UFC 299 Start Time, Full Fight Details!

UFC 299 is set to go down TONIGHT (Sat., March 9, 2024) from inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Headlining the blockbuster ESPN+-streamed event (full fight card here) will be a highly-anticipated Bantamweight title rematch as division champion, Sean O’Malley, will defend his belt against awkward rival (and lone conqueror), Marlon Vera. In UFC 299’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, former interim Lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, returns to face-rising French finishing machine, Benoit Saint-Denis, in a pivotal 155-pound affair.

What’s Hot:

There were some people who didn’t believe O’Malley would reach the top of the Bantamweight mountain, even though the promotion was keen on making him a star from the jump. “Suga” made an impact right away with a scorching knockout win on Contender Series, and six years later he became world champion. His lone blemish came against Vera five fights deep into his UFC career, losing to “Chito” via technical knockout at UFC 252 (watch it). O’Malley blames the loss on a leg injury he suffered — which may have aided in the defeat — but Vera tuned him up pretty good before the referee intervened. It was a win, plain and simple. And “Chito” is now looking for a second to become world champion. O’Malley has more than proven his doubters wrong, and back-to-back wins over Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling helped in that cause. Now, if he can secure his first title defense against his bitter rival, it will only further add to his resume, reputation and “trash talk” arsenal.

Since defeating O’Malley in Aug. 2020, Vera has gone 5-2, racking up impressive wins over Dominick Cruz (see it), Frankie Edgar and Rob Font, among others. His recent run was good enough to earn him a title shot, and since it comes against a man he’s defeated before his confidence is sky high. The thing about Vera is that he is the complete opposite of O’Malley personality-wise. He stays true to himself, isn’t vocal and is as under the radar as they come. Even if he does become champion, I don’t expect that to change. Vera has the skills to get the job done, but whether he wants to believe it or not, O’Malley is a legit threat, which is weird to say because he is the current champion. I only say that because some fighters have a habit of overlooking someone they already defeated, and if “Chito” does that it could be a short night for him.

What’s Not:

Pedro Munhoz is 2-5-1 in his last eight fights inside the Octagon, while Kyler Phillips is 6-1, including five of his first six fights with UFC. It’s matchmaking like this that drives me crazy. It seems Munhoz is simply being used as a gatekeeper or possible stepping stone for Phillips.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Ian Machado Garry and Gary Neal were originally supposed to throw down on this card before it was moved to UFC 298 for unknown reasons. Garry went on to defeat Neal via split decision, putting an end to their beef once and for all.

Injuries:

Lauren Murphy suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced out of her Flyweight fight against Karine Silva. As a result, Silva has been booked to face off against Ariane Lipski on April 27, 2024.

New Blood:

After years of fighting under the Bellator banner, we finally get to put Michael Page in the “New Blood” section; however, he is far from a rookie. “MVP” quietly inked a deal with UFC in late 2023 and will make his Octagon debut against Kevin Holland in what is sure to be a hard-hitting Welterweight scrap. For years, fight fans have been pining to see Page face the best UFC has to offer because he was constantly getting criticized for fighting “cans” in Bellator. During his 10-year run with the PFL-owned promotion, “MVP” amassed a respectable 16-2 record. The big knock on him, however, is that he never won the division title. At 36 years of age, fight fans are hoping that Page’s best days aren’t behind him and a title run is in his future. That said, he has an opportunity to prove doubters wrong by getting a win over a respectable foe. A loss, however, will leave him wide open for even more scrutiny.

Robelis Despaigne made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in mid-2022, and four fights later he is now fighting for the biggest promotion in the world. Undefeated (4-0), Despaigne is a finishing machine, ending all of his fights in the first round. To sweeten his resume, one of his wins ended in a 12-second knockout, then after that a three-second knockout, and the following one in just four seconds. That is unheard of! That said, don’t expect him to have an easy night against Josh Parisian despite the big man’s recent struggles. He is currently on a two-fight losing streak and has lost three of his last four. Still, the Olympic bronze medalist is as dangerous as they come.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

The undercard will be headlined by a Heavyweight bout that would normally be a headlining act on a “Fight Night” card as Curtis Blaydes takes on Jailton Almeida. Blaydes is currently ranked No. 5 in the Heavyweight division, and most recently had his three-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Sergei Pavlovich, who knocked out “Razor” one year ago (highlights). Almeida, on the other hand, is unbeaten so far in his UFC career, racking up six straight wins after exploding onto the scene via Contender Series. He is currently on a 15-fight win streak overall and one more big win away from cracking the Top 5. Almeida has a big chance here to take a big leap in his career.

After losing back-to-back fights a couple of years ago, Maycee Barber has once again found her groove, winning five straight inside the Octagon, including her most recent win over Amanda Ribas. “The Future” now looks to crack the Top 5 herself by securing a win over long-time veteran, Katlyn Cerminara, who is sitting pretty in the No. 4 slot. Despite the win streak, the Barber hype train has slowed a bit, but she hopes to boost it back up with an impressive win in South Beach.

Rafael dos Anjos has not competed on the undercard since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2014, but that’s where he finds himself on the stacked lineup. He will be taking on Mateusz Gamrot, winner of two straight and six of seven overall. “RDA” has seen better days himself, losing two of his last three. A win over a rising Lightweight contender like Gamrot would definitely be a cure-all for his woes inside the cage.

Ion Cutelaba managed to snap his horrid three-fight losing streak, defeating Tanner Boser via first round technical knockout more than one year ago. He will look to keep that momentum going by attempting to take out Philipe Lins, who has won three in a row since dropping back down to the Light Heavyweight division.

Since suffering a two-fight skid early in his UFC career, Michel Pereira has quietly won six fights in a row. Still, it has not been good enough to help him crack the Top 15, but if he keeps on winning, the voters can’t keep denying him. He will face Michał Oleksiejczuk, who is 3-1 in his last four fights and was last seen stopping Chidi Njokuani via first round technical knockout six months ago.

Winner of 14 straight fights, Asu Almabaev won his UFC debut, submitting Ode Osbourne in Aug. 2023. The submission specialist now faces C.J. Vergara in his sophomore effort, who is just 3-2 in his five fights with the promotion. Vergara missed weight by one pound and will now cough up 30 percent of his purse to Almabaev.

Kicking off the massive event will be a women’s Flyweight bout between two veterans on the outside of the Top 15 looking in. Joanne Wood finally got back into the winner’s circle, snapping her three-fight losing streak by narrowly edging out Luana Carolina via split decision in late 2023. As for Moroz, she is in desperate need of a win after dropping her last two fights. A third straight could mark the end of her UFC career.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Remember when Petr Yan started off his UFC career with seven straight wins and won the Bantamweight title by knocking out Jose Aldo at UFC 251? Well, those days are long gone. Since losing his strap because of an infamous illegal knee he landed on Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259, “No Mercy” has been a shell of his former self. Sure, he won the interim belt shortly after by defeating Corey Sandhagen, but he has since lost three straight fights against Sterling (for a second time), Sean O’ Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. While that is some high-grade competition, the fact remains that Yan needs a win in the worst way when he goes up against Song Yadong. “The Kung Fu Kid” has been on a very quiet roll, winning five of his last six fights, earning him the No. 7 spot on the rankings. If he can hand Yan his fourth straight loss, he will crack the Top 5, all while sending “No Mercy’s” career tumbling down even further.

Interest Level: 9/10

The co-main event will feature a fight that almost never happened. After a mix up, miscommunication or whatever Dustin Poirier wants you to believe, the contracts were eventually signed by he and Benoit Saint-Denis. Poirier hasn’t been seen in action since getting knocked out by the newest member of the “BMF” club, Justin Gaethje, in July 2023 (see it again here). That was “The Diamond’s” second loss in three fights, taking him further away from the championship picture. It’s a tough streak for the long-time veteran, who wants nothing but big fights to help him to get back to the big dance before he retires.

While Saint-Denis isn’t exactly the biggest name out there, he is a dangerous foe. I’ll admit, I was taken back when this fight was announced because I fully expected Poirier to get someone ranked in the Top 10 (closer to the Top 5). “God of War” currently sits at No. 12, almost making him a high risk, low-reward scenario for Poirier. Saint-Denis is on the rise, however, winning five straight after stumbling out of the UFC gates with a loss against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. The Frenchman now has a big opportunity to take a huge leap in the rankings at the expense of Poirier. This fight is also a big chance for Poirier to prove that he still has juice left in the tank.

Another pivotal Welterweight showdown between Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Madallena has the chance to steal the show. Burns is as entertaining as they come, and is perhaps the man who gave Khamzat Chimaev his toughest test to date. Coming off a loss to Belal Muhammad, “Durinho” has a chance to get back in the win column by stopping Madallena’s momentum. Indeed, “JDM” is currently on a 16-fight win streak, which includes winning his first six fights under the UFC banner. While coming off a split decision win over Kevin Holland, a victory over Burns would be huge for Madallena, who has won four post-fight bonus awards in six UFC bouts. This one promises to be a banger.

This is a very deep card, perhaps even better than the much-scrutinized UFC 300 landmark event. It promises to deliver on all fronts. starting with the “Prelims” all the way to the main event. I just don’t see how this card flops.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 299 Fight Card:

UFC 299 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera

UFC 299 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
170 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page
170 lbs.: Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
135 lbs.: Petr Yan vs. Yadong Song

UFC 299 Late ‘Prelims’ Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida
125 lbs.: Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber
155 lbs.: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos
135 lbs.: Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips

UFC 299 Early ‘Prelims’ Card On Fight Pass/ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET)

205 lbs.: Ion Cutelaba vs. Philipe Lins
185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
265 lbs.: Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian
125 lbs.: C.J. Vergara vs. Asu Almabaev
125 lbs.: Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz

*Fight card, bout order and amount of fights remain subject to change.*

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 299 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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