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The blockbuster event that is UFC 300 is now just a month away, and the stacked card is set. However, just three weeks later, the promotion is set to visit Brazil.
Right now, UFC 301, which is scheduled for May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, does not have a headline bout confirmed. So which fight could fit the bill?
With many champions out of action or having just competed, the promotion doesn't have a lot of options.
With that in mind, here are five possible headline fights for UFC 301.
#5. UFC welterweight title: Leon Edwards vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov or Belal Muhammad
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One of the few champions who could be available to headline UFC 301 in Rio is welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards.
'Rocky' was long rumored to be the headliner for UFC 300, but despite accepting three different opponents, a fight could not be made official.
So could the UK native instead headline in Brazil a few weeks later? And if he were to do this, who would be his challenger?
It's likely that the choice of opponent would come down to two fighters: No.2 ranked Belal Muhammad or No.3 ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Either fight would work as a headliner, but there is an issue around this. Both Rakhmonov and Muhammad are Muslim, meaning that this event would fall only weeks after the festival of Ramadan.
This is likely the reason why neither man could accept a bout in April, and so to expect them to fight in May might be tricky.
However, if the promotion were to offer them enough money, there's a chance that they could theoretically begin fight camp during Ramadan and take the bout, even if they might be compromised.
With that considered, this fight should be chalked up as a possibility, but a very slim one at that.
#4. UFC bantamweight title: Raquel Pennington vs. Ketlen Vieira
Given that UFC 301 is set to take place in Brazil, there's definitely a chance that the promotion will want a Brazilian fighter in the main event.
Therefore, if they fail to be able to book one of their higher-profile champions in the headliner, one route they could go down would be to have bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington take the spot.
In this instance, the best opponent for her would be Brazil's own Ketlen Vieira.
'Fenomeno' hasn't fought since July, but she is highly ranked at No.3, and she is coming off a victory over Pannie Kiazad. That makes her a viable challenger for the title.
More interestingly, though, Vieira actually took Pennington to a split decision in January 2023. Given that many fans scored that fight for the Brazilian, a rematch could definitely make sense.
The one problem with this would be that Pennington vs. Vieira would hardly be the kind of big-drawing headline bout the promotion loves.
However, given that UFC 300 is likely to draw millions just three weeks earlier, that may not matter all that much to Dana White and company if they can't find an alternative.
#3. UFC interim heavyweight title: Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes
One current champion who would definitely be ready to headline at UFC 301 is interim heavyweight kingpin Tom Aspinall.
The Liverpool native has not defended his title since he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich to claim it back in November, largely because he was hoping for a unification clash with Jon Jones.
However, it seems highly unlikely that Jones - or former titleholder Stipe Miocic - will be willing to fight Aspinall any time soon.
Therefore, he may have to move on and attempt to defend his interim title instead, and if that's the case, one opponent who could work is Curtis Blaydes.
'Razor' is responsible for the only loss of Aspinall's career, although their 2022 bout only ended when the Brit blew out his knee.
The interim champ would no doubt love to avenge that loss, and when Blaydes called him out after his recent win over Jailton Almeida, it came as no surprise to see Aspinall accept on social media.
The only issue with this fight might be the turnaround time for 'Razor', who only beat Almeida last weekend. However, if he's willing to take the fight quickly, then this one could make plenty of sense.
#2. UFC light-heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
UFC 300's headliner will see Alex Pereira defend his light-heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill in what could be a tough fight for him.
Remarkably, though, 'Poatan' has already expressed an interest, should he win, in fighting at UFC 301 in an unbelievably quick turnaround.
Understandably, Pereira would want to compete at the event, as it is set to take place in his home country of Brazil. But is such a turnaround possible?
A lot depends on his fight with Hill. If Pereira could finish 'Sweet Dreams' early, then it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for him to fight again so quickly.
After all, he doesn't cut a horrendous amount of weight to hit the 205-pound mark, and it's not like such a turnaround has never happened before.
Deiveson Figueiredo, for instance, headlined back-to-back pay-per-views in 2020, but only because he finished his first opponent in under two minutes.
If Pereira were able to go for this, then the best opponent for him would be No.3 ranked Magomed Ankalaev, who recently beat Johnny Walker and has more than earned a title shot.
Essentially, this would be the best option for all parties, but only if Pereira can finish Hill quickly without hurting himself in the process.
#1. UFC flyweight title: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Muhammad Mokaev
The UFC currently has two Brazilian champions, and while light-heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira may be facing too quick of a turnaround to be ready for the event in Rio, the same may not be said for Alexandre Pantoja.
The flyweight champion has not fought since his December victory over Brandon Royval, and while that fight was a five-round war, 'The Cannibal' has probably recovered at this stage.
Pantoja doesn't necessarily have the biggest name with casual fans, but he is very popular in Brazil, so he'd definitely be a viable headliner for this event.
The big question would be who his best opponent would be. Remarkably, a number of the top-ranked 125-pounders in the promotion simply wouldn't work here.
'The Cannibal' has already beaten Royval and Brandon Moreno, and Amir Albazi is out with an injury. Kai Kara-France has lost his last two bouts, and so because Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau are booked to fight each other, the best contender might be Muhammad Mokaev.
To be fair, 'The Punisher' would be a great challenger anyway. He has won all six of his octagon bouts to take his overall record to 12-0 and would be confident of winning.
Overall, this would be a great title fight, and given the chances of Pereira being capable of a quick turnaround are slim, it's the best possible headliner for UFC 301.
