MMA Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani said that UFC’s principal choice for UFC 300 card main event is a match between welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.
The MMA community remains curious about the pair who will be UFC 300’s main event on April 13. Many were expecting that the promotion would make an announcement of the matter at the 2024 Super Bowl, but not a single thing was mentioned about it after the game. Prior to that, speculations started, saying the headliner had already been announced by the company, but CEO Dana White claimed the opposite. Despite that, the executive assured fans that they are “working on it.”
While the wait continues, Helwani made a claim on the recent episode of The MMA Hour about the choices of the promotion for the main event. According to Helwani, the company has four options right now but noted that a fight between Edwards and Chimaev is the one that is most likely to be announced.
“I think that the top choice is [Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev],” Helwani said. “This could all fizzle out, and I think we’ll find out in the next few days. But I believe that is the top choice at the moment.
“I also believe three other fights are in play as well. [Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad, Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis, and Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis]. So, let’s see what happens.”
The pairing makes sense based on the past events and reports regarding the fighters. Du Plessis just fought last month, so taking another one that is just two months away might be an issue. The South African said he was considering it, especially against Adesanya, but noted that this would depend on his condition since he fought just last month. As for Muhammad, taking a shot against Edwards appears murky, with the champ expressing a lack of interest in facing him again. Meanwhile, with Chimaev being considered one of the most effective PPV stars of the company, the Russian will likely appear in the card.
