The date of UFC 303 has been marked on many calendars for months. Even sports fans who rarely watch a night of mixed martial arts had made plans to do so on June 29, if only for the pomp and spectacle. Next weekend was scheduled to be Highly expected The return of Conor McGregor, by far MMA's brightest star, a crossover phenomenon familiar even to people who don't know a front kick from a rear-naked choke.
But earlier this month, everything went awry. The UFC had scheduled a June 3 press conference in McGregor’s hometown of Dublin to promote his comeback fight with Michael Chandler, but abruptly canceled the event that morning without explanation. For more than a week, there was silence in the promotion of the fight as fans speculated about possible scenarios. Finally, on June 13, the UFC announced that McGregor was injured and would no longer headline UFC 303.
Devotees of the flashy spectacle were inconsolable, no doubt, but for hardcore MMA fans, there was a consolation prize: an improved main event.
Yes, it's true that neither light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira nor his challenger, former champion Jiří Procházka, are in McGregor's league in terms of fame or infamy. But the McGregor who was due to fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend is similar to the Elvis of the Las Vegas years, and still enjoys the idolatry built on his virtuosity and panache from a bygone era. The new headliners of UFC 303, on the other hand, are at the top of his game. Pereira is arguably the most “anytime, anywhere, anyone” fighter in the sport, as evidenced by his agreement to put his belt on the line against the dangerously avant-garde Procházka on two weeks' notice. If BMF power rankings existed, Pereira would be high on the list.
Before dominating the UFC’s 205-pound weight class, Pereira reigned at middleweight. Before that, he was a two-division kickboxing world champion. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone with just eight Octagon appearances. How new is Pereira to the game? The guy he’s replacing, McGregor, last fought in July 2021. Pereira didn’t make his UFC debut until four months after that.
Saturday's reinvigorated main event is a rematch of last November's fierce fight in which Pereira won the belt. It was hotly contested and swung in both directions (mainly towards Procházka, honestly) before Pereira landed a counter left in the second round that was the beginning of the end. Speaking of beginnings, though: the most chilling highlight came during the pre-fight introductions, when the fighters stood in their corners staring at each other across the cage, neither of them moving a muscle. If Pereira and Procházka can bring that chilling energy again on Saturday, we're in for a good win.
Several storylines will unfold at UFC 303. Here are the most intriguing ones, framed as questions that will be answered on fight night.
1. It's the right fight, but is it the right time?
Light Heavyweight Championship: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2
Much praise has been heaped on UFC CEO Dana White and his right-hand man Hunter Campbell for resurrecting this card following McGregor's devastating withdrawal, and I'm not here to deny that the UFC brass responded heroically.
But as much as I like the replacement main event, I have an uneasy feeling about the timing. I would prefer that fighters in a high-stakes fight like a championship have a full training camp to prepare. Two weeks is not enough time for us to be sure that both men will enter the cage at their best.
What alleviates my concern a little is that these fighters shared the octagon just seven months ago. They know each other and knew that this rematch would come one day. And in the case of a fight against Procházka, would even an extended camp ensure that one is prepared for his enthusiastic brand of unpredictability, anyway? Still, this is a rare case where MMA would be better off (for the level of competitiveness and, ultimately, for the fans) if it were more like boxing, which operates on the fighters' calendar, not the of the promoter.
With all that being said, I'm ready to prepare for a Plan B that is Grade A in every way. Let's go.
2. Will there be enough room in the cage to fit the entire show?
Welterweight: Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page
Fights attract us for a wide variety of reasons. There are fights where a shiny belt is on the line or an imminent shot for a strap is on the line. There are fights where trash talk absorbs us and also Justin Gaethje-style confrontations that don't throw out bad words, just promise wall-to-wall violence. And then there's this confrontation straight out of a video game.
I like to think that a main card opener sets the tone for what follows. And while I don't expect anyone on the PPV card to fight like Garry or MVP, I think these two will be influencers. Both men are creative and aggressive forwards, although they approach the art of stand-up from different angles. Both are offensively minded while still being solid defensively. That suggests it will be an action fight with twists and turns, a tough act to follow.
And if Garry makes his strong kicking game the difference, it could foreshadow how Pereira approaches the main event.
3. Can we count on this fight to signal a resumption of active duty?
Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
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Alex Pereira celebrates after fast Jamahal Hill finish in main event
Alex Pereira makes quick work of Jamahal Hill and celebrates after the end of the first round at UFC 300.
Ortega has competed only five times since 2018, and has lost three of those fights. But the first two losses came in UFC title challenges against Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski. The other loss came due to injury, when Ortega dislocated his shoulder during a 2022 match with Yair Rodríguez and was unable to continue. After a year and a half of recovery, Ortega returned in February and strangled Rodríguez in a rematch.
So numbers don't tell the whole story of Ortega's recent career, but five fights in nearly six years? This meeting with Lopes, a prospect who has won five of his last six fights, will serve as a benchmark that should let us know if “T-City” still has residency in Contenderville.
4. Have someone weighing 205 pounds No Have you been cautioned in this fight?
Light Heavyweight: Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
Resilience is necessary for an MMA fighter, and the same goes for an MMA matchmaker.
That attribute was on display in the revamped main event reboot, but this fight has taken the flexibility and determination of UFC executives to a whole other level. Originally, the co-main event of UFC 303 was scheduled to pit former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill against Khalil Rountree Jr. A fight like that, contested between contenders in the same weight class as the main event, serves as a safety net, providing a fallback plan in case one of the headliners were to drop out.
But the safety net frayed when Rountree retired and was replaced by Carlos Ulberg. Hill then also retired and Smith was inserted to face Ulberg, until Ulberg retired and was replaced by Dolidze. This dizzying turn of events left the safety net in tatters.
This could be a fun fight, but I'm reluctant to say much about it because there are several days left before fight night. Who knows if the game of musical chairs is over?
5. What kind of presence will the man who is not there have?
Conor McGregor against an uncertain future
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Diego Lopes surprises the public with another electric knockout
Diego Lopes and his iconic mullet impress the Las Vegas crowd at UFC 300 with a ferocious flurry of punches that forces the fight to be stopped.
There has been no indication that McGregor will be present at UFC 303, but he will at least be a ghostly presence casting a shadow. That will be the case even if the T-Mobile Arena video boards and UFC broadcast make no reference to his absence or future. When announcing McGregor's retirement two weeks ago, White barely mentioned it before quickly moving on to who was I was going to fight. Of course, the UFC CEO's focus that day was on selling tickets and pay-per-views, and focusing on what fans weren't going to see wouldn't have been the smartest marketing strategy.
But if UFC 303 passes without a word about the company's biggest star, it could be interpreted as a premonition of what's to come — or not — in a sport that misses his star power. On Saturday night, when McGregor should be walking into the tin-flute glory of “The Foggy Dew,” he'll instead be just 11 days shy of three years since his last fight. How long will it be until he returns from his fourth year of inactivity? Willpower The return?
If I had to guess, McGregor will spend Saturday night with a pint of his stout in one hand and his Twitter device in the other. He may be kind with his praise for some, and he probably has harsh things to say about others. But rest assured, this will not be the headliner night for UFC 303. Conor McGregor has never been one to give up the spotlight.
