UFC 300: Dana White Desperately Called Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev to Save Main Event; MMA Insider Reveals

Published 02/20/2024, 9:46 PM HKT

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The main event for the UFC 300 is sorted. Dana White, during the UFC 298, announced that Alex Pereira would have to defend his light heavyweight title against the former champion Jamahal Hill. This matchup was expected but not as the UFC 300 main event. The MMA community was somewhat disappointed by the announcement; however, what’s done is done. But was it always the first choice for the main event?

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The MMA community’s gigantic ͏expectations were shattered when Dana Whi͏te announced the UFC ͏300 main ͏event. Despite numerous viable options, White’s choice for the main ͏event didn’t sit well with the community. Now, ͏an in͏sider ͏has co͏me forward to assert that this fight wasn’t even White͏’s second choice͏.

Did Dana White rush the UFC 300 main event?

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The UFC head honcho had many choices for the main event. Israel Adesanya, Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler and even Nate Diaz were waiting for a call but seems like White was not in the mood to listen to them. The matchup between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill is not bad, but it lacks a certain charm, according to the fans.

Now, UFC insider and renowned MMA journalist, Ariel Helwaani has come forward to state that Dana White had rushed his main event for the grand night. “This wasn’t the top choice; I don’t even know if it was the fifth choice. As I said last Monday, they wanted Leon [Edwards] versus Khamzat [ Chimaev],” said Helwani.

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He further added “They said they offered him three fights: Khamzat, top choice; some talk of Shavkat [Rakhmonov]; some talk of even Islam [Makhachev]. He said yes to all of them, never specifically said the names, but trust me on this one, amazingly Belal [Muhammad] was not one of them. Now, I believe if this is what I believe if they didn’t need a main event, they would have had Belal and Leon as like the second or third title fight”

According to Helwani, Dana White attempted to secure the welterweight giants and the event featuring Islam Makhachev for the main event. However, it seems that there was no response from them. However, it must be noted that White never thought about Belal Muhammad as a possible contender. Let us understand why.

Belal Muhammad’s sad reaction to UFC 300 main event

‘Nine straight wins don’t matter, UFC 300 is all about the glam’ is the mood of the MMA community. As mentioned above, Belal Muhammad was not even in the top 5 matches for the UFC 300 main event. ‘Remember The Name’ has taken to his X(Formerly Twitter) to state that he would be champion one day or another.

Watch This Story: Dana White Opens Up On UFC 300 Status After Powerslap 6 

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“Paid in full, we took the stairs to get here, blood, sweat, and tears, grinded, earned not given, I will be champion,” wrote Muhammad. ‘Remember The Name’ has a career record of 23 wins and 3 losses and there’s hardly anyone in the roster who is more worthy of the title shot than him. However, it appears that White is unwilling to give him what he deserves.

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With UFC 300 also getting away from his hands, when do you think Muhammad would get a chance at the ‘170’ lbs title shot? Tell us about your opinion in the comments below.

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Written by:

Suryakant Das

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Suryakant Das is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His fascination with combat sports was sparked by gleeful moments he shared with his father watching wrestling. An ardent fan of UFC star Charles Oliveira, Surya closely follows the sport and keeps tabs on behind-the-scenes action.
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Edited by:

Gokul Pillai

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