UFC president Dana White. Photo: Photosport
Opinion
The biggest UFC event of the decade is proving to be a major let down for fans.
Bouts that would barely move the needle on a fight night card are being given main even spots at what should be one of the most exciting cards in the company's history.
Fight fans have long been in overdrive speculating about the potential bouts for the event.
Jones vs Aspinall? Khamzat vs Colby? McGregor vs Chandler?
Would Brock Lesnar make a return?
Maybe even Ronda Rousey?
An Israel Adesanya/Alex Pereira trilogy?
Grasso vs Shevchenko 3?
Gaetje vs Holloway?
If there was ever a card for a gimmick such as the BMF belt, this is it!
Speaking of, what about Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg?
Based on UFC 100 and 200, fans had every reason to be optimistic.
Kiwi Mark Hunt took on Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 in one of several high profile fights. Photo: markhunt.tv
Alas, the powers that be have put up Welli Zhang vs Yan Xiaonan and Bo Nickal vs Cody Brundage for the historic occasion.
UFC 300, taking place in the world's fight capital of Las Vegas, should be something unique, something fans talk about until UFC 400.
Pay-per-view numbers should easily exceed one million, and dream fights should become reality.
However, interest is much greater in its predecessor, UFC 299, featuring bonafide pay-per-view draws in Sean O'Malley, Dustin Porier, Kevin Holland, Gilbert Burns, Petr Yan, Michel Pereira, Jack Della Maddalena and the debuting of Michael Venom Page.
Bantamweight champion O'Malley will take on Marlon Vera, the only man to defeat him in his career so far, though the 135 king has always refused to accept the loss due to an injury he suffered in the cage.
At UFC 297, Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis meet for the middleweight title, the culmination of a feud which reached boiling point late last year when the two engaged in a cageside brawl.
UFC 298 will see what many regard as the biggest threat to Alexander Volkanovski's dominant featherweight reign, as he headlines with Georgia's Illia Topuria.
These fights have consequence, storylines and fan investment, something sorely lacking from the 300 lineup.
However, Dana White has spared no effort in hyping up the event.
Keeping his followers waiting hours for a delayed announcement only to infuriate viewers with the news of Zhang vs Xiaonan on Wednesday.
This garnered vitriol from fans who had stayed up until the early hours awaiting a blockbuster announcement.
Calls to boycott the event were soon trending on social media.
The milestone of UFC 300 provides an opportunity to turn casual viewers into diehards while also pulling in a new audience as the promotion surrounding it forces them to tune in.
There are still plenty of slots to fill which may save the card, but with so many stars injured or already fighting elsewhere, it will take some serious creativity from the UFC brass to attract eyeballs.
Sean Strickland will defend his middleweight title in a grudge match with South Africa's Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. Photo: Photosport
