UFC 303 was supposed to mark Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon. But his highly anticipated fight against Michael Chandler was scuttled (for now) due to an injury McGregor suffered prior to the fight.
But credit must be given to the UFC, which moved quickly to replace the main event and save a pay-per-view card that had suffered a few other setbacks. And the new main event should be very exciting for fight fans: Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka face off again, with the light heavyweight title Pereira won against former champion Prochazka last November on the line.
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Match result Anthony Smith vs Roman Dolidze
This fight arriving on the UFC 303 card was a total odyssey. But the fans probably weren’t very excited about the fight itself – the fans at T-Mobile Arena certainly weren’t anyway, as they booed after the final horn.
The most notable moment of the fight came in the second round, when Dolidze knocked Smith to the ground. But other than that, the fight was pretty boring and Dolidze took home a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Result Macy Chiasson
Chiasson opened a huge Bueno Silva was injured in the elbow just above the eye while both men were down in the second round. The fight was eventually stopped by the referee for a medical evaluation and the ringside physician called a halt to the bout. (Jon Anik recounted that the cut was so deep it was almost “down to the bone”). Thus, this high-profile fight ended with a bloody but disappointing finish in favor of Chiasson.
Bueno Silva vehemently protested the decision to stop the fight, even jumping the cage to have a discussion with UFC president Dana White.
Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page result
It was a close battle and an interesting clash of styles. Page had a clear striking advantage, but Machado Garry proved to be the superior grappler. In the end, the judges awarded Machado Garry a unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 across the board.
Machado Garry has yet to lose in his MMA career.
Joe Pyfer vs Marc-André Barriault Result
Pyfer just finished the preliminaries in style. He knocked out Barriault with some powerful punches just 1:25 into the fight. Three of the four preliminaries ended in stoppages. Hopefully the action continues on the main card.
New fight on the UFC 303 program: Diego Lopes against Dan Ige
Brian Ortega has been scratched from his UFC 303 fight, but his opponent is still set to compete.
Ortega is sick and has a fever of 103 degrees, Jon Anik relayed on the show. Jeff Mullen of the Nevada State Athletic Commission said on the show that Ortega was “medically unable to compete.”
However, Diego Lopes is still jumping into the octagon. He will face Dan Ige, who was chosen as a (truly unprecedented) last-minute replacement. Mullen said Ige is allowed to compete because he fought recently enough that all of his medical exams are current in the eyes of the commission.
A card that faced many obstacles somehow overcame another.
Match result Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
Fili defeated Swanson in a split decision. Two judges gave the fight to Fili (29-28) while one judge ruled it 29-28 in favor of Swanson.
Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva result
Now we’re cooking. Jean Silva delivered a second straight knockout on this card by dropping Charles Jourdain with a vicious uppercut. That ended the fight at 1:22 of the second round. Silva missed weight before the fight, however.
Payton Talbott vs Yanis Ghemmouri Result
We have our first stop! Payton Talbott proved why he was the heavy favorite in this fight, knocking Ghemmouri to the ground with a brutal right and following up with blows that forced the referee to stop the fight just 19 seconds into the match.
Match result between Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Gillian Robertson
Robertson wrapped up the prelims with an impressive unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-26). Waterson-Gomez announced her retirement after the fight in an emotional scene. The UFC released a beautiful tribute video for Waterson-Gomez and she gave an emotional speech.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday Result
Not much happened in this fight. The competitors were repeatedly asked by the referee to be more active and were booed when the final horn sounded. The judges ruled that the decision was split in favor of Buday (30-27, 29-28 against a 29-28 card for Arlovski, 45).
Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernández Result
In a match defined by wild grappling, it was Tsuruya – in his UFC debut – who emerged victorious. He earned a unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 on all three scorecards.
Ricky Simon vs Vinicius Oliveira Result
Oliveira and Simon went all the way, with Oliveira taking the victory by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
When is UFC 303?
Preliminaries will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. Preliminaries are then expected to begin around 8 p.m. ET, and the pay-per-view card will begin around 10 p.m. ET.
UFC 303 Live Stream
The early prelims and prelims of UFC 303 will air on ESPN and will be available to stream via ESPN+. The pay-per-view card can be purchased via ESPN+.
Where is UFC 303?
The UFC returns to its usual venue for 303: the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC 303 fight card
Main map
- Alex Pereira (champion) vs. Jiri Prochazka (light heavyweight)
- Diego Lopez vs. Dan Igé
- Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze (light heavyweight)
- Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson (Women’s Bantamweight)
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page (welterweight)
Preliminaries
- Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-André Barriault (middleweight)
- Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili (Featherweight)
- Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva (featherweight)
- Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri (Bantamweight)
The first foreplay
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson (Women’s Strawweight)
- Andrei Arlovski vs Martin Buday (Heavyweight)
- Rei Tsuruya vs Carlos Hernandez
- Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira
Why the fight against Conor McGregor is not on the schedule for UFC 303
Speculation that the McGregor-Chandler fight might be in trouble began when the UFC abruptly canceled a June 3 press conference that was scheduled to take place in Dublin. Ten days later, UFC president Dana White announced that the fight was no longer scheduled at 303, with an injury sidelining McGregor. That injury has since been revealed to be a broken toe.
McGregor last fought in July 2021, when he lost following a doctor’s stoppage after breaking his leg in a fight against Dustin Poirier.
Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka: The Story of the Gang
| Alex Pereira | against. | Using Prochazka |
| 10-2-0 | Save | 30-4-1 |
| Brazil | Country | Czech Republic |
| 6-4 | Height | 6-3 |
| 220 | Weight | 218 |
| 79 inches | Reach | 80 inches |
| 44 inches | Leg reach | 45 inches |
Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka, first fight
Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochazka by second-round TKO in their fight for the then-vacant light heavyweight championship at UFC 295 in November.
Alex Pereira’s Championship History
Before winning the light heavyweight title, Pereira, a standout kickboxer, was the middleweight champion. He defeated Israel Adesanya by TKO at UFC 281 in December 2022 to win that belt, but Adesanya got his revenge in the UFC 287 rematch in April 2023 by knocking out Pereira to regain the title.
Pereira moved up to light heavyweight after his defeat. He has successfully defended his title just once since winning the belt in November, knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April.
Championship history of Jiri Prochazka
Jiri Prochazka defeated Glover Teixeira via submission at UFC 275 in June 2022 to win the light heavyweight title. But he was never able to mount a proper defense, relinquishing the title due to injury. His next time in the octagon was his loss to Pereira in November 2023.