Open Thread: What fight should be the UFC 300 main event?

UFC has put a lot of emphasis on their 00 cards. 100 was a huge blockbuster and UFC 200 started out to be one as well until things started unraveling. For a little perspective, this was the last event under Fertitta ownership and it was also the first UFC event hosted at the T Mobile Arena which has now become their PPV home of choice.

UFC 100 was the OG certified banger. It was a magical event that was stacked from top to bottom. The headliner was vs. Frank Mir and Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves was the co main event. Dan Henderson would get one of the most famous knockouts in the sport, forcing Michael Bisping into the unfortunate spot of becoming an instant meme.

Mark Coleman would log his last win inside the UFC against the late Stephan Bonnar. UFC 100 did Iron Man numbers too. At 1.6M PPV buys, it set the standard by which all other cards are judged. That number has been matched once and eclipsed only three times. All three times were with in the headlining spot and the single event that matched UFC 100 evenly also featured the Irishman in the main event.

UFC 200 was not the same animal and ended up being a shell of what it was intended to be. Much like 100, this card happened during International Fight Week and marked the second time the promotion hosted three events in a one week span. Initially, it was booked to be a mega card, but a series of unfortunate events turned it into something else.

With Conor McGregor booked to face in the rematch and vs. Daniel Cormier for title unification was set as the co main event. However, both those fights would end up in the scrap pile. McGregor and company brass would end up at odds over pay and Conor’s ‘retirement’ that lasted two days and his refusal to attend a press conference.

The company announced Jones vs. Cormier II as the new main event, but Jon Jones would be the root cause of that falling though. Just three days before the event, Jones would test positive for a banned substance and was pulled from the event. would step in to face Cormier and Amanda Nunes’ fight with Miesha Tate would be billed as the main event.

It would go on to draw a little over 1M PPV buys but is widely considered to be a dud considering the magnitude of the event. Jose Aldo would beat up Frankie Edgar in a unanimous decision and Cain Velasquez would log his last victory, a knockout of Travis Browne. Brock Lesnar would defeat Mark Hunt and Sage Northcutt was also on the card and won his fight against Enrique Marin.

All in all a solid show, but nowhere near what it could have been. That brings us to UFC 300. A few fights have been announced already, but the main event spot is still wide open and from the looks of things, Conor McGregor will not be featured, despite his loquacious rants on any microphone within speaking range.

After going on one of these diatribes recently in Riyadh at the Joshua Wallin event just before Christmas, he then announced on New Year’s Even that he’d be fighting Michael Chandler at International Fight Week and the bout would be at 185lbs. So, here we are in our current position of an empty main spot.

Who is capable of headlining a 00 event? Jon Jones is rehabbing his injury post op. McGregor has announced his slot at IFW. Leon Edwards couldn’t carry this card with the help of the gods. is a name with potential. is also right there, and while he indicated he’d be taking a long pause, money talks, and for the right amount of zeros, perhaps there’s a glimmer of hope in booking fights for them.

You wouldn’t even have to book them against each other. Just find them fights and set them in main and co main spots. Without Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, the headliner will likely not reach maximum earning potential. And before you say Sean O’Malley, and then get back to me. We’re pinning this post to our front page all day to give our community a chance to have their say.

So jump in the comments and tell us who you think should headline UFC 300. But if you want to discuss anything else, that’s cool, too. You’ve got an open forum here, so use it. Bloody Elbow is pleased to announce our partnership with Revgear. They have been a pioneer in the gear industry and have grown into a formidable brand and true leader in the market.

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