3 surprises that could happen at UFC 300: Brace yourself for unforeseen twists at UFC's landmark event

Upsets and surprising outcomes are all but guaranteed in MMA, and a card as full as UFC 300 is certain to have its fair share of shake-ups.

Of the 13 matchups on the card, most of the fights are closely lined according to the betting odds. The biggest favorite of the night, Bo Nickal, can be found as high as a remarkable 30-1 favorite on some sportsbooks, but few other fights are easy to predict.

With 20 ranked fighters competing on April 13, a vast majority of the fights could have title implications depending on the outcome. Given the several high-profile bouts set to take place on the iconic card, do not be surprised to witness several unprecedented results.

Here are three surprises that may happen on UFC 300:

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Holly Holm ruins the debut of Kayla Harrison with another shocking upset win

This story has been told before. A highly-touted former judoka enters a fight with Holly Holm expected to use 'The Preacher's Daughter' as a stepping stone only to have their momentum halted by the former world champion boxer. Now, Kayla Harrison is the fighter who steps in against Holm as a former Olympic gold medalist and PFL champion in her first step towards becoming a UFC titleholder.

The moment that everyone thinks of is her upset win over Ronda Rousey but Holm has actually been the spoiler more than once. Megan Anderson and Irene Aldana were supposed to be the next title challengers when they fought Holm, but the Jackson Wink MMA pupil turned back both prospects.

For all the doubts in Holm at this point in her career at 42 years of age, there are a considerable amount of questions surrounding Harrison. Holm can be argued as the best opponent of Harrison's career, and the 16-1 International Sports Hall of Famer has never cut down to 135 pounds in her MMA career.

It is highly unlikely, but that is the type of outcome an event with the magnitude of UFC 300 can produce.

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Max Holloway dominates Justin Gaethje and calls out lightweight champion Islam Makhachev

Fans who have been following Max Holloway on social media and YouTube understand that he is putting a lot into his upcoming fight at UFC 300.

From all of the quotes Holloway has given on his YouTube channel, 'Blessed' appears intent on proving doubters wrong. The last time Holloway was in that position, he dominated Calvin Kattar in one of the most jaw-dropping performances any fighter has ever put on.

Holloway enters UFC 300 as a significant underdog, largely due to him entering a new weight class and seeing little success the last time he did so against Dustin Poirier. But should all of the Hawaiian's fight camp adjustments lead to a vintage performance, expect the former champion to deliver a passionate post-fight callout and shake up the entire lightweight division.

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Calvin Kattar retires after losing to Aljamain Sterling

Several fighters may decide to hang up the gloves with a loss at UFC 300 but none would be more surprising than Calvin Kattar.

Though Kattar was once in the position for a potential title shot with a win over Max Holloway in 2021, that main event fight ended up altering the trajectory of his career as one of the most one-sided beatdowns in UFC history. 'The Boston Finisher' has not looked to be past his prime in the fights since but is now 35 years old and coming off a torn ACL he suffered in his last fight with Arnold Allen.

Kattar will face Aljamain Sterling at UFC 300 in a matchup he can win. Still, if the fight goes the way the former bantamweight champion has been predicting, the road back to prominence will be long and onerous for a fighter who has other sources of income, including running his own promotion.