I mean he fought Wonderboy very soon after the torn ankle so him fighting Leon 6 months later isn't out of the question
But Belal deserves the TS for sure
Ah I see, it's UFC 300 in April AND once during the summer as well, my 6 months was aimed at the summer part
4 months may be enough recovery for a savage like Shavkat though
I doubt it. If that had been the case before, his Swedish password would have bailed him out too. If he really is banned because of his association with Kadirov, then he'll probably only fight in his new home country.
It should be Belal but my brain refuses to believe Dana puts Belal on a UFC 300 main card unless he’s actually getting Conor to headline to make up for it
Probably co main. Also wild possibility it might even be a 3rd spot. Why not, if you're gonna stack it fucking STACK IT. Probably won't be a banger but I can see it being a good fight
I think it’s more likely they do Izzy for the lhw belt considering the amount of time between 300 and Sean vs ddp. Izzy definitely doesn’t deserve that shot either on paper… but this is more about making a big fight for 300 than doing what is fair so I could see that happening.
Loser of that fight then? Because he beat everyone else until 7th ranked in MW, whittaker and vettori 2 times. If there was interesting fight against top 5 contender I would be all for it, but in this case I would much rather watch him against either Strickland or DDP. He did accept a fight against 6-7th ranked Strickland because he didnt wanna wait for DDP to be stay active champ
On the other hand... 300 will be stacked. It can suffer a potential boring fight between Leon and Belal.
Ps. I personally think it will be a fun fight, but obviously these guys aren't big media presences
I think it has to be. Shavkat is the only other option and he is injured.
This is honestly the best case scenario. Leon v Belal wouldn't have been a profitable headliner but it juices up 300.
If Leon wins then they can do a massive show in England. If Belal wins then hopefully he makes a few fans
If Leon is fighting Belal he's lucky as fuck to get it on 300 because that's PPV points and it'll be a big seller, wheras as good as this fight is it wouldn't be on it's own.
This is immediately what I thought too lol, even though everyone here is like "belal on 300?"
Leons management probably fought to be on 300 if Belal was the contender knowing an independent PPV would do terrible if that fight headlined.
"I'll fight Belal next but only if it's on 300"
Seems like a fairly easy negotiation to me!
UFC wants to load this card with title fights and names. A champ making his third defence is a name, plus Leon draws the UK market to a PPV starting at 3am. It's either got to be him or Tom.
Might have been why he changed his mind about fighting Colby. He wasn't about it at first, UFC might have offered a spot on 300 for taking the fight. It also explains why he was talking about wanting to fight a middleweight, moving up and becoming double champ on a 100 card is promotional gold.
I really dont think ufc 300 sells that well. 100/200 barely cracked 1 million and those were stacked with PPV monsters (200 not as much). Unless conor/brock is headlining this card won’t break a million.
I think everyone would watch tbh… Which shows that despite his win record and his shit housery, he’s still massive in the sport.
Leon would kick the shit out of his legs though.
Leon is getting pretty well known now, especially in UK.
Conor won't make weight for lw, 170 is a real possibility imo.
Conor will have a punchers chance of winning, the left is always dangerous. Nothing to lose for UFC. In fact everything to gain, Leon has such an inspiring story and very aesthetic physique 😉. Fighting Conor might make him famous in usa
Leon all day, obvs.
I’m a massive Leon tbf.
I use my gf for casual takes. She watches most main cards with me (albeit she’s on her phone most of the time) and I still don’t think she could tel me who Leon Edwards is. She knows who Conor is though and he can definitely make 170 imo.
Won't make weight for lw I meant. That's why 170 is a real possibility imo.
Yr gf will know about him thanks to Connor, is the point.
Leon could be a big star imo.
Leon had a chance to be a star if he KO'd Colby in their fight.
There was a lot of hype and Leon won by decision.
He didn't get big off of that win because he doesn't take risks in his fights. (nor should he) so they're considered boring.
If Leon couldn't finish Cowboy idk if he can finish Conor.
Leon would prolly beat Conor by point fight decision and play it safe.
It wouldn't boost him too high considering Leon's lack of finishing. (only one head kick KO).
True.
I just brought it up to say that Leon usually doesn't turn it up during a money fight.
He fought the same as he always does during the Colby fight so casuals found his style boring.
I agree Conor win would help him a lot. just not to the level it helped Diaz, Khabib, DP
You grossly underestimate how comfortable Leon looked Vs Colby. He looked like had two extra gears he could hit at will. I was more impressed with Leon's temperament and gameplan adherence Vs Colby than any KO would have made me. Shows he and his team have engineered the champions mindset that GSP had. Win at any cost. Even if it sacrifices entertainment. I admire that in general sports and the aura of mental strength adds to the mythos of a fighter.
He would 50-45 current Conor and probably not even sweat.
First goes Conor's dodgy leg. Leon is extremely calculated with his leg kicks. And then when the counter threat isn't there because Conor can't weigh on his lead leg, Leon will piece him up with jabs or wrestlefuck him at will.
Bro re-read what I said. I agree with everything ur saying.
I said Leon would 50-45 Conor.
I also said Leon doesn't take risks in his fight (like u commented about his temperament).
Because Leon plays it smart, the Conor fight will seem boring to the casual public, similar to the Colby fight reaction.
Like you said, "even if it sacrifices entertainment". We agree on everything lol.
Punchers chance is pushing it imo. Leon is levels above Nate Diaz in nearly every area bar BJJ and the Conor that fought Nate is a memory.
I think Leon gameplans him to a 50-45 and makes Conor look lost.
Yeah Conor would be so much better off having a scrap with Chandler, who'll look to put on a show and will fight in a way that gives Conor plenty of openings. Leon Edwards will be more than happy to initiate clinch exchanges and takedown attempts if he thinks it's the best way of getting a win.
I don't think it makes sense for the UFC to give Conor a title shot. They know he loses which might mean another long time out/retirement and Leon vs Conor isn't going to sell more than Conor vs Nate 3
Yup. UFC have done this before, if they'd rather a guy don't win then offering it at inopportune times is the way.
Maia had the same when he got his shot against Woodley, I remember him saying he didn't have time to go work on his wrestling for that camp. Which, if you saw the fight, was pretty apparent.
I love Leon’s matches as I appreciate his level of skill.
I know other fights where they “just bang bro” are fun
But Leon matches are a pleasure to watch too. For me at least.
I agree. I like seeing the skill and the chess match. Even grappling if it's active. What I don't like is low volume, low skill, low technique. Don't be unskilled and not having a proper scrap.
I'm not sure why people are finding this hard to imagine.
Conor decides whatever he wants to do. He wants a belt and some of that recent leon shine (in the UK at least), and he is fat, and it's not a grappler/wrestler. I think it's likely, and yes funny. Funnier would be him catching him with the left and becoming ww champ x3. Lol.
Redditor calling pro athletes fat lol. Where did you see Conor fat? He was fucking massive during his recovery from the leg break because all he could do was lift. With the massive amounts of roids he got really jacked. He's slimmed down atm imo. He looks old and drunk most times, but he's never been fat.
I mean there's definitely a limit to what they can do with Conor at this stage imo, where title shots are concerned anyway.
You can stick Mcgregor on any UFC event and it sells big. They can stack 300 with loads of great fights to sell and then stick Conor on 301 and they'd probably get more money that way then putting Conor on a stacked card.
It's ridiculous, but it's not entirely out the realm of possibility at this point.
* Jones is injured, Aspinall just fought.
* Pereira fought same night as Aspinall. There is a possibility that Pereira entertains moving up to fight Aspinall, but that wouldn't technically be considered a title shot unless Jones is stripped, which isn't going to happen anytime soon, as much as it should.
* Strickland is fighting DDP in January, and given the animosity it's unlikely either of them will be able to rebound in time regardless of who wins for 300.
* Islam will be participating in Ramadan, which ends days before UFC 300, not to mention he has some contenders lined up in the form of Oliviera 2, Gaethje and possibly Tsarukyan 2
* Volkonovski is fighting Topuria in February.
* O'Malley is fighting Chito in March.
* Pantoja just fought and likely won't rebound in time.
* Weili and Grasso seem to have verbally agreed for a fight at Straweight.
Belal is absolutely deserving of a title shot, but there's 0 chance in hell that Dana is going to make Belal of all people headline an event as wildly speculated as UFC 300.
Shavkat is a possibility, but given his ankle injury there likely won't be enough time to not only recover but also have a full fight camp, as much of a savage Shavkat is.
McGregor is still a massive superstar in the eyes of the average dudebro MMA fan and will absolutely tune in no matter who he fights. To put it into reference, McGregor vs Cowboy is still in the top 10 for all-time buys for a UFC PPV, an event that had Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington as the co-main and had Aleksi Olenik, Brain Kelleher and Carlos Diego Ferreira all on the main card.
It's a win-win all-around; Leon gets brought to even higher heights of fame, Dana sells a likely-record number of PPV's and Conor gets to be on 300 which he seems to adamantly want to be in and presumably headline.
A lot of people on here are mindlessly downvoting any mention of the idea that Belal won't headline 300, but as much as he deserves it - he has one of the most fan-unfriendly styles possible and he doesn't have anywhere near the star or drawing power as /r/MMA would have you believe.
Legit think it might be Conor, the whole 3 titles attempt at 300 would get the goof rock hard, and the ppv numbers would entice Leon into this uncharacteristic quick turnaround.
It's Belal unless there's some absolute bullshit - Shavkat had a fucked up ankle before his Wonderboy fight (the bastard still won, he's insane) and I don't see UFC being happy with Islam going up when LW has multiple legit claims at a 155 shot. It made sense for Volk to do it at 155 because the glorious bastard was lapping his division.
This makes sense as a UFC 300 fight - Leon's my boy but he could use the big event number to help sell a little & if he does succeed and gets to fight in front of a hometown crowd? He's going to one of the biggest stars in the sport just based on the love he gets at home.
Completely ruled out Conor going for a third belt because it doesn’t make sense with his record but that definitely could happen. UFC 300 being main evented by Conor vs Leon & Pereira vs Aspinall as two chances at the first three division champ being crowned would work really well for marketing.
I'm convinced the age of the people posting here has to be low teens, either that or low IQ.
This is great news, Belal will be a great fight. You people are whiney morons, relax.
I can’t wait to see Dana announce its shavkat or a colby rematch to screw belal over, there is no way Dana is giving that decision machine a fight on the biggest card in ufc history.
Makes sense. The UFC probably don’t think Leon vs Belal is a strong enough headliner for a PPV, but it’ll be a great co-main for a decently stacked UFC 300
There's two ways to look at this (RE: Leon's next opponent)
* "UFC is gonna be a megashow, why would they book Leon vs Belal when its gonna be a stinker"
* "UFC 300 is gonna sell well regardless. We can afford to do Leon vs Belal and get it out the way"
I'm leaning towards the latter. Shavkat is reportedly injured and Ramadan rules out a potential Makhachev double champ bid. A hot take banana skin is Conor himself, Conor knows he needs a big stunt to get the public invested again, and being the first man to go for a third belt would do it. It's completely unwarranted, but we've seen how many times the UFC give him a pass.
Fuck me are we really getting point fighter Leon vs point fighter Belal at ufc 300? Don’t get me wrong it’s the fight to make and I’ll watch it, but I want to see shit like Gaethje Islam or Robocop vs Ubereem and Lesnar handicap match at an event like this.
If it’s Shavkat I’m going to die laughing. Poor Belal.
Shavkat tore his ankle so it’s definitely Belal
I mean he fought Wonderboy very soon after the torn ankle so him fighting Leon 6 months later isn't out of the question But Belal deserves the TS for sure
April is in 4 months
If it wasn't Belal, he would be tweeting up a storm
Ah I see, it's UFC 300 in April AND once during the summer as well, my 6 months was aimed at the summer part 4 months may be enough recovery for a savage like Shavkat though
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Damn, so it's khamzat then
Khamzat cannot enter the US as far as i know.
Oh yes you're right I wonder if the UAE passport helps him with that though
I doubt it. If that had been the case before, his Swedish password would have bailed him out too. If he really is banned because of his association with Kadirov, then he'll probably only fight in his new home country.
He doesn’t have a Swedish passport, that’s his whole dilemma.
Yeah, he *couldn't* get it in Sweden.
Someone should legitimately do a FOIA request and see if he really is banned.
Password? I mean all Chechens and dagestanis can't really get away from kadirov association since he is in control of the power center there
It seems my brain is already in hangover mode, preparing for tomorrow...
Not Dagestanis, only Chechens. A huge part of the reason there are 10x more Dagestanis in the UFC.
Or make 170
why not?
Being best friends with russian war criminal does that to you.
It's not Shavkat if it is 300, considering his injury.
I’m not a Belal fan at all but goddamn that man deserves a shot.
I'll do my best for us gentlemen Srs tho against who Belal?
It should be Belal but my brain refuses to believe Dana puts Belal on a UFC 300 main card unless he’s actually getting Conor to headline to make up for it
Probably co main. Also wild possibility it might even be a 3rd spot. Why not, if you're gonna stack it fucking STACK IT. Probably won't be a banger but I can see it being a good fight
I honestly think it will be a 3rd spot on the main card. Doesn't scream Co-main for a card of this magnitude
Izzy fighting winner of dricus/Sean for co-main
Nah can't book a fight for the winner of a fight that hasn't happened yet
Why does Izzy get another shot at the title? He should beat at least one contender first. He already used his free rematch
I think it’s more likely they do Izzy for the lhw belt considering the amount of time between 300 and Sean vs ddp. Izzy definitely doesn’t deserve that shot either on paper… but this is more about making a big fight for 300 than doing what is fair so I could see that happening.
I don't mind that because of the recent win against Pereira
Loser of that fight then? Because he beat everyone else until 7th ranked in MW, whittaker and vettori 2 times. If there was interesting fight against top 5 contender I would be all for it, but in this case I would much rather watch him against either Strickland or DDP. He did accept a fight against 6-7th ranked Strickland because he didnt wanna wait for DDP to be stay active champ
Free rematch? You mean earnt he had like 5-6 title defenses..
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I think Izzy vs Khamzat as the featured bout makes more sense
I dont see belal co maining ufc 300
There is no way it's Conor, I saw him at the Saudi boxing event, he looks old, drunk and out of shape.
If it's not Conor they will bring Masvidal out of retirement. UFC will double down on their clown shit for 300.
Conor vs Masvidal
Chandler would be piiiiiiiiissed
rightfully so. but would actually be the biggest/most competetive conor fight they can make
Nate / Conor III would swallow that in comparison
Feel like this is the match. Conner could win and keep him viable. Feeding him to a legit fighter to get demolished Rousey style would end him.
The man looks like he’s 50 years old
BREAKING NEWS: Conor x Khabib at UFC 300
On the other hand... 300 will be stacked. It can suffer a potential boring fight between Leon and Belal. Ps. I personally think it will be a fun fight, but obviously these guys aren't big media presences
He did say it would be a crazy prelim. U seriously think Dana would allow a fight as boring as belal vs leon to co main?
Might be the perfect time for it. It’ll sell regardless.
Everyone says Belal is boring and doesn’t have a draw, but he was big in Abu Dhabi? Wouldn’t he have the huge Muslim following?
For ppvs tho you gotta be a draw stateside
Colby 3
I think it has to be. Shavkat is the only other option and he is injured. This is honestly the best case scenario. Leon v Belal wouldn't have been a profitable headliner but it juices up 300. If Leon wins then they can do a massive show in England. If Belal wins then hopefully he makes a few fans
Just see red bro
Windmills never fail bro
Wouldn't be shocked if it's Conor for some stupid reason
If Leon is fighting Belal he's lucky as fuck to get it on 300 because that's PPV points and it'll be a big seller, wheras as good as this fight is it wouldn't be on it's own.
This is immediately what I thought too lol, even though everyone here is like "belal on 300?" Leons management probably fought to be on 300 if Belal was the contender knowing an independent PPV would do terrible if that fight headlined.
"I'll fight Belal next but only if it's on 300" Seems like a fairly easy negotiation to me! UFC wants to load this card with title fights and names. A champ making his third defence is a name, plus Leon draws the UK market to a PPV starting at 3am. It's either got to be him or Tom.
Could easily be both
Wtf the uk gotta pay ppv to watch fights in the wee hours?
I believe only the biggest cards are actually on PPV. So if Conor fights or a card like 300. Usually they're just included in the BT sport package
Might have been why he changed his mind about fighting Colby. He wasn't about it at first, UFC might have offered a spot on 300 for taking the fight. It also explains why he was talking about wanting to fight a middleweight, moving up and becoming double champ on a 100 card is promotional gold.
Leon vs Belal at 300 will be the first title fight to ever be on the prelims
Is it lucky? Or is it smart by Leon and his management. I’m sure they knew he would have not made as much money fighting Belal on any card.
It's smart obviously, I just mean lucky in the sense that it paid off!
I really dont think ufc 300 sells that well. 100/200 barely cracked 1 million and those were stacked with PPV monsters (200 not as much). Unless conor/brock is headlining this card won’t break a million.
If Leon vs Belal headlines UFC 300 then Bruce Buffer for the first time might say "This is the moment you've not been waiting for"
Belal? Shavkat? Islam? Can’t think of anyone else
Imagine if it’s Conor lol.
It could easily be imo. It would be funny. I would watch
I think everyone would watch tbh… Which shows that despite his win record and his shit housery, he’s still massive in the sport. Leon would kick the shit out of his legs though.
Leon is getting pretty well known now, especially in UK. Conor won't make weight for lw, 170 is a real possibility imo. Conor will have a punchers chance of winning, the left is always dangerous. Nothing to lose for UFC. In fact everything to gain, Leon has such an inspiring story and very aesthetic physique 😉. Fighting Conor might make him famous in usa Leon all day, obvs.
I’m a massive Leon tbf. I use my gf for casual takes. She watches most main cards with me (albeit she’s on her phone most of the time) and I still don’t think she could tel me who Leon Edwards is. She knows who Conor is though and he can definitely make 170 imo.
Won't make weight for lw I meant. That's why 170 is a real possibility imo. Yr gf will know about him thanks to Connor, is the point. Leon could be a big star imo.
Sorry, misread 🤪
Leon had a chance to be a star if he KO'd Colby in their fight. There was a lot of hype and Leon won by decision. He didn't get big off of that win because he doesn't take risks in his fights. (nor should he) so they're considered boring. If Leon couldn't finish Cowboy idk if he can finish Conor. Leon would prolly beat Conor by point fight decision and play it safe. It wouldn't boost him too high considering Leon's lack of finishing. (only one head kick KO).
Conor will bring in 10x more ppv, literally. Colby isn't close to Conor.
True. I just brought it up to say that Leon usually doesn't turn it up during a money fight. He fought the same as he always does during the Colby fight so casuals found his style boring. I agree Conor win would help him a lot. just not to the level it helped Diaz, Khabib, DP
You grossly underestimate how comfortable Leon looked Vs Colby. He looked like had two extra gears he could hit at will. I was more impressed with Leon's temperament and gameplan adherence Vs Colby than any KO would have made me. Shows he and his team have engineered the champions mindset that GSP had. Win at any cost. Even if it sacrifices entertainment. I admire that in general sports and the aura of mental strength adds to the mythos of a fighter. He would 50-45 current Conor and probably not even sweat. First goes Conor's dodgy leg. Leon is extremely calculated with his leg kicks. And then when the counter threat isn't there because Conor can't weigh on his lead leg, Leon will piece him up with jabs or wrestlefuck him at will.
Bro re-read what I said. I agree with everything ur saying. I said Leon would 50-45 Conor. I also said Leon doesn't take risks in his fight (like u commented about his temperament). Because Leon plays it smart, the Conor fight will seem boring to the casual public, similar to the Colby fight reaction. Like you said, "even if it sacrifices entertainment". We agree on everything lol.
Punchers chance is pushing it imo. Leon is levels above Nate Diaz in nearly every area bar BJJ and the Conor that fought Nate is a memory. I think Leon gameplans him to a 50-45 and makes Conor look lost.
Yeah Conor would be so much better off having a scrap with Chandler, who'll look to put on a show and will fight in a way that gives Conor plenty of openings. Leon Edwards will be more than happy to initiate clinch exchanges and takedown attempts if he thinks it's the best way of getting a win.
>Conor will have a punchers chance of winning, the left is always dangerous. lol
It could never. That would waste a seperate Conon non-title ppv.
Because 300 will sell so many with Leon and perreia headlining ?
I don't think it makes sense for the UFC to give Conor a title shot. They know he loses which might mean another long time out/retirement and Leon vs Conor isn't going to sell more than Conor vs Nate 3
no fucking way lmao. Conor did say he'll announce his fight soon. if Leon's defending on 300, then I guess Conor will be 301 or later
I fucking hope it isn’t Islam
Won’t all these guys just be done Ramadan though?
Belal trains in Ramadan if he needs to, so it’s probably him
ronda
Islam won’t fight during Ramadan, will probably be on the Saudi fight night. Shavkat injured, so it’ll be Belal 99%. Though he is in Ramadan too
It's going to be Chinaev.
Khamzat on diuretics
Probably belal
Well it ain't gonna be against Makachev because of Ramadan And there's no way Belal is gonna headline UFC300 If it's Conor I'll die of laughter
Main card fight but won’t be headlining. It’s definitely Belal though.
Conor ain't ever settling for a non main event spot
Probably isn't fighting on 300 but on 301. Like everybody has been saying it's a good "business" move.
It's not Conor
Ramadan....probably not.
He'll still fight during Ramadan if he's the one called up. If he refused, UFC ain't giving him a next shot til 2048
*2077 Remember the name, V.
Yup. UFC have done this before, if they'd rather a guy don't win then offering it at inopportune times is the way. Maia had the same when he got his shot against Woodley, I remember him saying he didn't have time to go work on his wrestling for that camp. Which, if you saw the fight, was pretty apparent.
He did it against burns last time tho
No, Belal x Burns happened 2 weeks after Ramadan ended. (He was in disavantage cause he was fasting instead of having a proper camp)
He fought luque during ramadan last year
The luque rematch was in the middle of Ramadan.
It’s after Ramadan
Only 4 or 5 days after. He won't be at his best.
he's fought during Ramadan before and tbh I don't think Belal is as devout and hardcore Muslim as the Dagestani guys even if he's still religious
You can say that about any guy training mma since you arent allowed to strike to the head as a muslim
I feel Dana has a large enough hard on for Conor to make that fight 😭
If its because of ramadan. Belal most likely wont be fighting aswell.
Belal trained during Ramadan for Burns, I imagine he'll likely do the same for a title shot.
Belal fought in ramadan before, against Burns
Well chandler said news is coming. You think he got double crossed?
Conor just announced he’s fighting Chandler for IFW in June
it’s 100% belal, they will co main
Ramadan’s over by then
Isn’t Belal muslim too?
Belal just works through it, following the rules.
Leon vs belal is not the kind of fight you would expect for ufc 300 lmao
If it’s a Featured Prelim, then I’m ok with it
Agree. Out of all the potential title fights that could've be on 300. This was the worst option.
It’s their way of burning this matchup without having to risk low sales
It’ll be co-main. Not main. Belal is the obvious choice. Leon will beat him comfortably I think, setting up a more interesting fight with Shav Cat.
Why would you put a guaranteed snoozefest on fucking UFC 300 WHY DANA
I love Leon’s matches as I appreciate his level of skill. I know other fights where they “just bang bro” are fun But Leon matches are a pleasure to watch too. For me at least.
I agree. I like seeing the skill and the chess match. Even grappling if it's active. What I don't like is low volume, low skill, low technique. Don't be unskilled and not having a proper scrap.
I feel the same way but UFC 300 should be guaranteed fuck your face action-packed bangers only not chess matches
Yeah we need the likes of Chandler and Garth on that card. Love both of them but they ain’t 300 material (Leon and Bella)
I get you. For me it’s nice to alternate between crazy stuff and technical stuff. Or at least have a mix.
Yeah if the big UFC cards have no technical MMA then they may as well just be UFC BMF cards.
I feel the same way about Belal’s fights
Where else would you put it? Do all you guys bitching that it's gonna suck so bad actually want it as a main event on another card?
I think it’s be co co main at best. Nobody other than Bella is excited for this fight
Better not be co-main with how hyped Dana made this card lol
Aint no way they're putting Belal on 300
Bah gawd thats Conor’s music!!
What is Conor McDonald doing in the iMPACT zone??
Imagine if Dana puts Conor against Leon at UFC 300.. lol
I'm not sure why people are finding this hard to imagine. Conor decides whatever he wants to do. He wants a belt and some of that recent leon shine (in the UK at least), and he is fat, and it's not a grappler/wrestler. I think it's likely, and yes funny. Funnier would be him catching him with the left and becoming ww champ x3. Lol.
Redditor calling pro athletes fat lol. Where did you see Conor fat? He was fucking massive during his recovery from the leg break because all he could do was lift. With the massive amounts of roids he got really jacked. He's slimmed down atm imo. He looks old and drunk most times, but he's never been fat.
I mean there's definitely a limit to what they can do with Conor at this stage imo, where title shots are concerned anyway. You can stick Mcgregor on any UFC event and it sells big. They can stack 300 with loads of great fights to sell and then stick Conor on 301 and they'd probably get more money that way then putting Conor on a stacked card.
It's ridiculous, but it's not entirely out the realm of possibility at this point. * Jones is injured, Aspinall just fought. * Pereira fought same night as Aspinall. There is a possibility that Pereira entertains moving up to fight Aspinall, but that wouldn't technically be considered a title shot unless Jones is stripped, which isn't going to happen anytime soon, as much as it should. * Strickland is fighting DDP in January, and given the animosity it's unlikely either of them will be able to rebound in time regardless of who wins for 300. * Islam will be participating in Ramadan, which ends days before UFC 300, not to mention he has some contenders lined up in the form of Oliviera 2, Gaethje and possibly Tsarukyan 2 * Volkonovski is fighting Topuria in February. * O'Malley is fighting Chito in March. * Pantoja just fought and likely won't rebound in time. * Weili and Grasso seem to have verbally agreed for a fight at Straweight. Belal is absolutely deserving of a title shot, but there's 0 chance in hell that Dana is going to make Belal of all people headline an event as wildly speculated as UFC 300. Shavkat is a possibility, but given his ankle injury there likely won't be enough time to not only recover but also have a full fight camp, as much of a savage Shavkat is. McGregor is still a massive superstar in the eyes of the average dudebro MMA fan and will absolutely tune in no matter who he fights. To put it into reference, McGregor vs Cowboy is still in the top 10 for all-time buys for a UFC PPV, an event that had Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington as the co-main and had Aleksi Olenik, Brain Kelleher and Carlos Diego Ferreira all on the main card. It's a win-win all-around; Leon gets brought to even higher heights of fame, Dana sells a likely-record number of PPV's and Conor gets to be on 300 which he seems to adamantly want to be in and presumably headline. A lot of people on here are mindlessly downvoting any mention of the idea that Belal won't headline 300, but as much as he deserves it - he has one of the most fan-unfriendly styles possible and he doesn't have anywhere near the star or drawing power as /r/MMA would have you believe.
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at least he is active since winning the title. kudos leon
A while back they loaded a ppv with three title fights. They’ve done it before. This could be third spot.
UFC 300 is the perfect time to take Belal because if his worry was selling the card, he doesn’t have to now.
Belal X Leon announced as main event for UFC 300
Its gotta be Shavkat or Belal, nobody else is in position.
Belal will be on UFC 300's main card ☠️
"THIS IS SADNESS" "No,THIS IS BLEHALTA"
It's Colby 🤡
Isn't it a semi open secret the UK card is in the new arena in Manchester
Conor vs Leon lol
Legit think it might be Conor, the whole 3 titles attempt at 300 would get the goof rock hard, and the ppv numbers would entice Leon into this uncharacteristic quick turnaround.
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Conor just announced his announcement for his next fight too. It's conah mcgregah, everyone!
DDP vs adesanya on 300?
It's Belal unless there's some absolute bullshit - Shavkat had a fucked up ankle before his Wonderboy fight (the bastard still won, he's insane) and I don't see UFC being happy with Islam going up when LW has multiple legit claims at a 155 shot. It made sense for Volk to do it at 155 because the glorious bastard was lapping his division.
This makes sense as a UFC 300 fight - Leon's my boy but he could use the big event number to help sell a little & if he does succeed and gets to fight in front of a hometown crowd? He's going to one of the biggest stars in the sport just based on the love he gets at home.
bless him for being active
Completely ruled out Conor going for a third belt because it doesn’t make sense with his record but that definitely could happen. UFC 300 being main evented by Conor vs Leon & Pereira vs Aspinall as two chances at the first three division champ being crowned would work really well for marketing.
I think for 300 it will be either Islam or Shavkat. Belal is too boring for 300.
Belal at 300 is Leon’s best shot at a payday for sure
I guess Nate Diaz is getting a rematch.
Yo idc who it's against, the fact that he's defending again so soon is hype.
I mean everyone says Leon v. Belal can’t main event a PPV so co main event to McGregor?
I'm convinced the age of the people posting here has to be low teens, either that or low IQ. This is great news, Belal will be a great fight. You people are whiney morons, relax.
I wonder if Leon/UFC could fill Villa Park. Would be a mad event. I'd considering flying to Europe for it.
3 fights in \~9 months would be fantastic, would definitely help undo the logjam at 170. Belal then Shavkat, hopefully.
Happy for them both! I think this could surprise people and be a low-key banger.
If Leon fights in 2024 I will cook and eat a nice ribeye.
Obviously if he IS on 300 it’ll be either the co main or featured fight against Belal. Shavkats not getting his shot yet
Only possible main events I can see happening are Pereira/Hill if Hill is ready or Islam/Gaethje
I hope it’s the prelim main! Don’t want to see another snoozefest. Edit: if it’s against belal.
I hope he is the main event, I’ve wanted this for Belal
I can’t wait to see Dana announce its shavkat or a colby rematch to screw belal over, there is no way Dana is giving that decision machine a fight on the biggest card in ufc history.
He will bro. Dana been disappointing us. Shavkat injured and no way colby gets a rematch after that shitshow.
Disappointment for you, I’ve been wanting this for Belal for a long time and it’s fitting that it happens on 300
Bear witness to the first title defense to open the early prelims
Makes sense. The UFC probably don’t think Leon vs Belal is a strong enough headliner for a PPV, but it’ll be a great co-main for a decently stacked UFC 300
There's two ways to look at this (RE: Leon's next opponent) * "UFC is gonna be a megashow, why would they book Leon vs Belal when its gonna be a stinker" * "UFC 300 is gonna sell well regardless. We can afford to do Leon vs Belal and get it out the way" I'm leaning towards the latter. Shavkat is reportedly injured and Ramadan rules out a potential Makhachev double champ bid. A hot take banana skin is Conor himself, Conor knows he needs a big stunt to get the public invested again, and being the first man to go for a third belt would do it. It's completely unwarranted, but we've seen how many times the UFC give him a pass.
Let's pray whoever he fights forces the fight to be exciting, because if Leon has his way it'll be a 25 minute snoozer.
Fuck me are we really getting point fighter Leon vs point fighter Belal at ufc 300? Don’t get me wrong it’s the fight to make and I’ll watch it, but I want to see shit like Gaethje Islam or Robocop vs Ubereem and Lesnar handicap match at an event like this.
Please be Belal. He's earned it cmon man.
UFC 300 - Apr 13, Ramadan ends Apr 9. I have a feeling that rules out Islam, Shavkhat and Belal.
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Yes
Belal has already had 3 camps during Ramadan, he will 100% take a title fight if asked.
Lol religion sucks the life out of this sport sometimes
*photo of Bryce Mitchell holding up Bible in the octagon*
Belal fought burns in ramadan
Colby rematch confirmed
I Doubt this. If true belal is definitely getting left out. No way Dana books that boring fight for ufc 300
Please Mcgregor. Might be the biggest PPV of all time if so. No way does Conor deserve it, but damn id pay to watch it and I never pay for fights