A 13-fight card at UFC 303 in Las Vegas was headlined by a dominant performance in the Alex Pereira-Jiri Procházka title fight. In the co-main event, Dan Ige stepped in on short notice, but Diego Lopes let the promotion know he's ready for center stage. But what were the most important moments of International Wrestling Week and who were the most notable on the card? Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, and Jeff Wagenheim offer their final thoughts.
Wagenheim: Things just keep looking up for Alex Pereira. Simply accepting this title fight, accepting it on just two weeks notice and while out of the country and away from his training gym, was already pretty legendary. But his performance on Saturday elevated the UFC light heavyweight champion into the stratosphere.
Pereira's head kick knockout 13 seconds into the second round of the UFC 303 main event, after dropping former champion Jiri Procházka with a left hook right at the end of the first round, left the crowd in shock. -Mobile Arena stunned and eager for more of this electrifying power. Maybe it'll be another title defense in the 205-pound class, or maybe he's ready to move up to heavyweight.
In Pereira's post-fight interview inside the cage, commentator Joe Rogan was already trying to sell the heavyweight move, which could catapult “Poatan” to unprecedented achievement. In just nine trips inside the Octagon, he has already captured the middleweight and light heavyweight championship. No one has ever won UFC belts in three weight classes.
“I think that's part of my future,” said Pereira, who was a two-division kickboxing world champion in another sporting life. “I said it the last time I was here… There didn't seem to be much interest in the organization… I think the fans have a lot of say in this, whatever they want. In the end, they're the ones paying for this. If this is what they want, it's going to be inevitable.”
For one, the UFC heavyweight division doesn't need to add to the stalemate between champion Jon Jones, interim champion Tom Aspinall and former champion Stipe Miocic. And the 205-pound division could still use the star power of Pereira, who was shining brightly before tonight but is now dazzling.
But there is no way to micromanage a phenomenon like Pereira. If you're part of the UFC, you find him the most exciting opportunities there are and allow him to achieve more than, just a few years ago, no one saw coming.
This isn’t the second coming of Conor McGregor, whom Pereira replaced on Saturday. The Irishman is the biggest star the sport has ever seen, but his impact was built far beyond the cage and, these days, it’s almost exclusively about melodrama. Pereira, by contrast, is all brawler. His mic time is straightforward and spoken through an interpreter. What makes him a star like no other in the UFC is what happens once he steps into the cage. It starts with his chillingly stoic stare during introductions and ends with a chilling knockout. Fans will happily enjoy more of that instead of tired theatrics.
Lopes and Ige get star treatment after UFC 303
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Dan Ige and Diego Lopes battle for decision in co-main event on short notice
Dan Ige and Diego Lopes fight all three rounds in the co-main event of UFC 303.
Healthy: Yes, Diego Lopes took the win and extended his winning streak to four in a row with a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige. However, the real story is how this fight ended up happening and how Lopes and Ige performed despite having no idea they would be fighting each other until about four hours before it happened.
Let's start with Ige.
On Saturday morning, he was going to fights as a fan. On Saturday night, he was in the co-main event and had a strong final round as he looked to pull off what would have been a notable upset in a fight he had no business being in.
As for Lopes, he could have pulled out of this fight at any time. He could have lowered the weight limit for his fight with Brian Ortega, moving up to 155 pounds on Friday morning. When Ortega became ill and had to withdraw, Lopes didn't have to risk facing another opponent, especially one as tough as Ige at a catchweight of 165 pounds. But he did it.
Winning or losing doesn't necessarily matter as much as the courage both fighters had to hold this co-main event together and deliver an exciting fight for the fans.
Ige has etched his name into the history books and established a legacy that will be remembered. Whatever he wants next, give it to him, as long as it doesn't interfere with Lopes' plans.
As for Lopes, his arrow was already pointing to the ceiling. If he wants to fight at UFC Night at The Sphere, let him do it. If he wants to fight someone like Alexander Volkanovski, who he called out later, give it to him. If Volkanovski is down.
On this night stars were born, no matter who was the winner. Stars sometimes receive favorable treatment because of their status, and Lopes and Ige should feel inclined to call in a favor or two in the future.
The moment of truth is approaching for Machado Garry
Okamoto: The UFC has orchestrated Ian Machado Garry’s career beautifully. Really. And Machado Garry has repaid them by evolving and becoming a true welterweight contender. He’s made steps at the right time in the competition and it hasn’t always seemed like a walk in the park, but that could be a good thing. A close split decision win against Geoff Neal in February and another close one on Saturday against Michael Page – these experiences are valuable to his overall arc, and he’s kept his record perfect even in these close ones.
That said, there is no building now. Machado Garry has entered a echelon of the division where it is going to be difficult to find gaps to exploit. As great as it has been to see him emerge victorious from these challenging situations, there is also something to be said about those challenging situations themselves. Machado Garry has not always looked supremely comfortable in the different facets of these fights. He has come through with self-confidence, excellent decision-making, and very good skills, but again, there will not be such clear paths to victory against future competition.
By the way, his history of gym-hopping doesn't seem to be holding him back. And in fact, it's hard to say it's a bad thing that in a fight like Page's, he's trained Dutch-style kickboxing with the likes of Henri Hooft, but now has Muay Thai style Chute Boxe in his corner, not to mention Demian Maia. It's not generally considered a good thing when fighters go back and forth between gyms, but it certainly seems to be working out for Garry Machado.
