UFC 303: Alex Pereira Remains A Two Division Champion

UFC 303: International Fight Week

From June 24th to June 30th, the UFC took over Las Vegas and gave fighting fans the ultimate week of UFC related events. Between the concerts, the ceremonial weigh-ins, the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and the 2-Day Immersive Fan Experience at UFC X, the fans had plenty of events to attend throughout the week.

Alex Pereira Remains A Two Division Champion

Alex Pereira managed to hold off Jiří Procházka with a second-round knock-out via a leg kick to Jiří's head. The match started with an intense 5-minute-long staredown during the introductions. At the end of the first round, Pereira nearly put Procházka away with a vicious left hook with three seconds left in the first round. This left-hook left Jiří dazed and Alex went in for the finish immediately at the start of the second round.

Alex credited his coaches with the idea of the Left-Leg Kick to put away Jiří. Pereira's coaches noticed via Social Media that Jiří tended to put his hands down after every calf kick check during his warm-up. This gave Alex an effective game plan to knock out Jiří Procházka with a Leg Kick if the situation arose, which it inevitably did.

Diego Lopes Defeats Dan Ige Via Decision

The Co-Main Event of International Fight Week's "UFC 303" changed about 5 different times leading up to the event. The third-ranked featherweight contender Brian Ortega was supposed to fight 14th-ranked Diego Lopes at UFC 303, but Ortega was declared medically unable to fight hours before the scheduled fight. The UFC was quick to find a replacement who was ready to fight and was already in Las Vegas. Dan Ige stepped up to the plate and accepted the fight on a few hour's notice. Even though Ige lost via Decision, Dan received a standing ovation for putting on a fantastic fight with only a few hours of notice.

Ian Machado Garry Defeats Michael Venom Page To Remain Undefeated

One of the most-anticipated fights on the main fight card was Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Venom Page. When most thought this fight was going to be a slugfest, Garry controlled Page on the ground for most of the three-round fight. Ian showed control and managed to secure the win by using his grappling skills. When the two high-level strikers took to the octagon, Ian Garry managed to win via Decision by changing his gameplan and ended up with a victory to remain undefeated.

Press Conference With Michael Chandler

Before the Pay-For-View fights started, Michael Chandler addressed the Press regarding his hopes of fighting Conor McGregor and how it felt being at UFC 303, when he was supposed to headline the event. Michael expressed that he hopes McGregor heals from his pinky-toe injury soon so they can fight in the octagon sometime soon. Michael talked about how he's been training for the fight with Conor for over a year now and he hopes the fight occurs sometime in 2024.

Post-Fight Press Conference

UFC 303 was a success all around, even with the event having an ever-changing fight card. With 18,881 in attendance and a total gate of $15.9 million, it shows that Conor McGregor's broken toe couldn't keep fight fans away from Las Vegas this past weekend. During the press conference, Dana White talked about the successful related events that occurred during International Fight Week including UFC's Hall Of Fame Induction, Power Slap, the Ceremonial Weigh-Ins, and the two-day "UFC X" fan experience event in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

UFC 304, 305, and Noche UFC at The Sphere

The UFC is an industry-leading giant that never rests. After having "UFC International Fight Week" in their hometown of Las Vegas, the UFC plans on returning to Vegas in July for "UFC Fight Night" on EPSN, then in August for "Dana White's Contender Series", and lastly in September for "Noche UFC" at The Sphere.

Besides events happening in Las Vegas, the UFC will have "UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2" on July 27th in Manchester, England. Additionally, the UFC will have "UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya" on August 17th in Perth, Australia. If you're looking to see the action live in person, tickets are available for all of the events listed above at ufc.com/tickets.