The stakes have been raised, literally and figuratively, for Saturday's historic UFC 300 card that features light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defending his title against top-ranked challenger Jamahal Hill. Their five-round showdown anchors the main UFC 300 fight card starting at 10 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Not only are all fighters motivated to give a memorable performance for perhaps the most anticipated card in the promotion's history, but they also have financial incentive as well. At Thursday's final press conference, UFC president Dana White agreed to raise the performance bonuses to $300,000 from the standard $50,000, to a raucous cheer from all the fighters in attendance.
Pereira is the -125 betting favorite (risk $125 to win $100), while Hill is a +105 underdog in the UFC 300 odds. In the co-main event, women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili (-480) defends her belt against challenger Yan Xiaonan (+360). Before locking in your UFC 300 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances.
Vithlani made his SportsLine debut in January 2023 and swept the main card for UFC 283 with a 5-0 record and has been a consistent winner since. In the last eight UFC pay-per-view events, Vithlani has gone 6-2 on main-event picks and his main-card selections in that span have netted his followers a profit of more than $1,500.
His highlights include calling the upset for Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Dustin Poirier (+190) against Benoit Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill on deck, Vithlani has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top selections. You can only see those picks at SportsLine.
UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill preview
The UFC 300 card will be noted in the history books for its depth of quality from the first fight to the last. The opening fight of the preliminary card features a battle of former world champions squaring off in Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbandt, while the main card is topped by a pair of UFC championship bouts.
Pereira (9-2) was fast-tracked to the top of the middleweight rankings primarily because of his kickboxing rivalry with former champion Israel Adesanya. At the time, the UFC was running short on qualified challengers for Adesanya and signed Pereira after just his fourth professional MMA fight.
The bold move paid off as the Brazilian would go on to upset Adesanya and win the middleweight title before moving up to light heavyweight and earning a second belt. In seven UFC appearances, the 36-year-old is 6-1 with four stoppages and belts in two separate divisions.
The versatile Hill (12-1-1) saw his own rapid ascent up the light heavyweight rankings result in a title when he outclassed former champion Glover Teixeira in January of last year in a five-round decision. However, the 32-year-old has been shelved ever since because of an ACL injury that required surgery and forced him to vacate the title.
Even so, Hill, who is known for his explosive striking, maintains he is now at full health and prepared to reclaim the title. He has received performance bonuses in four consecutive fights. You can see more UFC 300 picks at SportsLine.
UFC 300 predictions
We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC 300 predictions here: He is siding with Max Holloway (+170) to get his hand raised against Justin Gaethje (-250) in a lightweight showdown on the main card.
Holloway (25-7) is the celebrated former longtime featherweight champion who was unseated in that division by Alexander Volkanovski but remains one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. The 32-year-old Hawaiian, who is known for his nonstop pace and boxing technique, has moved up to lightweight on another occasion. He lost to Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title in April 2019 at UFC 236.
Gaethje (25-4) is the former World Series of Fighting champion who has come up short in two UFC title bouts, but nonetheless has created a legacy as perhaps the most reliable showman in the history of the promotion. The relentless brawler has received a performance bonus in all 12 of his UFC appearances, including for his head-kick knockout of Porier in July of last year.
"Holloway's cardio and chin are unmatched. He takes damage better than anyone and stays sharp even when the fight isn't going his way," Vithlani told SportsLine. You can see more UFC 300 picks at SportsLine.
How to make UFC 300 picks
Vithlani has strong picks for Pereira vs. Hill and other bouts on the UFC 300 fight card. He's also backing a fighter who "will have boxing and power advantages" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC 300, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $6,200, and find out.
UFC 300 odds, fight card
See full UFC 300 picks, predictions and best bets here.
Alex Pereira (-125) vs. Jamahal Hill (+105)
Zhang Weili (-480) vs. Yan Xiaonan (+360)
Max Holloway (+170) vs. Justin Gaethje (-250)
Charles Oliveira (+185) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (-225)
Bo Nickal (-2100) vs. Cody Brundage (+1100)
Jiri Prochazka (+100) vs. Aleksander Rakic (-120)
Aljamain Sterling (-170) vs. Calvin Kattar (+130)
Kayla Harrison (-500) vs. Holly Holm (+325)
Sodiq Yusuff (+110) vs. Diego Lopes (-135)
Jalin Turner (-250) vs. Renato Moicano (+190)
Jessica Andrade (-135) vs. Marina Rodriguez (+105)
Jim Miller (+170) vs. Bobby Green (-230)
Deiveson Figueiredo (-325) vs. Cody Garbandt (+250)
