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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
Safe to say, UFC 300 delivered in every way imaginable.
For starters, the card stayed remarkably intact. Not a single canceled fight, which is relatively unheard of in modern mixed martial arts. It delivered great action throughout the prelims. Great storylines. Arguably the greatest knockout of all time. And a superstar-caliber performance in the main event.
The UFC drew it up well, and the athletes knocked it out of the park. But, considering the stacked fight card the promotion just delivered last weekend, it sparks one question: How will they top it at UFC 400?
At the UFC’s current pace with numbered events, UFC 400 will land in 2032. Though it’s hard to determine matchups so far in advance, it’s never too early to look at the roster’s current stars that could be next up to fight on a UFC centennial pay-per-view event. So, just for fun, here is a list of fighters who could wind up on the UFC 400 main card.
Bo Nickal
What a story it would be. The UFC could show highlights of Nickal booing his own performance at UFC 300, along with the audio of him vowing to deliver his best performance at UFC 400.
Nickal was probably a bit hard on himself on Saturday. Anyone can see the talent is there and the future is very bright. He told the audience in attendance and at home they will like him, if they don’t already. He’ll be mostly right on that. “Bo Nickal moves up to win a second UFC championship” sounds like a potential UFC 400 storyline.
Khamzat Chimaev
Around 2022, Chimaev had the most star potential of anyone I’d seen in years. There was so much intrigue around him. He was so skilled and emerged seemingly out of nowhere. Chimaev was hitting a level of dominance that’s not seen often in the UFC, and he was so cocky and ruthless about it. He had everything going for him, but in the last two years, underwhelming performances, a weight miscue and his lack of activity have killed much of the hype. But, he is still capable of recapturing it. Chimaev is the kind of guy who could sell out a stadium if things go right.
Tom Aspinall
Aspinall would be about 39 years old by the time of UFC 400, which is, historically, not a problem at heavyweight. And he might be the most technically skilled heavyweight ever by the time he’s done. The record for most consecutive UFC heavyweight title defenses is three, held by Stipe Miocic. It’s possible that Aspinall could chase down that record in his career. If he does reach that level of accomplishment and pairs that with the backing of the U.K. fanbase, he could be a great face for the UFC 400 poster.
Max Holloway
Every major landmark card needs a surprise announcement, right? At UFC 400, Holloway comes out of retirement to make an unexpected appearance. The narrative is too good to pass up.
Eight years after he delivered one of the biggest moments in UFC history, the “Blessed Man Forever” (as Holloway called the BMF title) returns for one more. Holloway loves Jose Aldo, and Aldo is doing this next month at UFC 301, coming out of retirement to fight in Rio de Janeiro. Tell me Holloway wouldn’t do the same for UFC 400 at age 40.
Maycee Barber
She used to have a constant running countdown on her phone, to remind her how many days she had left to beat Jon Jones‘s record of youngest champion in UFC history. Unfortunately, she came up short of that goal, but that doesn’t change the fact that Barber is barely scratching the surface of her potential at 25 years old. And she already has nine wins in the UFC. She is on track for a remarkably successful career, and she’ll only be age 33 when UFC 400 rolls around.
Ilia Topuria
Topuria’s featherweight title reign is in its infancy, and we’ll see how it unfolds — but it is pretty wild that this man is the champion and one of the youngest featherweights in the division. He has big aspirations. He’s thinking about the big picture and participating in big events.
His skill level speaks for itself. UFC 100, 200 and 300 were all in Las Vegas. I would set the odds of UFC 400 landing in Las Vegas at about -2500. But Topuria is one of the few fighters on the roster I could see the promotion making an exception for eight years from now. UFC 400 in Spain?