UFC 298 > UFC 300

[TheMMAnalyst]

I would definitely give both Costa/Whittaker and Merab/Henry a 4/5, both are really intriguing fights and style matchups imo.

And I personally think O'Malley/Chito is lame, the guy wins the belt then calls out a guy who has at least 3 contenders ahead of him... reminiscent of Bisping giving a title shot to washed up Hendo after winning the belt (though not quite as egregious as that).

I personally don't see how Costa/Whittaker is 4/5 - as I noted, Costa is 1-2 in the last 5 years! The only win was against a washed Rockhold where Costa looked bad and Rockhold retired after. Whittaker has been on a slow decline since getting smoked by Izzy in the first fight, he's still really good but he's losing athleticism, durability, and confidence. So I don't think he can fight in that super-cool style he used to have and use against Yoel were he pushes into the pocket and looks to land combinations, he'll probably use a lot of feints and movement to avoid getting stuck on the cage or in the pocket.

Is either one of these guys at their best? To me they both peaked in 2019, so even though they are big names (one a former champ, the other a former contender) there just isn't as much shine left on their names or the match-up for me .

Merab/Cejduo could arguably be a 4, but Cejduo is on the heavy decline and Merab is getting shut-out of the title picture it would seem....so what are they even fighting for? Stylistically I would expect to see a lot of clinching and neither guy is known for landing with power consistently, they both look to overwhelm guys with multi-layered attacks, so should be very technical but not violent (I think of Aljo/Cejudo and how nobody was even bleeding or cut after 5 rounds of fighting at a high pace lol).

Suga/Chito is lame from the stand-point of "the best contender is not fighting the champ" but as noted - there is back-story (last guy to beat Suga), they will sell the fight with some hype, and stylistically it is a very cool fight; Suga looking to out-fight and snipe with a speed advantage and a pressuring Chito that is more flat-footed but has more power and durability. Even if you think Chito line-jumping is lame, it should be a really cool fight.

I think the Bisping/Hendo comparison is a bit of a stretch as you noted (Hendo was ranked #13 and didn't have a relevant win against Bisping; it was 7 years later when that rematch happened, this is only 3.5 years removed, plus this is O'Malley's last/only loss).

But I do see your points and perspective, I think your ratings are completely fair.

 

[whocares]

I'd be happy to tell you which event is better as soon as they're over

 

[JKS]

LOL, are we really comparing 298 that has 4 good fights to 300 which pretty much every fight is a main event? Don't mean to sound like Dana here, but it's true.

But one of those 4 is a top notch fight between one of the best p4p guys vs an undefeated stud. None of the 300 fights are comparable.

You don't even have the main event yet and another big fight will be announced. And the fights aren't comparable?? LOL, come on, Gaethje vs Max and Arman vs Olivera are among the best fights you can make.

You have to look at the entire card overall, not just the main event for 298. Overall, card to card, its not really comparable.

 

[Koro_11]

I personally don't see how Costa/Whittaker is 4/5 - as I noted, Costa is 1-2 in the last 5 years! The only win was against a washed Rockhold where Costa looked bad and Rockhold retired after. Whittaker has been on a slow decline since getting smoked by Izzy in the first fight, he's still really good but he's losing athleticism, durability, and confidence. So I don't think he can fight in that super-cool style he used to have and use against Yoel were he pushes into the pocket and looks to land combinations, he'll probably use a lot of feints and movement to avoid getting stuck on the cage or in the pocket.

Is either one of these guys at their best? To me they both peaked in 2019, so even though they are big names (one a former champ, the other a former contender) there just isn't as much shine left on their names or the match-up for me .

Merab/Cejduo could arguably be a 4, but Cejduo is on the heavy decline and Merab is getting shut-out of the title picture it would seem....so what are they even fighting for? Stylistically I would expect to see a lot of clinching and neither guy is known for landing with power consistently, they both look to overwhelm guys with multi-layered attacks, so should be very technical but not violent (I think of Aljo/Cejudo and how nobody was even bleeding or cut after 5 rounds of fighting at a high pace lol).

Suga/Chito is lame from the stand-point of "the best contender is not fighting the champ" but as noted - there is back-story (last guy to beat Suga), they will sell the fight with some hype, and stylistically it is a very cool fight; Suga looking to out-fight and snipe with a speed advantage and a pressuring Chito that is more flat-footed but has more power and durability. Even if you think Chito line-jumping is lame, it should be a really cool fight.

I think the Bisping/Hendo comparison is a bit of a stretch as you noted (Hendo was ranked #13 and didn't have a relevant win against Bisping; it was 7 years later when that rematch happened, this is only 3.5 years removed, plus this is O'Malley's last/only loss).

But I do see your points and perspective, I think your ratings are completely fair.

While everything you say is correct, Whittaker vs Costa really turns me on (no homo).

Also, although Merab/Henry is unlikely to make a sacrifice at the alter of the just bleed god, the matchup is very intriguing to me because I want to see how Merab implements his clinching and grappling heavy style against an Olympic wrestler.

 

[Rationality]

All I've got time to watch is the main card so yeah, 298 is looking good for sure. Dana must be pulling his armpit hair out over trying to fill that 300 main event.

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

While everything you say is correct, Whittaker vs Costa really turns me on (no homo).

Also, although Merab/Henry is unlikely to make a sacrifice at the alter of the just bleed god, the matchup is very intriguing to me because I want to see how Merab implements his clinching and grappling heavy style against an Olympic wrestler.

I'm super-intrigued by how Merab/Cejudo will play out, but when there is just no expectation of a violent finish it really brings things down a notch for me - on top of that without a violent finish either man is going to be locked out of a title fight, so they are basically fighting to be in-line behind Sandhagen?

Whittaker vs. Costa is just a fight I wish took place 5 years ago when both guys had peak confidence and durability. Now that they've both been finished (and hurt repeatedly) I just can't expect the type of prolonged wars that were Whittaker/Romero 1+2 or Costa/Romero....hope I'm wrong though!

 

[Rationality]

Merab/Henry is being underrated. Former dominant double champ vs. an almost unstoppable force. I don't care about their height, the skills and cardio here will be off the charts.

 

[blaseblase]

I'm super-intrigued by how Merab/Cejudo will play out, but when there is just no expectation of a violent finish it really brings things down a notch for me - on top of that without a violent finish either man is going to be locked out of a title fight, so they are basically fighting to be in-line behind Sandhagen?

Sandhagen's last win was boring as fuck and Merab is already ranked above him. Pretty sure the winner of this is the next contender.

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

LOL, are we really comparing 298 that has 4 good fights to 300 which pretty much every fight is a main event? Don't mean to sound like Dana here, but it's true.


You don't even have the main event yet and another big fight will be announced. And the fights aren't comparable?? LOL, come on, Gaethje vs Max and Arman vs Olivera are among the best fights you can make.

You have to look at the entire card overall, not just the main event for 298. Overall, card to card, its not really comparable.

Since they took so long to have a main event it's either Conor or bust at this point, and Conor vs. Chandler as the main event would be atrocious if we are being honest.

300 has amazing name-value but in terms of match-ups the best fights are the top 3 considerably - I don't see how you can make the argument these should be Main Event fights:

Jiri vs. Rakic - one guy has fought once in 1.5 years, the other hasn't fought in 2 years and has a notoriously slow-paced/conservative approach to fighting (which should nullify the wild-man).

Kattar vs. Sterling - one guy moving up a division as a grappler (that never works out well) against a gatekeeper

That's just the main card - you are telling me you'd look forward to cards with Main Events of...

Bobby Green/Jim Miller
Jessica Andrade/Marina Rodriguez
Sodiq Yuseff/Diego Lopes
Holly Holm/Kayla Harrison
Figgy/CoGar
Bo Nickal/Cody Brundage



Don't get me wrong, there are some cool fights in there (Yuseff/Lopes by far the best one), but while they scream "name value" they also scream washed/set-up fights for like half of them:

Bobby Green/Jim Miller - super old dudes that bring a fun fight - both semi-washed but still entertaining...
Jessica Andrade/Marina Rodriguez - pretty damn good for WMMA to be fair, but main event? Andrade is 1-3 in her last 4 (3 fight losing streak prior to the Dern win), Rodriguez beat-up the ghost of an Atomweight in Waterson...
Sodiq Yuseff/Diego Lopes - really like this fight, should be super-technical and violent, but neither guy has the real name value to make this a main event (neither is even close to being a contender yet, but this will make one of them relevant to make a run)
Holly Holm/Kayla Harrison - Holm is washed and beyond boring, Kayla is just boring in general; only interesting thing is can Kayla make the weight cut and how few strikes will connect
Figgy/CoGar - Both semi-washed but still have skills and power, seems Figgy has a tad bit more durability left at this stage than CoGar, but I don't expect either to be relevant contenders again
Bo Nickal/Cody Brundage - Set-up fight to get Nickel an easy and dominant win (they really are "slow-building" him by giving him the worst guys in the division)

What 300 has is "name-value" - we know all these fighters pretty well (except Brundage), but these match-ups are just mostly "good fights" that don't have tremendous divisional relevance except Andrade/Rodrigues and Yuseff/Lopes (I guess you could say Holm/Harrison, but I don't care about women's BW to be honest).

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

Sandhagen's last win was boring as fuck and Merab is already ranked above him. Pretty sure the winner of this is the next contender.

If only that was how the game worked.

Merab wins a boring decision holding Cejudo against the cage I don't think anyone except hardcore fans will give a shit if they pass him over again.

Sandhagen's last win was boring as fuck because he hurt himself bad in the first; outside of that pretty much every fight he's put on has been technical and violent.

I mean I could see it happening, but if the UFC is interested in keeping Suga as champ they aren't matching him up with pressure-fighting cardio-machine wrestlers.

 

[Reptile_Bong_Hit]

Based on a combination of name value, resume, and style/action, I have:

Volk v Topuria > Charles v Arman >
Justin v Holloway > Merab v Cejudo >
Rob v Costa > Jiri v Rakic.

All great fights though. You can certainly argue the main card of 298 is better (I’d disagree), but not top to bottom, IMO.

 

[blaseblase]

If only that was how the game worked.

Merab wins a boring decision holding Cejudo against the cage I don't think anyone except hardcore fans will give a shit if they pass him over again.

Sandhagen's last win was boring as fuck because he hurt himself bad in the first; outside of that pretty much every fight he's put on has been technical and violent.

I mean I could see it happening, but if the UFC is interested in keeping Suga as champ they aren't matching him up with pressure-fighting cardio-machine wrestlers.

Except Sandhagen is the one who got passed over for being boring. Merab didn't get the title shot because of the BS with Aljo. I don't see a scenario where Sandhagen gets the title shot. Beating Cejudo > beating Font. Beating Yan > beating Font. Beating Aldo > Font.

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

Except Sandhagen is the one who got passed over for being boring. Merab didn't get the title shot because of the BS with Aljo. I don't see a scenario where Sandhagen gets the title shot. Beating Cejudo > beating Font. Beating Yan > beating Font. Beating Aldo > Font.

Sandhagen dominated Vera a year ago and now Vera is fighting for the title because of his backstory with O’Malley.

Beating Cejudo, a 37-year-old with 1 fight in 4 years (a loss, even if a good performance), doesn’t really do that much for Merab unless he gets a highlight real finish.

If the UFC wants to keep Suga champ they’ll avoid the Merab fight at all costs, it’s the worst style matchup for him.

You are thinking the UFC is playing chess when they are playing checkers - they will ALWAYS do the short-term solution that makes them the most money.

If Merab KO’s Cejudo and cuts a promo I can see it….but if he wins a clinch-heavy decision I don’t think the UFC will care enough to give him the push.

 

[Ahem]

I kept hearing how good 298 is, but taking a look at the event listings, 298 is top heavy at best. 7 of the first 8 fights range from "meh, I'm not that bothered" to straight up "I couldn't care less" and people act like it's some great card? The fuck am I missing?

With 300, I actually care what the results are of at least half those fights

I’d give you 100 likes for using “couldn’t” care less if I could.


But agreed, 298 may have the better main event, but 300 beats it on depth.

 

[blaseblase]

Sandhagen dominated Vera a year ago and now Vera is fighting for the title because of his backstory with O’Malley.

Beating Cejudo, a 37-year-old with 1 fight in 4 years (a loss, even if a good performance), doesn’t really do that much for Merab unless he gets a highlight real finish.

If the UFC wants to keep Suga champ they’ll avoid the Merab fight at all costs, it’s the worst style matchup for him.

You are thinking the UFC is playing chess when they are playing checkers - they will ALWAYS do the short-term solution that makes them the most money.

If Merab KO’s Cejudo and cuts a promo I can see it….but if he wins a clinch-heavy decision I don’t think the UFC will care enough to give him the push.

You're making up this weird scenario in your head where Sandhagen is the top contender and he's just simply not. Merab was already ahead of Sandhagen before this fight and he will be after if he wins.

Beating Cejudo > Font
Beating Aldo > Font
Beating Yan > Font

Merab already has two wins more impressive than anything Sandhagen has done and if he wins he'll have three. And if he loses Cejudo will be the top contender. Sandhagen needs to take another fight to wipe away the stink of the Font fight. I guarantee you he's not getting the next title shot.

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

You're making up this weird scenario in your head where Sandhagen is the top contender and he's just simply not. Merab was already ahead of Sandhagen before this fight and he will be after if he wins.

Beating Cejudo > Font
Beating Aldo > Font
Beating Yan > Font

Merab already has two wins more impressive than anything Sandhagen has done and if he wins he'll have three. And if he loses Cejudo will be the top contender. Sandhagen needs to take another fight to wipe away the stink of the Font fight. I guarantee you he's not getting the next title shot.

No one cares about Merab stalling Aldo out of a title shot.

He had one elite relevant win, the Yan fight - Aldo and Moraes (the other 2 recent wins) are retired and Cejudo is going to retire if he loses…how does beating guys who retire after make you look good?

Merab basically guaranteed he wouldn’t ever get a title shot during the Aljo phase; now that Aljo is gone do they really need Merab?

Beating the last guy to fight for the title is the most relevant thing; since Vera is fighting for the title that makes Sandhagen relevant again.

All the other BW’s are booked, so regardless who wins Suga or Vera there is a stylistic or storyline match to make for Sandhagen.

If Merab wants a title shot he needs a highlight reel KO or absolute beat down domination, otherwise I’d bet he gets skipped again.

In no sane world is Cejudo the top contender going 1-1 after a 4 year layoff.

 

[Dandy Chiggins]

People really bought into the hype of UFC 300.

UFC 298 is far superior, If you look at the cringe power, and need to remind you cringeness yields great cards. we got Volkanovski now with the senior citizen act, Costa is all time great in social media entertainment, Topiria with the poor man's Conor act, Merab joining in with the Colby cringe, CCC himself king of cringe. List goes on and on. This will be one of the greatest and cringiest cards to date.

 

[ImLovinIt]

100>200>300

 

[The Witcher]

UFC 298 isnt watered down with womens mma so yes its better

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

People are acting like 300 is the worst card put together