UFC CEO Dana White has been hyping up UFC 300 for months now, promising a card that delivers from the very first fight to the very last.
We still don’t know what the main event will be, and a lot of judgement is being reserved until we find that out. But we can now confirm: the first fight that kicks off the event is pretty insane, as promised.
White confirmed who was scrapping in the first early prelim during an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Radio Row.
“It’s been challenging because obviously, I want to deliver the best card that’s ever been built,” White said about UFC 300. “Every fight on the card right now could be a main event on either a Fight Night or a pay-per-view. I mean, we are opening the card, the first prelim of the night is Garbrandt and Figueiredo. I mean, what does that tell you?”
Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo is a pretty wild fight to open UFC 300 with. Both men are former champions — Garbrandt ended Dominick Cruz’s six year reign as bantamweight champ, and Figueiredo is a two-time flyweight champion.
But let’s be real, here: them opening the card is a bit of a stunt. There are way less decorated fighters booked above Cody and Deiveson. Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green comes after them — neither man is in the top ten and neither has tasted UFC gold. Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage is another — Nickal is a hot NCAA prospect and potential future champ, but his opponent is 2-3 over his last five.
We’re not trying to downplay the overall quality of UFC 300. It’s a great card! As White pointed out, every bout could be a Fight Night main event. Pay-per-view? That’s a stretch, as is suggesting Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo’s placement has to do with the quality on the card only growing as the event continues.
Now let’s see what they have in store for the main event, and then we can debate how the matchmaking stacks up against what fans were hoping for.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
