3 fights to look forward to in April that aren't on UFC 300

All anyone is talking about right now is UFC 300 and rightly so, it's going to be an epic card with high-paced action and incredible match-making from start to finish. But there are only fights that MMA fans should also be watching that aren't happening that night.

PFL, LFA, ACA and other major MMA promotions have events in April as do several major boxing promotions. There's also a Power Slap show taking place on April 12. There's no shortage of combat action in April.

Here are three we think deserve some extra recognition.

Dakota Ditcheva vs. Lisa Mauldin - April 4 - PFL

The PFL will kick off its 2024 Regal Season with PFL 1 which takes place in San Antonio, TX. The card will feature the first round of the heavyweight and women's flyweight divisions and is headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Ante Delija and Valentin Moldavsky. But there's some women on the card who deserve extra attention.

2023 PFL Europe champion Dakota Ditcheva will be making her leap to the Global Series when she takes on Lisa Mauldin. Ditcheva is primed to be PFL's next big star and the space is wide open now that Kayla Harrison is gone. But she's got a tall task ahead of her in Mauldin and the rest of the flyweights including Bellator champion Liz Carmouche.

Keep your eyes on this fight because how Ditcheva preforms could dictate how the flyweight tournament will go the rest of the year.

How to watch: The PFL. regular season airs on ESPN+

Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia - April 20 - Boxing

Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia is scheduled for April 20 in Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The WBC super lightweight title is on the line and in a perfect completely normal world, this would just be a fun fight to watch. But if you have been paying attention to the news, you know this is anything but a normal fight.

Garcia's mental health has come into question in a big way over the last few weeks stemming from erratic social media posts including several indicating he'd been killed or harmed. It would not shock me if this fight gets canceled or Garcia removed before the event.

If it does end up coming to fruition, we'll want to keep an eye on how Garcia performs after such a wild training camp (if there's been one).

How to watch: This fight will air on DAZN

Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov - April 27 - UFC

Fans are having fun with this one. Ryan Spann will face Bogdan Guskov on April 27 as the co-main event of a UFC APEX fight night card. On paper, this is just anohter light heavyweight fight. But if you know the backstory it's actaully quite funny.

Guskov is known as the Anthony Smith lookalike, and the resemblance is uncanny. Spann has fought and lost twice to Smith. Many fans have joked that this is Spann's last chance to get his revenge on Smith, through his lookalike. In all seriousness though, Spann does really need a win. He's dropped his last two and has gone 3-4 in his last seven appearances.

How to watch: This card will air on ESPN+