SUMMARY
- Conor McGregor had previously declared his return date to the octagon to be in June 29.
- Previously, Michael Bisping said that Brock Lesnar might fight Tom Aspinall at UFC 300.
UFC 300 is just a month away from fruition, and the hype surrounding the marquee event keeps increasing day by day. With the blockbuster fight still without a headliner event to give the main card the X-factor that it desperately needs, fans have been scraping at whatever rumors float around in media circles.
What adds fuel to the fire is that the UFC has been extremely secretive about their main event for the mega card. Dana White has not yet revealed who the two fighters headlining the event will be. A majority of UFC fans, though, would want something groundbreaking to headline the event on April 13.
‘The Notorious‘ had previously declared his return date to the octagon to be in June. But he has since dropped some major hints at a possible return to the mat against Michael Chandler at UFC 300. On January 27, 2024, McGregor tweeted, “McGregor on 300 seals the deal.”
I accept 🤝 See you soon @TheNotoriousMMA #ufc300 https://t.co/KX6JOv0qG1
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) January 27, 2024
This tweet was met with Chandler’s response, saying, “I accept 🤝 See you soon @TheNotoriousMMA #ufc300”. Ever since then, fans have started talking about a possible McGregor vs. Chandler matchup at UFC 300. But it doesn’t seem so now. Some other matchups seem to have toppled the McGregor return rumors.
Brock Lesnar’s mega return at UFC 300?
The hype around the announcement of the headliner event is unthinkable. And in such circumstances, rumors surrounding Brock Lesnar, one of the greatest fighters ever to enter the octagon, have retaken center stage.
After being a part of UFC 100 and UFC 200, The Beast Incarnate coming back to fight in the UFC at 300 was never too far off. At least not according to former UFC champion Michael Bisping, who in January 2024 declared that the UFC might bring back Brock Lesnar. And about his opponent? Well, Bisping had only one name in mind. Tom Aspinall is currently waiting patiently for a shot at the heavyweight title.
But that seems to be a bit further down the line, with Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic lined up first. The winner is most likely going up against Aspinall to sort out the heavyweight division. But until then, there could be a huge possibility of Tom Aspinall finally getting his dream fight against Lesnar. That too at the marquee UFC 300 event.
Adding spice to the rumors, Chael Sonnen, a UFC legend in himself, has given fans something to rave about even more. Sonnen recently took to X and tweeted, “Spoke to Brock..” While this tweet could have many connotations attached to it, it was quite clear what the cryptic message could have been hinting at. A rumored fight with Brock isn’t the only rumored fight that features Tom, though.
Alex Pereira moves up a weight class for a clash against Tom Aspinall.
The rumors of this fight turning into a reality at UFC 300 have been around for quite some time now. On December 21, to be precise, Alex Pereira posted a cryptic Instagram story that read, “30+300=3.” This cryptic message by the newly crowned Light Heavyweight Champion of the UFC made fans speculate about the Brazilian fighter’s next move.
I think I deciphered Poatan’s message you guys:
He’s gonna put on 30 more pounds for UFC 300 to become triple champ in the UFC pic.twitter.com/OBQQ1bl8lC
— Emiel Sardarean (@Standemup) December 21, 2023
Some fans concluded that Pereira seems to have decided to move up a weight class by gaining 30 lbs to fight at UFC 300 to become a 3-division champ. And the first hurdle on the way to doing so would be none other than Tom Aspinall. Furthermore, speculations about the two having a throwdown rose even more after two days when Tom posted an Instagram story of a photo with Pereira.
A few hours later, Aspinall responded to a fan asking him to fight against Alex Pereira by saying “Great Idea” on X. This further fuelled the already huge rumors. And fans had already started to pass their judgments on how the fight could go if and when it happened.
Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira 3 at UFC 300?
‘The Last Stylebender‘ Israel Adesanya might have a 4-3-0 record in his last seven fights in the UFC. But to this day, he remains one of the most sellable assets to the UFC when it comes to headlining main events in recent times. His rivalry against the ‘Poatan’ seems to have that bite that not many rivalries in the combat sport have.
Fans would flock around like birds if Adesanya was put opposite Pereira in the main event of UFC 300. It would be hard to pinpoint the weight at which the clash might happen if it does. Because, on the one hand, there is a very unstable middleweight division. And on the other side is the lightweight division, which just saw a new champion claim the championship belt.
Whatever the weight class may be, an Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 3 would certainly provide UFC 300 with the ammunition it needs to make the event extraordinary. But the fight rumors for ‘The Last Stylebender’ do not end here with his old foe Alex Pereira.
Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya main event at UFC 300
The first UFC PPV event of the year saw Dricus ‘Stillknocks’ du Plessis headline the main event for the UFC Middleweight Championship against Sean Strickland. Du Plessis won the fight via split decision to become the Middleweight Champion of the UFC. During his octagon interview after winning the belt, Du Plessis was asked what’s next for him.
Michael Chiesa says Dricus Du Plessis’ management is trying to get DDP vs Izzy done at #UFC300 👀
“I have the same agent as Dricus Du Plessis and I think that they’re trying to make [Du Plessis vs Adesanya] happen. [Dricus] does have a compromised leg, maybe working on a new… pic.twitter.com/GXkP3n22Xt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 3, 2024
And he gave a pretty clear indication about what he thinks is next for him, and that is Israel Adesanya. Both du Plessis and Adesanya have African roots. And while many times the MMA community has ridiculed Izzy for not being 100% truthful about his African roots, Dricus’ storyline is a bit different.
He is loved by the country of South Africa, and many people have started calling him the real ‘African champ.’ If this battle does come to fruition, it sure will be exciting and filled with bad blood. On top of that, Adesanya’s Instagram story with the poster of the movie ‘300’ with the caption “The gods must be crazy.” has added more interest for fans in this storyline.
According to UFC fighter and insider Michael Chiesa, fans might see Du Plessis vs. Adesanya as the main event. He expressed to ESPN how he thinks the UFC is trying to make it happen. Chiesa has suggested that the likelihood of Adesanya facing Dricus is greater than that of Izzy facing Pereira. With Dana White holding on to his cards, it’s hard to predict who will feature in the main event.
