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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back at it again, hitting the pay-per-view (PPV) market with UFC 303 live later TONIGHT (Sat., June 29, 2024) on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event will be a light heavyweight championship rematch as division king, Alex Pereira, defends his belt against Jiri Prochazka. In the co-headlining act, Brian Ortega will face off against rising star, Diego Lopes, in a ~~featherweight~~ lightweight scrap.

What’s Hot:

When talking about who the current M.V.P. and face of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is, it would be very hard to argue against Alex Pereira. He has headlined Madison Square Garden on two separate occasions, and when the promotion needed someone to headline the historic UFC 300 fight card just as it seemed Dana White and Co. were going to come up short with their promise to deliver, Pereira answered the call and defended his belt against Jamahal Hill. And, he was even willing to fight at UFC 301 a few weeks later. His services were not needed then, but they were needed to save UFC 303 and International Fight Week, and “Poatan,” once again answered the call. In three years and six fights with the promotion, four of those bouts have been title fights, he won titles in two divisions and he is as entertaining as they come. He is beloved by many, hated by few, and has accomplished so much in such a short period of time. With another impressive win tonight, Pereira will continue to write his own ticket, cash big checks and his legend will only grow. He truly is the current face of the promotion, no questions asked.

Jiri Prochazka was slowly cementing his own legacy in the promotion by winning the 205-pound title in just his third fight inside the Octagon after submitting Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 (highlights). Unfortunately, his reign was short-lived after he voluntarily vacated the title as a result of an injury. His quest to win it back went up in flames after Pereira knocked him out at UFC 295 (see it here). Five months later, he bounced back by knocking out Aleksandar Rakic, putting him in the position to get revenge against Pereira. This fight has all the makings of an absolute classic because Prochazka will come in motivated and inspired, while Pereira is out to up his reputation and legacy as one of the best in the world. A win for Prochazka likely sets up an instant trilogy fight, but if Pereira dismisses him one more time, his championship dreams will be put on hold for a while. Watch out for those spirits.

What’s Not:

There isn’t a whole lot complain about when it comes to this card, but unlike my colleague, I’m not a big fan of Macy Chiasson and Mayra Bueno Silva taking up a main card slot. For my money I would’ve put Cub Swanson and Andre Fili as the main card opener, put Chiasson and Silva on the undercard, and then bump up Michael Page vs. Ian Garry to the middle of the main card.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

The Ultimate Fighter Season 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler

Of course, the original headlining bout was supposed to feature the long-awaited return of Conor McGregor, who was set to take on Michael Chandler in a Welterweight bout. After months of anticipation, the bout was axed when “Notorious” suffered a toe injury in training camp, delaying his return yet again. Furthermore, the co-main event also underwent a few changes as the original fight was supposed to feature Jamahal Hill taking on Khalil Rountree. Jr. before Rountree was pulled from the fight for a failed drug test (get all the details here). As a result, Carlos Ulberg was pegged as Rountree’s replacement. A few weeks later, Hill withdrew from the fight with a torn meniscus and replaced by Anthony Smith. A week later, it was Ulberg who withdrew from the fight and replaced by Roman Dolidze.

Injuries:

Other than McGregor’s toe debacle, and Hill’s aforementioned injury, there were no other fights canceled as a result of health issues.

New Blood:

Rei Tsuruya won the Road to UFC Season 2 finals with a first-round, buzzer beating finish, and is now ready to make his official Octagon debut against Carlos Hernandez. Tsuruya is an exciting prospect because he is undefeated at 9-0, which includes eight stoppages. The 22-year old will take on Hernandez, who is 2-2 under the UFC banner and is coming off a knockout loss to surging star, Tatsuro Taira (see it again here).

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Headlining the undercard will be a middleweight fight between Joe Pyfer and Marc-Andre Barriault, two fighters coming off losses. Pyfer was last seen losing to Jack Hermansson via unanimous decision, while Barriault lost a split-decision to Chris Curtis earlier this year. Both men are trying to make some noise to shake up the division, and a win here gets them some newfound confidence moving forward.

At 40 years of age. Cub Swanson is still fighting at a high level, quietly securing a 4-2 record over his last six fights inside the Octagon. As for Andre Fili, he hasn’t really done much to stand out during his time with the promotion, but he has done enough to secure employment. But with a record of 3-5-1 over the last five years, he needs to start doing more or risk getting cut. A win over Swanson would look good on his resume. For Swanson, getting another win gets him closer to the Top 15 again.

Charles Jourdain has been as inconsistent as they come, amassing a 6-6-1 record with the promotion. That simply won’t be enough if he ever wants to crack the Top 15. As far as his foe Jean Silva is concerned, he hasn’t tasted defeat in six years. Currently riding a nine-fight win streak, Silva made his debut earlier this year by knocking out Westin Wilson in the very first round (see it again here).

Contender Series standout, Payton Talbott, has so far answered the call in his first two fights with the promotion, earning back-to-back stoppages to re-assure everyone that his hype was warranted. He will go for lucky win number three inside the Octagon when he takes on Yanis Ghemmouri, who came up short in his UFC debut after getting stopped by William Gomis, snapping his nine-fight win streak.

Longtime veteran and former UFC heavyweight champion, Andre Arlovski, is still chugging along. The Octagon hasn’t been too kind to him in a while, however, losing his last three fights, with his last win coming two years ago. If he loses his fourth straight when he faces Martin Buday, who is coming off a loss to Shamil Gaziev, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he called it a day. Prior to his loss to Gaziev, Buday was on a 12-fight win streak, including going 4-0 under the UFC banner, so he is more than capable of ruining “Pitbull’s” night.

Kicking off the event is a bantamweight fight between Ricky Simon and Vinicius Oliveira. Simon currently finds himself the owner of a two-fight losing streak, which was preceded by a five-fight win streak. He is in desperate need of a win, but he will find it hard to do against Oliveira, who is currently on a three-fight win streak.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Michelle Waterson-Gomez was at one time hoping to become the first-ever UFC “Mom Champ,” a goal that never materialized. In fact, “The Karate Hottie” was never able to make it to a UFC title fight, and that objective seems way out of reach at this point in her career because to say she has struggled would be an understatement. Waterson-Gomez is on a four-fight losing streak, and has lost six of her last seven fights. She will attempt to earn her first win in four years when she takes on Gillian Robertson on the undercard. Robertson is 3-1 in her last four fights and is coming off a win over Polyana Viana, knocking her out at UFC 297. If Waterson-Gomez comes up short, I wouldn’t be too surprised if she calls it a career. If not, the promotion could very well cut her.

Interest Level: 8.5/10

In the co-main event, Diego Lopes will attempt to secure the biggest win of his young — yet, exciting — UFC career. Lopes has quickly become a fan-favorite, and it’s no secret as to why. He is as entertaining as they come once the cage door slams shut behind him, and he knows nothing else but to move forward. But he is very calculated, and not sloppy. He is currently on a three-fight win streak, all first-round stoppages, with his lone defeat inside the Octagon coming to No. 5 ranked featherweight, Movsar Evloev. Ortega had trouble making weight, so the fight was agreed upon to take place at 155 pounds — foreshadowing? If Lopes (No. 14) can defeat Ortega, he will shoot up the rankings and a title shot may come sooner, rather than later. Currently ranked No. 3, Ortega is coming off a huge win over Yair Rodriguez (see it again here), snapping his two-fight losing streak in the process. If he can stop Lopes’ momentum, he will be right back into the thick of the championship conversation, though his weight issues aren’t doing him any favors.

Anthony Smith is adamant no other light heavyweight wanted to answer the call when he needed a replacement opponent which, if we are being honest, isn’t true for the reasons he thinks. Smith is ranked No. 10 at 205 pounds, but let’s not act like he has been lighting it up inside the Octagon as of late, going just 2-3 over his last five fights. If fighters are turning him down, it’s because they don’t see him as a prize win to put on their resume at this point in his career. Now, “Lionheart” will have to back it all up when he battles a middleweight in Roman Dolidze, who is on a two-fight losing streak. That said, Dolidze has nothing to lose and everything to gain in this fight. He is “expected” to lose on short notice and moving up a weight class, but if he puts Smith out, his bankroll increases and gets some newfound confidence moving forward. And who knows, he may decide to stick round at light heavyweight.

The fight I am personally looking forward to the most (other than the main event) is the welterweight scrap between Michael Page and Ian Garry. Page made his successful UFC debut by schooling Kevin Holland at UFC 299, overcoming the UFC jitters after spending his career under the Bellator MMA banner. As for Garry, he has dubbed himself the next big star after storming out of the UFC gates with seven straight wins to improve his record to 14-0. If he can defeat Page, it will be a huge boost to his resume and a Top 5 ranking is all but guaranteed. “Venom” is 8-1 over his last nine fights, and now that he is fighting with the big boys of UFC, the can-crushing label is slowly starting to wear off. If he can be the one to silence Garry, he will shoot into the Top 10 and bigger and better fights will come of it. This fight has the potential to steal the show.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 303 Fight Card:

UFC 303 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

205 lbs.: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka
~~170 lbs.: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler~~

UFC 303 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
205 lbs: Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze (not Carlos Ulberg)
135 lbs.: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
170 lbs.: Ian Garry vs. Michael Page

UFC 303 Prelims Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
145 lbs.: Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
145 lbs.: Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
135 lbs.: Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri

UFC 303 Early Prelims Card On ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

115 lbs.: Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
125 lbs.: Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
135 lbs.: Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 303 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 303: “Alex vs. Jiri 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.