UFC 300 draws praise for lineup, results

UFC 300 had a sellout crowd of 20,067 and the promotion and had its third-highest gate at $16.5MGetty Images

UFC 300 on Saturday was the “single greatest night of professional fighting” with a lineup that featured 13 current or former champions. The event was “better than good,” it “was special.” Max Holloway fought Justin Gaethje for the BMF title and "landed that clean right hand" that had Gaethje “slumped to the floor.” The crowd roar “nearly tore a hole in the roof of the building.” It was “one of the greatest, most dramatic finishes ever seen in an MMA fight.” The UFC set out to make a “centennial event that would outpace the two previous ones.” While it "didn't produce any blockbuster names for the main event, it was able to rely on the depth of the roster to provide the magic in the aggregate” (YAHOO SPORTS, 4/14). UFC 300 had a sellout crowd of 20,067 and the promotion -- which had its third-highest gate at $16.5M -- awarded Holloway a $600,000 bonus for his performance. As would be expected from a milestone card number, this was a “strong lineup” that included 11 fighters who have "headlined UFC pay-per-view events" (AP, 4/14).

UFC 300 also saw the "much-anticipated announcement" about the return of Conor McGregor. McGregor’s return to competition for the "first time in nearly three years" will be contested at 170 pounds during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. UFC President Dana White had said as recently as Friday night that there was “nothing to announce about McGregor’s rumored return to the cage,” dismissing the rumors as “pure internet speculation” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/13).