Alex Pereira Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
UFC 303 isn’t what it was meant to be, but it is still set to cap off International Fight Week on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The new main event for UFC 303 will see light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defend his title against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch of their UFC 295 clash that saw Poatan capture the vacant belt.
Here’s a look at the complete card and how you can watch it.
Main Card - 10 pm ET - ESPN+ PPV
- Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka
- Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
- Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
- Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
Prelims - 8 pm ET - ESPN/ESPN+
- Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
- Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
- Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
- Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
Early Prelims - 6 pm ET - UFC Fight Pass
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
- Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira
UFC 303: The New Main Event
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Alex Pereira of Brazil recieves the light heavyweight belt after ... [+]
Initially, Conor McGregor was set to return to the Octagon to face Michael Chandler in the UFC 303 main event.
However, a toe injury kept McGregor out, and it also pushed Chandler off the card. The new main event is a title fight featuring one of the sport’s biggest stars. However, will Pereira-Prochazka 2 be any different from the first meeting?
Pereira won the first meeting via second-round KO, and there weren’t a lot of tense moments for the Brazilian.
Pereira’s grappling and takedown defense has improved, and it seems unlikely that Prochazka has found a way to close the gap in the striking department. Prochazka must have a memorable night to gain revenge and recapture his title.
UFC 303 Co-Main Event
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 13: Diego Lopes of Brazil reacts to his win in a featherweight fight ... [+]
Diego Lopes might be the most exciting up-and-coming contender in MMA. That’s not an overstatement when considering Lopes’ explosive destruction of Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 and his all-around skills.
Lopes appears to have no weaknesses, but he will get the stiffest test of his UFC career when he takes on Brian Ortega. Lopes-Ortega was added to the card after McGregor-Chandler fell apart, and it would have been a solid addition to any MMA card all year.
Ortega currently ranked No. 3, is taking a significant risk by facing off against Lopes, who is ranked No. 14. Despite this ranking disparity, many anticipate Lopes to perform at a level comparable to the top fighters in the featherweight division.
If Ortega beats Lopes, his win might be seen as a fraud check victory over a prospect who has been pushed too fast. If Ortega loses, he will likely plummet a bit in the rankings. There’s much at stake in the fight and during this makeshift main card.
The UFC did a solid job putting together a decent card under the circumstances. Let’s hope we get through Fight Week without losing some aspect of the card.
