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UFC 303 Preview: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2, Ortega vs. Lopes

A light heavyweight rematch headlines UFC 303 this weekend.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

A revamped UFC 303 card headlined by a rematch for the light heavyweight title takes place this Saturday (June 29) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

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The Main Event

The main event for UFC 303 was supposed to see Conor McGregor make his return to the cage opposite Michael Chandler, but after “The Notorious” withdrew with a toe injury the UFC quickly booked a short-notice rematch between Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka.

Pereira spoiled Procházka’s attempt to reclaim the vacant light heavyweight belt when the pair first met in the main event of UFC 295. Both men most recently earned stoppage-wins at UFC 300, with Procházka besting fellow top contender Aleksandar Rakić before “Poatan” knocked out former champion Jamahal Hill in the card’s headlining bout.

The Co-Main Event

Also a late addition to the card following the loss of McGregor vs. Chandler, the co-main event of UFC 303 features two-time featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega taking on rising contender Diego Lopes.

“T-City” returned from a lengthy layoff at UFC Mexico City in February and stunned former Interim Featherweight Champion Yair Rodriguez with a third-round submission. Ortega is now tasked with defending his #3 ranking against Lopes, who has stopped three-straight opponents after giving the unbeaten Movsar Evloev all he could handle in his UFC debut last year.

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Fights You Don’t Want To Miss

Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva

This featherweight scrap has all the makings of a Fight of the Night contender ahead of UFC 303. Jourdain came up just short of his third-straight victory when he dropped a split decision to Sean Woodson in his last outing, while Silva is currently on a nine-fight win streak dating back to 2018 and put on an impressive showing in his UFC debut against Westin Wilson.

Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page

The opening fight of the PPV main card is a pivotal one for two fighters that have their sights set on UFC gold. Page’s UFC debut against Kevin Holland put the Bellator veteran squarely in the mix at welterweight, and on Saturday fans will get to see if “Venom” is able utilize his unique striking style to hand Machado Garry the first loss of his career.

Fighters to Watch

Payton Talbott

UFC 303 Preview: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2, Ortega vs. Lopes
Payton Talbott after defeating Nick Aguirre in their bantamweight bout. / (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Talbott already looks to be on the fast track to UFC stardom after scoring back-to-back finishes in his first two bouts with the promotion. His last victory against fellow bantamweight prospect Cameron Saaiman was particularly impressive, and on Saturday he’ll face another strong test in Yanis Ghemmouri as the Frenchman looks to rebound from a loss in his UFC debut last year.

Rei Tsuruya

UFC 303 Preview: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2, Ortega vs. Lopes
Rei Tsuruya fighting Jiniushiyue on Road to UFC. / (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Men’s flyweight has exploded with promising talent in recent years, and at just 22 years old Tsuruya could develop into a top contender in the weight class. His success on Road to UFC included the first decision-victory of his career, but at UFC 303 he’ll undoubtedly be looking to follow in the footsteps of his countryman Tatsuro Taira and finish Carlos Hernandez to start his UFC tenure off with a bang.

Cub Swanson

UFC 303 Preview: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2, Ortega vs. Lopes
Oct 12, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Cub Swanson (red gloves) fights Kron Gracie (blue glove) during UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports / Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Swanson may only have a handful of fights left now that he's 40 years old, but he did remind fans of how good he still is when he took a unanimous decision over Hakeem Dawodu in his last outing. A matchup with another longtime UFC veteran in Andre Fili is exactly the type of fight Swanson deserves at this point in his career, and the two men could combine to put on one of the more entertaining fights at UFC 303.

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MMA Knockout will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 303 all throughout fight week, so be sure to check back on our home page for live results and highlights from all the action on fight night.

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 10:00 p.m. ET)

• Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2 – For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
• Co-Main Event: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
• Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
• Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page

Preliminary Card (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)

• Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-André Barriault
• Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
• Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
• Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
• Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
• Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
• Ricky Simón vs. Vinicius Oliveira

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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