UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka - Main Event & Undercard Tips

After losing Conor McGregor’s return from the main event, UFC 303 was reshaped in a chaotic period that once again saw light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira step up.

The Brazilian faces a rematch against Jiří Procházka after winning the vacant belt last November against the Czech fighter.

A new co-main event was booked with long-time top-five featherweight Brian Ortega facing fast-rising Diego Lopes.

Here are our three best picks from the main card.

TIP 1 - Over 2.5 rounds Alex Pereira vs Jiri Procházka - 59/50

There is no doubt both Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka possess the knockout power to end this fight at any point in the contest.

However after their first fight finished in the second round this rematch could be more cagey in the early stages, while neither will want to empty the gas tank too early after taking this five-round contest on short notice.

Since their first fight it's worth noting that both have stayed on the same timeline, both fighting in mid-April at UFC 300.

Pereira defended his belt by knocking out Jamahal Hill in the first round while Procházka got back to winning ways, finishing Aleksandar Rakić in round two.

Although an improving weakness for the Brazilian, Procházka must look to wrestle more with Pereira, particularly after having some initial success in the first round of their contest at Madison Square Garden.

Both have shown they can take a championship fight long, Pereira knocking out Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in 2023 in the fifth round, while Procházka secured the light heavyweight title in 2022 when submitting Glover Teixeira in the same round.

We still expect this one to end inside the distance, but are looking to the second half of the fight for an exciting conclusion.

Tip 2 - Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes - Under 1.5 rounds - 31/20

The co-main event between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes is another fight that was made on short notice but has the potential to be wild and pure excitement.

Brian Ortega (8-3, 1 NC UFC) is a two-time title challenger at featherweight with a 10-year career inside the UFC.

The 33-year-old has three KO/TKO wins and four by submission showing he is dangerous anywhere, particularly with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Two of his three defeats were for the belt, where he came up short against Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.

The other was a TKO loss to Yair Rodriguez when suffering an unfortunate first-round shoulder injury that kept him out of action for over 18 months.

On his return in February Ortega submitted Rodriguez and now makes his fastest turnaround for a fight since 2017.

Diego Lopes (3-1 UFC) is on a steep upward curve. Ranked at 14 in the division, the 29-year-old is on a three-fight win streak ending all three in the first round.

Lopes possesses big power in his hands for a featherweight and has a wild submission game to match Ortega.

His only UFC loss was on his debut when he came out on the wrong side of a decision against Movsar Evloev at short notice, however did have his moments against the undefeated and hotly hyped Russian.

Both will want the finish and the chaos that will ensue out of the gate means we can’t see it going over the halfway point.

Tip 3 - Roman Dolidze to win by KO/TKO/DQ - 5/2

Roman Dolidze (6-3 UFC) takes this fight with just over a week's notice and could announce himself as a surprise new contender at light heavyweight.

The Georgian has been campaigning at Middleweight for the majority of his UFC tenure where he is currently ranked number 10.

However, the 35-year-old went 2-0 as a light heavyweight when signing for the UFC and was undefeated as a 205lbs fighter on the European scene.

With four KO/TKO finishes in the UFC, Dolidze remains dangerous despite being on a two-fight skid and was scheduled to fight on UFC 302 until his opponent Anthony Herandez withdrew.

Anthony Smith (13-9 UFC) also jumped onto this card at short notice, stepping in to face Carlos Ulberg after Jamahal Hill’s withdrawal. Days later Ulberg was also ruled out and in stepped Dolidze.

Smith is a former title challenger at light heavyweight but a 1-4 run saw him in danger of dropping out of the ranked picture until he submitted the unranked Vitor Petrino in May.

Dolidze will prove a much tougher test and the move up in weight could be just what he needs at this stage of his career.