Fight Coverage
Crucial Lightweight Stretch Begins At UFC 299
Over The Next Month, The Top Of The Lightweight Division Comes Under The Spotlight As Contenders Jockey For The No. 1 Contender Spot To Fight Islam Makhachev
The lightweight division is never short on compelling storylines, action-packed fights and high-stakes contests. Champion Islam Makhachev defended his belt twice in 2023, besting Alexander Volkanovski first via decision in February before knocking “The Great” out with a head kick in October. While the results solidified Makhachev’s claim as champion, it also created a traffic jam of contenders waiting for his next fight.
Over the course of the next month, four fights will greatly determine the shape of the lightweight title picture, starting with a pair of high-profile bouts at UFC 299: O’Malley vs Vera and finishing at UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill.
How To Watch UFC 299 In Your Country
The five-round co-main event in Miami features former interim champion Dustin Poirier and French up and comer Benoît Saint Denis, which is as appealing as any fight on a stacked card of fights.
Saint Denis, who joined the roster in October 2021, is perfect through five lightweight contests, collecting two submissions, three knockouts and three performance bonuses along the way. The former French paratrooper called for Poirier after knocking Matt Frevola out in New York City, and “The Diamond” obliged.
Poirier hopes to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt in July 2023. After having fought title contenders and main events almost exclusively for the last seven years, Poirier now is in a position to cement his long-held spot in the Top 5, having lost two of his last three.
While Saint Denis hasn’t faced anyone close to Poirier’s experience or competitive level, the 28-year-old “God of War” hopes to distinguish himself among the top new faces in the lightweight elite. The fight will also be Saint Denis’ first five-rounder, and considering Saint Denis has gone a full three rounds just twice in his career, that is something to note should the fight go into the championship rounds. The winner of the fight, depending on a plethora of factors, could find themselves a win away from challenging Makhachev for the title.
UFC 299 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | O'Malley vs Vera | Poirier vs Saint Denis | Holland vs Page
Before those two duke it out, however, Mateusz Gamrot gets his first crack at a former champion when he faces the eternal Rafael Dos Anjos on the prelims. Gamrot was doing well for himself and parlayed a four-fight winning streak into a date with Beneil Dariush in Abu Dhabi, but the Polish grappling-specialist fell short.
He bounced back well with a win over Jalin Turner at UFC 285, which set him up for a main event against Rafael Fiziev. However, that fight would reach an anticlimactic ending as Fiziev suffered a knee injury midway through the second round, granting Gamrot the victory.
He has not yet secured that signature win to solidify his place among the best at 155 pounds, and besting “RDA” in definitive fashion just might be that for him. However, Dos Anjos and “easy out” do not mix.
Since joining the roster nearly 16 years ago, Dos Anjos has consistently been one of the most respected and dangerous fighters across the lightweight and welterweight divisions. The 39-year-old is coming off two losses in his last three fights, but beating someone like Gamrot could send the message loud and clear that he has much more to give in the Octagon.
Five weeks after those two huge battles, UFC 300 arrives with storylines aplenty, including a pair of massive lightweight bouts.
While title fights between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill as well as Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan have people buzzing, the BMF title fight between Gaethje and Max Holloway is as hotly anticipated as any mentioned here.
Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2
Gaethje has long carried the title of your favorite fighter’s favorite fighter, and the BMF belt goes fittingly with that moniker. His head kick knockout of Poirier was one of the year’s best, and it also gave him the back-to-back wins that put him in real title contention. It was thought that if Makhachev fought Charles Oliveira as originally planned in Abu Dhabi, Gaethje was next in line, but after Oliveira pulled out of the bout, the timing kind of went against “The Highlight.” The 35-year-old knockout artist isn’t one to rest too much on his laurels, which makes him a perfect dance partner for the former featherweight king.
“Blessed” has remained in limbo since falling to Alexander Volkanovski for a third time in July 2022. In 2023, he responded with a pair of quality wins to maintain his top spot at featherweight. He handed Arnold Allen his first loss in the Octagon via decision before knocking out The Korean Zombie in Singapore. The fight is just Holloway’s second in the UFC after falling to Dustin Poirier in their interim title fight at UFC 236. The Hawaiian former champ took that fight on eight weeks’ notice but has had much more time to acclimate his frame for 155 pounds ahead of fighting Gaethje.
Catching Up With Justin Gaethje | UFC 300
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Catching Up With Justin Gaethje | UFC 300
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There’s a lot on the line for Gaethje, including, but not limited to, his spot in line for a title shot. Meanwhile, Holloway could very well catapult himself into lightweight title contention while also having a chance to get his featherweight belt back with Ilia Topuria now on top of the division at 145 pounds. As far as stylistically, this fight has the makings of something iconic. From Holloway’s legendary volume, cardio and chin to Gaethje’s own durability, destructive power and penchant for a brawl, this fight is must-watch beyond the stakes.
Earlier on the same night, however, a fight as crucial, if not more so, goes down between former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and a man many long-assumed would fight for a title in Arman Tsarukyan. Oliveira emphatically placed his claim as the No. 1 contender when he ran through Beneil Dariush at UFC 289, but a cut suffered in camp just 10 days before his rematch with Makhachev threw everything into chaos. With Makhachev waiting, Oliveira is back in the position of defending his spot.
Tsarukyan has had the makings of a potential champion since he entered the UFC to face Makhachev in his promotional debut in April 2019. Those two earned Fight of the Night honors, and the 27-year-old Armenian went on to rack up eight wins out of nine fights since to climb the ladder. His potential contention was realized when he demolished Dariush just outside of a minute into their main event bout in December 2023. Now, he gets his real chance to show he is a title contender against “Do Bronx.”
The two should engage in a fascinating matchup, whether the fight is held on the feet, on the mat or a mixture of both. Oliveira is, famously, UFC’s all-time leader in submissions and finishes while Tsarukyan has shown clinical striking to go along with explosive wrestling.
That fight has been tabbed the No. 1 contender fight of the bunch, but as the fight game goes, timing is everything, so anyone could find themselves in pole position when it’s all said and done.
Makhachev will surely have his eyes closely watching all these fights before he gets to defend his belt for a third time. Should everything go cleanly (or as cleanly as it can in the fight game), Makhachev could very well have his next two opponents lined up by the time we get to mid-April.
These are all hypotheticals, though, and what matters is what goes down when each of these men make their respective walks to the Octagon on March 9 and April 13.
UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2 took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on March 9, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
