get aggressive and land big shots.
It should be noted that Rakic landed a step-in elbow that should have put Prochazka out cold. Instead, Prochzka ate it and was fine seconds later. That is just another testament to how strong his chin is.
This fight is a prime example of why Prohzka is a unique fighter. It put his flaws on full display and showed that Prochzka is an insane person with a ridiculous mindset.
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