5 superstars who did not appear in the UFC 300 trailer

Despite the event being only two weeks away, UFC 300, the largest MMA promotion in the world, has released an impressive trailer to hype up the upcoming event.

The trailer for UFC 300 showcased a collection of the most unforgettable moments in octagon history, including highly anticipated dream matches between fighters from different generations. However, there were some noticeable absences among the star-studded lineup.

Despite once being top draws for the promotion, a number of these stars seem to have fallen out of favor with Dana White and the company.

Keeping this in consideration, here are five notable individuals who were not featured in the UFC 300 trailer.

#5. Tito Ortiz – Legendary UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion

In 2001, when the UFC was purchased by the Fertitta brothers and Dana White, the biggest star of the promotion was undoubtedly Tito Ortiz.

‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was the light-heavyweight champion and had been promoted as a headliner by the previous owners of the organization, SEG.

Despite being under Zuffa’s management, Ortiz’s popularity continued to rise. His brash attitude and distinctive appearance made him a standout in the world of MMA. In 2002, his highly anticipated fight against the renowned Ken Shamrock proved to be a pivotal moment for the promotion as it garnered unexpectedly high pay-per-view numbers.

Despite initially having a good relationship with White and company, Ortiz’s demands for a higher payout to fight his former friend Chuck Liddell resulted in tension and a strained partnership.

The title of ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was ultimately taken away from him by Randy Couture. For the next ten years, he frequently left and returned to the promotion, often engaging in conflicts and later reconciling with White.

The lowest point of the relationship occurred in 2010 when Ortiz and White agreed to fight each other in a boxing match. However, the match never ended up happening.

Following Ortiz’s retirement in 2012 and subsequent induction into the Hall of Fame, it appeared that any lingering tensions had been resolved. However, a short stint with rival promotion Bellator appeared to reignite animosity once again.

At present, Ortiz and White are not in any current disagreements, despite White’s previous statement labeling ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ as one of the most challenging fighters he has ever collaborated with.

Despite his celebrity status, Ortiz is probably the reason why he is not featured in the trailer for UFC 300.

#4. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson – MMA Legend and Former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion

Despite his strong presence and success in the UFC, former light-heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was not featured in the UFC 300 trailer. This may come as a surprise, considering Jackson’s previous position as one of the promotion’s top stars and his ability to draw large pay-per-view numbers during his initial five-year stint with the organization.

Despite being difficult to handle, ‘Rampage’ has been a vocal critic of the promotion’s pay scale since leaving.

Jackson entered the UFC after the acquisition of the WFA organization in 2006. In his second fight in the octagon, he defeated Chuck Liddell by knockout to become the 205-pound champion. However, his time as champion was short-lived as he lost the title to Forrest Griffin just over a year later. After that, his career experienced various highs and lows.

Despite defeating notable opponents like Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine, ‘Rampage’ found himself in a disagreement with Dana White and the UFC when he decided to delay his scheduled fight with Rashad Evans in order to film The A-Team. The bout eventually took place, but Jackson ultimately suffered a three-round loss, effectively marking the end of his career as a high-level fighter.

Despite suffering three consecutive losses between 2011 and 2013, ‘Rampage’ decided to leave for Bellator. He did have a short comeback in 2015 for one fight, but since then, he has been vocal about his disapproval of the promotion’s business tactics. In particular, he has accused White of not fairly compensating him for his bout against Evans.

After considering this, along with his brief tenure at the pinnacle, it becomes clear why he was excluded from the recent trailer.

#3. Francis Ngannou – Current UFC heavyweight contender and rising star

It was not surprising to see that Francis Ngannou did not make an appearance in the trailer for UFC 300, considering the manner in which he left the promotion in 2023.

One could argue that Ngannou has cemented himself as one of the greatest heavyweights in MMA history, having defeated formidable opponents such as Stipe Miocic, Ciryl Gane, Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, and Junior Dos Santos.

Despite this, ‘The Predator’ is the sole fighter in recent times to leave the UFC while still holding the championship title, relinquishing his title in the process.

After defeating Gane to defend his title, Ngannou made headlines for sitting out an entire year, citing payment disagreements with the promotion as the main reason.

Ultimately, ‘The Predator’ fulfilled the terms of his contract, relinquished his heavyweight championship, and departed for the PFL organization.

Despite this, he has not competed in MMA since and has instead transitioned to the boxing world, suffering defeats against both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Despite his age and current relationship with Dana White and company, it is highly improbable that Ngannou will make a comeback to the promotion in the near future.

Despite being the most high-profile departure in recent years, ‘The Predator’ was never going to make an appearance in the recently released trailer.

#2. Stipe Miocic – current UFC heavyweight champion

It is possible that no other fighter in UFC history has severed their ties with the promotion as severely as Randy Couture did.

The ex-champion in both the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions engaged in several high-profile conflicts with the ownership, particularly with Dana White, reaching a low point in 2007.

After coming out of retirement, ‘The Natural’ successfully reclaimed the heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia. However, due to a disagreement with the promotion over negotiations with PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko, he chose to seek out a fight with the Russian elsewhere.

Couture made the decision to “resign”from his contract, a move that was bound to cause conflict. As expected, this sparked a year-long legal battle for both parties involved.

‘The Natural’ made a comeback the following year, and it seemed that all past issues had been resolved. However, despite officially retiring in 2011, Couture declined an opportunity to become an analyst for the promotion and instead chose to join Bellator.

Once again, this decision caused Couture to become unwelcome in the eyes of White and his colleagues. In 2023, the CEO branded him as one of the most difficult fighters he had ever dealt with.

Despite this, it can be argued that ‘The Natural’ should have been included in the UFC 300 trailer, as he was the promotion’s first two-division champion and the only three-time heavyweight titleholder.

#1. Jon Jones – former UFC light heavyweight champion

Undoubtedly one of the most notable omissions from the trailer for UFC 300 is former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Despite retiring in 2011, Lesnar never burned his bridges with the promotion and even returned for a surprise one-off fight in 2016. He continues to be one of their top drawing cards to this day.

Considering that the individual who has held the WWE championship multiple times was the main event at UFC 100 and also featured at UFC 200, it would have been logical for him to make an appearance in the trailer.

It is probable that his absence was due to the recent allegations made against former WWE chairman Vince McMahon in a lawsuit filed by a former employee.

The lawsuit leveled multiple accusations against McMahon, including s*x trafficking and s*xual assault. Additionally, Lesnar was implicated in the allegations, although he was not explicitly named in the lawsuit.

Ever since the lawsuit was initiated, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ has been absent from all WWE programming and has been substituted in the promotion’s introduction video by LA Knight.

Despite the fact that WWE and the UFC are both now under the ownership of TKO Holdings, it is not surprising to see him being erased from the history of the latter as well.

Despite being a former champion and major star, no one should have anticipated his appearance in the trailer.