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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: (R-L) Alex Pereira of Brazil kicks Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic |
It's hard to put into words just how fearsome Alex Pereira is. His record is impressive, with three knockouts in his past three fights, all for the UFC title at light heavyweight, including his knockout win over Jiri Prochazka in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 303 fight card. What makes things even more amazing is that he also held the UFC middleweight crown at one point. To take things to the next level, one has to consider that Pereira has only been a full-time MMA fighter since late 2021, when he walked away from a kickboxing career that saw him capture Glory gold in two divisions. It's not an understatement to say that Pereira is the most frightening 205-pounder in the UFC since Jon Jones ruled the division.
Pereira handled Jiri Prochazka with ease last night, scoring a second-round knockout win and teasing a move to heavyweight that could make him the first UFC fighter to win a title in three weight classes, something that's usually easily dismissed as a pipe dream, but with Pereira, it seems entirely feasible.
In the co-main event, fans got a surprise booking. Diego Lopes accepted a short-notice bout opposite two-time UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega early this month. That fight moved to 155 pounds on weigh-in day when Ortega informed his foe and the UFC that he could not make the featherweight limit. Then, hours before the bout was set to go down, the UFC inserted Dan Ige into the mix after an illness knocked Ortega off the card. The thing about that was that Ige, a Vegas local, could only take the fight at 165 pounds. Ige deserves some props for taking the fight on incredibly short notice, but let's not forget that Lopes, who is a rising star in the 145-pound division, had a lot to lose by saying yes to facing Ortega at 155 and even more to lose by agreeing to meet Ige at 165 pounds.
In the end, Lopes picked up a decision win over Ige in a spirited contest.
Below we look at the winners and losers from UFC 303, along with the results, fight-night bonus winners, and the scorecards for the fights that went the distance.
UFC 302 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streamed on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
UFC 303 Winners
Alex Pereira: Alex Pereira showed that his first win over Jiri Prochazka wasn't a fluke. The UFC light heavyweight champ is a fearsome fighter who packs a lot of power in his strikes, but he's also an extremely focused competitor who doesn't let anything bother him.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: (R-L) Alex Pereira of Brazil knocks down Jiri Prochazka of the Czech .. |
Diego Lopes: Despite picking up an opponent, Dan Ige, after the UFC 303 fight card had already begun, Diego Lopes did not fight with apprehension. He put it on Ige from the start, throwing with a lot of power while controlling the pace and location of the battle. He also aggressively pursued submissions when the fight went to the mat.
Yes, Lopes seemed to fade a bit toward the end of the fight, but he showed a lot of gumption.
This fight took place under less-than-ideal conditions, but Lopes rose above all that to deliver a big win, and the UFC should reward him by booking him against a featherweight ranked well inside the top 10 for his next outing.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Diego Lopes of Brazil kicks Dan Ige in a 165-pound catchweight fight ... |
UFC Production Team: The fact that the UFC production team was able to put together a video package for the last-minute matchup between Diego Lopes and Dan Ige was noteworthy and impressive.
Roman Dolidze: Roman Dolidze moved up to light heavyweight to accept a short-notice matchup against Anthony Smith, and that roll of the dice paid off with a win that ended a two-fight losing skid.
The fight wasn’t the most exciting bout on the UFC 303 fight card, but Dolidze did a good job of landing leg kicks in the early going and scoring with strikes on the mat during the second stanza.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Roman Dolidze of Georgia punches Anthony Smith in a light |
Macy Chiasson: Macy Chiasson struggled a little with the power of Mayra Bueno Silva in the first round of their women’s bantamweight contest. What she didn’t struggle with was opening a nasty cut above Bueno Silva’s right eyebrow via a perfectly placed elbow in the early moments of the second stanza.
That cut caused the doctor to stop the fight. The placement and depth of the cut were not good, and I would say the stoppage was not a bad one.
This was a big win for Chiasson who did not fight at all in 2023, but she is now 2-0 with two stoppages in 2024.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Mayra Bueno Silva of Brazil grapples with Macy Chiasson in a ... |
Ian Machado Garry: Ian Machado Garry scored a big win on Saturday with a decision over Michael "Venom" Page. Garry won't get a lot of praise for his performance from a specific section of fight fans, but I was impressed by the up-and-coming welterweight.
Patience and poise were the keys to Garry's victory. He did not take unnecessary risks against a dangerous fighter like Page, and that might hurt him in the eyes of the "Just Bleed" crew. However, those same fans would have dismissed Garry had he taken risks and ended up on the wrong end of a knockout.
I still have questions about Garry's striking style, but his win over Page answered some of my concerns. In his next outing, the UFC should book him against a fighter ranked higher than he is.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Ian Machado Garry of Ireland kicks Michael Page of England in a ... |
Dan Ige: Dan Ige found out that Brian Ortega might be out of his UFC 303 co-main event fight opposite Diego Lopes and began to lobby to save the fight.
Ige was booked to fight in a few weeks. With that, his medicals were all in order for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to approve the fight at a catchweight of 165 pounds after Ige made weight on Saturday night. Ige stepped up, and hopefully the UFC will reward him with a nice check.
Joe Pyfer: Joe Pyfer entered UFC 303 coming off a decision loss to Jack Hermansson in what was supposed to be a showcase fight for the rising middleweight. That loss took some of the shine off Pyfer, who opened his UFC career with three finishes in three fights. Pyfer put some sparkle back on his name with an impressive and violent knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault.
Pyfer didn’t answer any questions about his cardio, but he showed that he packs a lot of power in his hands. Saturday’s win will put Pyfer back in the conversation to face a ranked middleweight.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Joe Pyfer reacts after knocking out Marc-Andre Barriault of Canada in a ... |
Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili: This was a tactical featherweight battle. The first round was the pivotal portion of the contest. Andre Fili did a good job keeping Cub Swanson at distance and scoring with his kicks in the first stanza.
Things took a turn in the second round when Swanson realized that Fili’s power was not enough to stop him. With that, Swanson closed distance and looked to score inside boxing range. During these exchanges, Fili showed good awareness and fight IQ, slowing Swanson’s attacks by forcing him into the clinch.
Had Swanson been more aggressive in the first round, he might have won this contest. Overall, this was an enjoyable bout.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Cub Swanson and Andre Fili interact after their featherweight fight ... |
Jean Silva: Jean Silva moved to 2-0 in the UFC with two knockouts when he became the first man to finish Charles Jourdain via strikes.
Silva packs a lot of power in his hands, and he can deliver fight-ending blows in tight spaces, something he did on Saturday when he stopped Jourdain with a short blasting uppercut. At 27, Silva is someone to keep an eye on.
If there's a knock against Silva, it's that he seems to be having a little too much fun inside the Octagon. Acknowledging his opponent's striking attempts during battle is something he should probably tamper down in the future.
Silva also missed weight for the featherweight scrap, something he'll need to avoid going forward.
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| LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Charles Jourdain of Canada dodges a punch by Jean Silva of Brazil in a |
Payton Talbott: Payton Talbott made short work of Yanis Ghemmouri, scoring a nasty 19-second knockout that could have been stopped before the referee allowed Talbott to land several unnecessary ground strikes.
The 25-year-old has a lot of hype behind him, and he deserves a big test in his next outing. Talbott is now 3-0 in the UFC with three stoppage wins.
The UFC’s 135-pound division has a fair amount of talent; with fighters like Talbott in the mix, the division has a fighter to watch in this young man, who is also entertaining outside the cage.
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