The MMA world been looking forward to UFC 300 for a long time, but UFC 299 might have an even bigger fight card. In fact, top-to-bottom, UFC 299 has one of the deepest fight cards ever. There is plenty of star talent to headline the event, too, as Sean O'Malley -arguably the biggest name currently in the sport of MMA – will be in the main event.
O'Malley, the current Bantamweight Champion, will be putting his belt on the line against Marlon Vera, who is the only fighter that O'Malley has lost to in his career. The championship bout is far from the only entertaining fight on UFC 299, so we are going to take you through the entire card and explain how to watch the action.
When and where is UFC 299?
UFC 299 is on Saturday, March 9. The fights are taking place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. This will be the second time the UFC is taking place at the Kaseya Center since Kaseya took over sponsorship rights from FTX. The last event at the Kaseya Center was UFC 287, where Israel Adesyana recaptured his title from Alex Pereira.
The UFC 299 early-prelims will kick off the action starting at 6 p.m. ET, and the prelims will follow that up at 8 p.m. ET. Usually, fans are mainly looking forward to the main card, but the prelims in this event are filled with fighters worthy of fighting on a main card. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC 299
The main card will be available exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The prelims will be on ESPN and ESPN+, and the early prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass.
Date: Saturday, March 9 | Time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: Kaseya Center — Miami, Florida
How to watch: ESPN+ pay-per-view
Odds: O'Malley -280, Vera +210
Fight Card
Main card:
Bantamweight: Sean O'Malley (champion) vs. Marlon Vera, title bout (main event)
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Welterweight: Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page
Welterweight: Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Bantamweight: Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong
Prelims:
Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida
Women's flyweight: Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber
Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Bantamweight: Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
Early-prelims:
Light heavyweight: Ion Cutelaba vs. Philipe Lins
Middleweight: Michael Pereira vs. Michael Oleksiejczuk
Heavyweight: Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian
Flyweight: CJ Vergara vs. Assu Almabayev
Women's flyweight: Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz
Main event
Sean O'Malley is perhaps the most recognizable star in the UFC right now. With colorful tattoos and hair, he is easily identifiable, and his incredible skills in the octagon have made him a big deal since he won Dana White's Contender Series 2. O'Malley competes in the bantamweight division, and he is one of the hardest hitters in that weight class.
O'Malley's timing and accuracy are among the best in the UFC, which makes him one of the best strikers in the company. That is enhanced by great footwork and advanced kicking abilities. His style is aesthetically pleasing, but it also works, as he has compiled a 17-1 record in MMA.
That includes 10 wins in the UFC, the most recent of which was against Aljamain Sterling. O'Malley knocked out Sterling and was crowned champion in the process.
That lone loss and the only blemish on his record came at UFC 252, and it was against none other than Marlon Vera. O'Malley has publicly stated that he doesn't even count that as a loss because he feels he was beating Vera until he suffered drop foot in a freakish injury that left him unable to compete at his normal level.
Vera believes this was no fluke, though, and he is ready to prove himself in the rematch. Vera effectively caused O'Malley's drop foot with some well-placed leg kicks. O'Malley has a reach advantage, and he will need to better manage distance this go around.
Additionally, Vera is a good wrestler and grappler. In theory, that can be beneficial against a fighter like O'Malley, who prefers to stay on the feet. However, Aljamain Sterling is one of the best takedown artists in the UFC, and O'Malley was able to knock him out by round two.
Vera is only the fifth-ranked contender in the bantamweight division, but this fight is one of the most anticipated rematched of all time. O'Malley has quickly risen through the ranks, and Vera was the only one who could ever stop him. Another win by Vera would prove that he is O'Malley's kryptonite, but an O'Malley victory would give him his first title defense and brighten his stardom even more than it already is.
UFC 299 main card storylines
While the main event is a big one, there is tons of talent at UFC 299 in both the rest of the main card and in the prelims. Before O'Malley and Vera face-off, Dustin Poirier is scheduled to take on Benoit Saint-Denis. Poirier has been one of the biggest stars in the UFC for a long time, and his longevity is only matched by a few in the history of the company.
Poirier is a former interim champion in the lightweight division, and he is most known for beating Conor McGregor twice. He has only won one fight since last beating McGregor, though, as he lost to both Charles Oliviera and Justin Gaethje. Although he is 35 years old now and has those two recent losses, by no means has Poirier looked like he is over the hill.
He is still one of the most lethal strikers in the UFC, and a win against Saint-Denis would mean he might still have enough left in the tank for one more title run. Poirier is considered to be one of the greatest fighters to ever not be an undisputed champion.
Things won't be easy against Saint-Denis, though. His ground-and-pound game, along with his submission threat, make him a very scary fighter. Saint-Denis has won his last five fights in dominant fashion, and he is one of the best up-and-comers in the sport.
Speaking of prospects, Michael “Venom” Page is one of the biggest signings the UFC has made in a while, and he will be making his debut with the promotion at UFC 299. The former Bellator fighter has one of the most unique and unorthodox styles in MMA, and it is certainly entertaining.
Page is known for throwing crazy combinations and for trying a number of flashy finishing attempts. That style means he can knock out opponents at any given time, but he has never been challenged against UFC-level competition.
Page will likely put on a crowd-pleasing show against Kevin Holland, another fighter who always entertains. Like Page, Holland doesn't usually spend much time on the ground, and he is always shooting for knockouts. Holland is known for taking whatever fight Dana White needs him to take, and this is another example of that because Page is way scarier than your average unranked fighter.
Also on the main card is Gilbert Burns, who will be taking on Jack Della Maddalena. Burns formerly fought for the championship, and he has had a number of high-profile fights over in recent years. Unfortunately, he has lost three of his last six fights. He will still be Della Maddalena's toughest test to date. Della Maddalena has won each of his first seven UFC fights.
The first fight on the main card will feature a former champion. Petr Yan is a former undisputed and interim champion in the bantamweight division, but he has been on a skid as of recent. Yan has lost each of his last three fights, so he needs to get back on track against Song Yadong. The Chinese fighter is nicknamed the ‘Kung Fu Kid' because of his entertaining style, and this fight will likely be a thriller.
Noteworthy UFC 299 preliminary fights
On top of the main card, there are also some big fights taking place in the prelims. Curtis Blaydes is the number five ranked heavyweight. That type of fighter isn't usually fighting in prelims, but that just goes to show you how stacked UFC 299 is. This is especially true when considering that Blaydes' opponent, Jailton Almeida, is ranked seventh in the division.
Additionally, Rafael Dos Anjos will be fighting in the prelims. Dos Anjos is well past his prime, but he is a former champion nonetheless. He is taking on number six-ranked Mateusz Gamot.
With Pedro Munhoz, Katlyn Cerminara, and Maycee Barber all in the prelims, there will be seven ranked fighters stepping into the octagon before the main card even starts.
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