Drama isn’t uncommon during International Fight Week, but this year it could be especially chaotic. UFC will feature new events at its International Fight Week highlights, UFC 303, in Las Vegas on Saturday that differ from the originally scheduled main and co-main events. Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will seek to defend his title against Jiri Prochazka in the main event, while Diego Lopez and Brian Ortega will clash in the featherweight co-main event at T-Mobile Arena.
The main event was expected to see the return of Conor McGregor in a showdown with Michael Chandler. Unfortunately, McGregor suffered an injury during training camp that forced him to withdraw just two weeks before the event.
Prochazka won the title at UFC 275 in an impressive fight against Pereira’s friend and MMA mentor, Glover Teixeira, but was forced to vacate the title due to injury before being unable to defend it once. Prochazka returned to action against Pereira for the vacant title, winning by second-round stoppage.
“Whatever the result, I wouldn’t change anything, I wouldn’t change anything,” Prochaska told a news conference. “I want to do the same thing this Saturday, I want to do the same thing but better. More precision with the details. Just a little bit of calf kick! And I’m going to win. Just win!”
Because the card was originally centered around McGregor, the undercard is fairly low-profile, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of noteworthy action. Middleweight up-and-comer Joe Fiers looks to get back on track with a preliminary bout against Marc-Andre Barrio. Ian Machado Garry and Michael “Venom” Page are set to face off in an intriguing welterweight showdown between up-and-comers. And a late addition to the card is Roman Dolidze moving up to light heavyweight to take on veteran Anthony Smith.
It’s sure to be an exciting night to close out International Fight Week. Below is the full fight card and up-to-date odds for UFC 303. Be sure to check back all week for the latest news, features and other content on this massive event.
UFC 303 fight card, odds
- Alex Pereira (c) -150 vs. Jiri Prochazka +125 for the light heavyweight title
- Diego Lopez -145 vs. Brian Ortega +120, lightweight
- Roman Dolidze -145 vs. Anthony Smith +120, light heavyweight
- Macy Chiasson -110 vs. Mayra Bueno Silva -110, Women’s Bantamweight
- Ian Machado-Garry -155 vs. Michael Page +130, welterweight
- Joe Pifer defeats Marc-Andre Barrio 1st round knockout (punches)
- Andre Fili defeats Cub Swanson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jean Silva defeats Charles Jourdan by knockout (punches) in the second round
- Peyton Talbot defeats Giannis Ghemouli by knockout (punches) in the first round
- Gillian Robertson defeats Michelle Waterson-Gomez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Martin Budai defeats Andrei Arlovski by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Rei Tsuruta defeats Carlos Hernandez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Vinicius Olivera defeats Ricky Simon by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
UFC 303 Information
- date: June 29th
- position: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas
- Start time: 10:00 PM ET (Main Card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ Pay-Per-View
UFC 303 Countdown
UFC 303: Who will win Pereira vs. Prochazka 2, and how will each bout end? Visit SportsLine now to find out the answers with in-depth UFC 303 predictions from MMA experts who’ve made over $1,500 on their UFC main card predictions.
