The UFC closes out the month of June with a blockbuster pay-per-view card, headlined by an all-too-important light heavyweight championship rematch between Alex Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Jiří Procházka (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). Pereira is coming off a KO win against Jamahal Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and took the fight on less than three weeks’ notice after Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, the original main event, was postponed due to a McGregor toe injury.
UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2 Live Results & Highlights
Pereira and Procházka had fought once before, in Nov. 2023 at UFC 295, as Pereira won the then-vacant light heavyweight title. After a closely contested first round, Pereira rocked Procházka with several elbows as the Polish native was shooting in for a takedown. Since Procházka could not defend himself intelligently, a new era at light heavyweight began for the Brazilian.
Although the fight is likely happening sooner than anticipated, the UFC was left with few options for marquee championship fights to top the bill, making Pereira vs. Procházka 2 the logical choice.
In a newly minted co-main event, Brian Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) recently revealed his intentions to move up to lightweight after a decade stint at featherweight. His wish will come early Saturday night, as it was revealed early Friday morning that the fight between him and Diego Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) would be contested at 155 pounds and move forward as scheduled.
UFC 303 News: Co-Main Event Fight Faces Major Change on Weigh-In Day
Ortega is searching for back-to-back wins for the first time since March 2018 and defeated former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in February to snap a two-fight losing skid.
Meanwhile, Lopes is a rising contender who has burst onto the scene since making his debut in May 2023, with his lone Octagon blemish against Movsar Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC). Since the defeat, Lopes has rattled off three straight, including a TKO win against Sodiq Yusuff (13-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC 300 in April.
Elsewhere on the card, Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 13-9 UFC) makes a quick turnaround and takes on Roman Dolidze (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a light heavyweight encounter. Ian Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) faces Michael Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a potential momentum shift type of fight in a crowded welterweight division, and women’s bantamweights try to stay in the mix.
Check out the betting odds and bout order ahead of Saturday night.
UFC 303 Full Fight Card Predictions: Pereira vs. Prochazka, Lopes vs. Ortega
Here are all the incidentals and up-to-date fights ahead of Saturday night. Odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
• Main Event: Alex Pereira (-148) vs. Jiří Procházka 2 (+124) – For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
• Co-Main Event: Brian Ortega (+114) vs. Diego Lopes (-135)
• Anthony Smith (+120) vs. Roman Dolidze (-142)
• Mayra Bueno Silva (-105) vs. Macy Chiasson (+115)
• Ian Machado Garry (-155) vs. Michael Page (+130)
• Joe Pyfer (-310) vs. Marc-André Barriault (+250)
• Cub Swanson (+180) vs. Andre Fili (-218)
• Charles Jourdain (-118) vs. Jean Silva (-102)
• Payton Talbott (-1600) vs. Yanis Ghemmouri (+900)
• Michelle Waterson-Gomez (+150) vs. Gillian Robertson (-215)
• Andrei Arlovski (+220) vs. Martin Buday (-270)
• Carlos Hernandez (+360) vs. Rei Tsuruya (-470)
• Ricky Simón (-250) vs. Vinicius Oliveira (+205)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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