Predicting the UFC 300 Fight of the Night

UFC 300 goes down in just a few days and with arguably the most talent-rich fight card in promotion history, April 13 will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest nights mixed martial arts has ever seen. With 12 current or former champions set to compete at the historic event, and many more top contenders and rising prospects, picking a fight that stands above the rest may be a difficult task.

The obvious choice and prediction for Fight of the Night would be Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway, who are competing at lightweight for the BMF title. Gaethje is coming off his head-kick knockout of Dustin Poirier and is the reigning BMF Champion. Holloway is a winner of four of his last five fights highlighted by a walk-off knockout against the Korean Zombie (Chan Sung Jung) in his most recent fight.

Without going into too much more detail about the illustrious careers both individuals have had, the expectations for the BMF championship showdown are sky-high, and for good reason. It would be easy to assume this matchup between Gaethje and Holloway will end up as the Fight of the Night and a potential Fight of the Year candidate.

However, among all the incredible fights at UFC 300, it is the other high-profile lightweight contest between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan that we think will steal the spotlight.

Billed as a potential No. 1 contender matchup between two top-five lightweight contenders, the skill level in this contest is arguably the highest on the entire card. Oliveira is a winner of 12 of his last 13 fights and is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Beneil Dariush in June 2023. Similarly, Tsarukyan is just a few months removed from his very own first-round knockout win over Dariush.

Tsarukyan is an incredibly skilled mixed martial artist but especially with his world-class wrestling and overall grappling prowess. His only two career defeats inside the Octagon have come against two other top lightweights in Mateusz Gamrot and current lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. Many believe Tsarukyan has the skill and style to take the title away from Makhachev, especially considering how close their first fight was, and with a win over the No. 1 lightweight contender in the world, he will easily be in line for a rematch at some point in the future.

Oliveira is the former UFC lightweight champion who holds a number of impressive records throughout his remarkable career. Inside the Octagon, he is the all-time leader in submission victories, finishes, and post-fight bonuses. His finishes over Dariush, Gaethje, Poirier, and Michael Chandler have cemented him as one of the elite fighters in the lightweight division, the UFC, and in the history of mixed martial arts.

Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan could be the sneaky Fight of the Night at UFC 300

While some believe Tsarukyan will be able to use his wrestling expertise to slow the pace of the fight down and limit the finishing ability of Oliveira, this may not be the easiest path to victory. Oliveira is one of the most skilled jiu-jitsu practitioners in the sport and routinely invites his opponents to the canvas to challenge these skills even if he has been knocked down.

Sure, Tsarukyan could try to force the fight to the cage and make it more of a clinch battle, but it would only be a matter of time before Oliveira would be able to use his forward pressure and bring the fight to Tsarukyan. Also, with the historic presence of an event like UFC 300 surrounding the matchup, both competitors will likely want to put on a show and deliver a memorable fight. Oliveira is no stranger to fighting on the grandest stage in the sport, but for Tsarukyan, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, and will be looking to capitalize in front of the biggest audience of his career.

The way Oliveira has been fighting over the past several years makes it very hard to believe that this fight makes it the distance. Both fighters have proven their ability to compete with and defeat top level lightweight fighters and with the high stakes attached to this likely title eliminator matchup, look for Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan to deliver a Fight of the Night performance.