DANA WHITE and his fellow matchmakers attempted to make a huge champion-versus-champion fight for the main event of UFC 300.
Mixed martial arts‘ top promotion is just a matter of weeks away from hosting its 300th pay-per-view event in Las Vegas.
UFCUFC 300 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Aprril 13[/caption]
UFCAlex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill tops the stacked and historic card[/caption]
GETTYBrit welterweight king Leon Edwards was in contention to headline the Las Vegas show[/caption]
EPA‘Rocky’ could have faced Islam Makahchev in a champ-vs-champ fight had it not been for Ramadan[/caption]
Topping the bill of the Sin City extravaganza is a light-heavyweight title fight between champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill.
But UFC 300’s main event could have featured a mega-bout between light and welterweight champions Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards had the former not been observing Ramadan.
When asked if he was asked to headline the card against Edwards, Makhachev told MMA Junkie: “Honestly, yes.
“But it’s not possible, man. Because we have Ramadan now.
“One month with fasting, and it’s not possible to do training in Ramadan.
“It’s very hard. You have to fast when the sun rises, and all day you have to fast.
“Training this time is very hard.”
Pound-for-pound Makhchev would have accepted the fight in a heartbeat if the card was a few weeks later, a message he told his manager Ali Abdelaziz to pass on to the UFC brass.
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He said: “I asked Ali can they push the UFC 300 like two weeks, I will be ready, but he said it’s not possible.”
Brit Edwards revealed in late December that he was on course to make the third defence of his welterweight strap at UFC 300.
The promotion offered him THREE different opponents for the card before settling on Pereira vs Hill as the main event.
And UFC president and CEO Dana White was full of praise for the Brummie for his willingness to accept the fights presented to him.
He said: “We were out there talking to lots of people, trying to make lots of fights.
“In this business, it’s about taking opportunities.
“Leon Edwards doesn’t say no to anybody. This kid is an absolute stud.
“He’s had like three opponents thrown at him during UFC 300. Yes, yes, and yes.
[He] was willing to take on anybody. Kid’s an absolute stud. Leon, thank you. Much respect.”Edwards was last in action in December at UFC 296, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over the controversial Colby Covington.