Ranking the 5 Best Options for the UFC 300 Main Event

UFC 300, which is set for April 13 in Las Vegas, is less than two months away, and there is still a gaping hole in the lineup.

Head to the promotion's website, and it's clear as day: The headlining bout is still listed as TBD vs. TBD.

Considering the landmark card is expected to be one of the biggest in the promotion's history, that's a bit surprising—and in the eyes of some fans, very disappointing.

The good news is that UFC CEO Dana White and his team are hard at work finding a suitable main event for the card. They're having some difficulty, as most of the UFC's biggest stars are booked up with other obligations, but there is still time for the promotion to put something special together for the headlining attraction. The list of options seems to be getting more and more sparse, but a few interesting ones still exist.

Here are five options we think could end up in the card's top spot, listed in order from worst to best.

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is one of the few titleholders on the roster who is seemingly free and clear to compete at UFC 300, having emerged mostly unscathed from a lopsided December title defense against Colby Covington.

So far, the promotion has declined to book him for the card, but at this point, he's surely awaiting a bout offer, and he has a few interesting options in terms of opponents.

The biggest—at least in terms of buzz—is probably Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev, from Chechnya, is undefeated, and one of the biggest stars at either welterweight or middleweight. He's also been booked to fight Edwards before to no avail, so there is some history between the two of them.

However, it's been two fights and as many years since Chimaev successfully made the welterweight limit, so he doesn't deserve the opportunity to fight for the title. He also recently stated that he is no longer willing to run his camps through Ramadan. That would seemingly rule him out of fighting at UFC 300, as the card falls a few days after the Islamic month of worship concludes.

In other words, this isn't the best option for the UFC 300 main event, or a particularly likely one, but it's an option all the same, and according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, one that is still on the table.

Alex Pereira is another current champ who seems to be available to slide into the UFC 300 main event. The big question, if the Brazilian light heavyweight is called upon, is who he will fight.

There are options in his division, including former champ Jamahal Hill and long-time contender Magomed Ankalaev, but if the UFC really wants something with some luster, they should book Pereira against the chief rival of his combat sports career, Israel Adesanya.

Pereira and Adesanya have met four times across kickboxing and MMA rules. Pereira won their first three encounters—and two of those by knockout—but suffered a dramatic knockout loss to Adesanya in their most recent fight, losing the middleweight belt in the process.

Since then, Pereira has moved up to 205 pounds and become a two-division champion.

At the height of his own middleweight title reign, Adesanya moved up to light heavyweight to try to take the title from Jan Blachowicz, but lost a decision. He would almost certainly jump at another opportunity to become a two-division champ himself, particularly against his old foe.

The only question is if the UFC can make it worth the two stars' while, particularly under short notice circumstances.

Khamzat Chimaev isn't the only option for Leon Edwards.

The division's top contender, and the man who should be getting the next crack at the title, is the streaking Belal Muhammad.

Muhammad, from Chicago, is unbeaten in his last 10 fights—a streak that includes wins over high-level opposition in Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, Vicente Luque, Sean Brady and Gilbert Burns. Like Chimaev, he also history with Edwards, as the only blemish on his recent record is a 2021 no-contest with the Brit, which was the result of an accidental eye poke.

The only problem with this fight, especially as it pertains to booking it for the UFC 300 main event, is that Muhammad has struggled to catch on with mainstream fans, meaning a fight between him and Edwards might not be big enough for the occasion, even if it's the fight that should be made at 170 pounds.

Having said that, it's a matchup that is seemingly there if the UFC needs it. Edwards has long stated he expected to fight at UFC 300, while Muhammad, who is Muslim like Chimaev, seemingly has no objection to training through Ramadan.

A middleweight title fight between reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champ Israel Adesanya is easily one of the biggest, buzziest fights the UFC could put together right now.

Du Plessis has never been more talked about, having won the belt with a decision defeat of Sean Strickland last month, and despite losing the title to Strickland in 2023, Adesanya remains one of the biggest stars in the division—not just now, but ever.

What makes this fight truly compelling, though, is the heat between the two. Du Plessis is from South Africa, and Adesanya, who now lives in New Zealand, was born in Nigeria. The two men are both immensely proud of their heritage, and a fight between them would be huge not only for the African continent, but for anybody interested in seeing them settle their rivalry, which includes pretty much every fight fan out there.

The problem is their availability. Du Plessis still has some bumps and bruises after his war with Strickland, and while Adesanya is probably healthy, he originally intended to take a longer break before returning to the cage.

It will probably take some doing to lock these two into the UFC 300 main event, but money talks, and it would be well worth the promotion's investment—if only to avoid the criticism that awaits if the UFC can't cobble together a suitable main event for the card.

If the UFC really wants UFC 300 to be special—if the promotion really wants the card to be its biggest ever—it needs to get Conor McGregor on the bill.

Despite having not fought since a disastrous 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, and having not won since he beat up the ghost of Donald Cerrone in 2020, McGregor remains the biggest star in MMA history and a surefire way to push a pay-per-view past the 1 million buys mark.

He also happens to be available, having long ago recovered from the injuries he sustained against Poirier, and he has a high-profile rival waiting for him in Michael Chandler.

Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champ, has always been a fan favorite and has been linked to a fight with McGregor since the pair faced off as coaches on the last season of The Ultimate Fighter.

All of the pieces seem to be in place to get these two into the UFC 300 main event. The only question is whether the promotion can work out all of the details, most of which seem to surround McGregor.

Something, it seems, has kept the UFC from booking McGregor for the card. Whether it's a question of money or simply because the brass would prefer to keep him for another card later in the year is unclear, but if the promotion wants to salvage this event, it needs to get the Irishman on the phone and hand over a blank check.

Alex Pereira is another current champ who seems to be available to slide into the UFC 300 main event. The big question, if the Brazilian light heavyweight is called upon, is who he will fight.

There are options in his division, including former champ Jamahal Hill and long-time contender Magomed Ankalaev, but if the UFC wants something with some luster, they should book Pereira against the chief rival of his combat sports career, Israel Adesanya.

Pereira and Adesanya have met four times across kickboxing and MMA rules. Pereira won their first three encounters—and two of those by knockout—but suffered a dramatic knockout loss to Adesanya in their most recent fight, losing the middleweight belt in the process.

Since then, Pereira has moved up to 205 pounds and become a two-division champion.

At the height of his middleweight title reign, Adesanya moved up to light heavyweight to try to take the title from Jan Blachowicz, but lost a decision. He would almost certainly jump at another opportunity to become a two-division champ himself, particularly against his old foe.

The only question is if the UFC can make it worth the two stars' while, particularly under short-notice circumstances.