On June 13th, 2024, UFC President Dana White announced that the UFC 303 main event between Conor Mcgregor and Michael Chandler had officially been called off. There was speculation in recent weeks of Mcgregor suffering an injury, and now that has been confirmed by the UFC which is why the fight has been officially postponed.
Instead, the new main event for UFC 303 will see UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira defend his title against the #1 contender Jiri Prochazka. Both of these fighters came off of huge wins at UFC 300 and are stepping in on short notice to essentially “save” this event.
Jamahal Hill was also been pulled off the card due to an injury, so Carlos Ulberg will instead be fighting Anthony Smith on this card. This has also resulted in a new co-main event between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopez being announced.
Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka II – UFC 303
The new main event of UFC 303 will feature Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka’s fight for Pereira’s Light Heavyweight Championship. This rematch was made after both fighters earned huge wins at UFC 300 as they will meet in the octagon once again.
In their last encounter at UFC 295, Pereira was able to defeat Jiri via a TKO in the 2nd round. However, the fight was extremely close up until that moment and many also believed that it was an early stoppage victory for Pereira. Jiri is once again the #1 contender after defeating Alexander Rakic and will look to get revenge on the champion.
Alex Pereira fought in the main event of UFC 300 and was able to knock out top contender Jamahal Hill in the first round. This was one of the most impressive displays of Pereira’s career as many expected that fight to be a close contest between the two top fighters.
Both of these fighters are stepping in on short notice so there is a chance that their full potential and skillset will not be shown in this fight. Alex Pereira has made it clear that he wants to be an active and defending champion, and he’s proving that as he’s taking a fight just two months off from his last victory.
Jamahal Hill Pulls Out/Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopez
Jamahal Hill has also been forced to pull out of the UFC 303 event due to an injury that he sustained. He was supposed to be the co-main event fight alongside Carlos Ulberg, who will now fight Anthony Smith in the feature fight.
Smith is stepping in on short notice after defeating Vitor Petrino with ease at UFC 301. He is certainly a threat in the light heavyweight division and a win here will advance his goal of getting back to the top. Carlos Ulberg has been on a six-fight-winning streak with finishes in his last 5. He looks to do that again against a veteran in Smith at UFC 303, as this win will certainly enter him into the top 10.
Because of Hill pulling out of UFC 303, the company has decided to add a new co-main event in a featherweight bout between #3 ranked Brian Ortega and #14 ranked rising star, Diego Lopes. Lopes has been on a huge 3 fight-winning streak and is certainly one of the top prospects in the UFC.
Ortega recently made his long-awaited UFC return and defeated Yair Rodriguez on February 24th, 2024. He is certainly one of the best fighters in the division but has not guaranteed himself a title shot just yet. A win over a young star like Lopes could jump him up even more and potentially even earn him the next shot against Ilia Topuria if he has a dominant outing.
About The Author
Shayan Malik has always been an avid fan of sports. He is currently studying sports communication, as he is hoping to take his sports knowledge to the next level. He enjoys writing about combat sports such as MMA, wrestling, and boxing.
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