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Ben Askren To Dana White After UFC 300 Main Event Announcement: 'You Let Us Down A Little, But It Happens Sometimes'

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 2/22/24

Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren is among those who sees the UFC 300 main event between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill as a disappointment.

After months of speculation that saw names like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and even Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey thrown around the mixed martial arts rumor mill, UFC 300 finally has its poster pairing confirmed.

Rather than the sport's biggest star or a surprise return, the April 13 headliner will see the expected next step in the light heavyweight division go down, with champion Pereira putting his gold on the line for the first time opposite ex-titleholder Hill.

While most have branded the fight a good one, plenty have dismissed it as being worthy of the headline spot for the milestone UFC 300 event.

Evidently, Askren sits in that camp...

Askren: Pereira vs. Hill Not 'UFC 300ish'

During the latest episode of his Funky & the Champ show alongside Daniel Cormier, Askren gave his take on the long-awaited UFC 300 announcement, which finally came in the moments after the UFC 298 pay-per-view in Anaheim concluded.

Putting on his best supportive coach impression, "Funky" sympathized with his former employer, telling UFC CEO Dana White that he tried his best, but ultimately still "let us down."

"You know, this is what I tell my athletes," Askren said. "Dana, you tried your best. You worked hard to get something. You let us down a little bit, but it happens sometimes! We can't all be the best every time.

"Now, these are good fights, this (main event) is a fun fight, this is a great fight card. But it doesn't feel UFC 300ish, it doesn't," Askren continued. "We needed something a little bigger, like Pereira vs. (Tom) Aspinall, Jon Jones coming back, (Conor) McGregor vs. (Michael) Chandler. He (White) tried, he tried to make it happen... I will be excited to watch, but it doesn't have the feel that — you remember UFC 100?"

Regardless of the varying opinions surrounding the main event, UFC 300 looks set to be one of the most stacked cards in recent memory, which the promotion will no doubt hope translates to a memorable night of action in Las Vegas.

YOUR #UFC300 MAIN EVENT IS OFFICIAL @AlexPereiraUFC vs @JamahalH for the light heavyweight title on April 13th!! pic.twitter.com/6j2EyBTZX4
— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2024