UFC 303 International Fight Week June 29th
pic.twitter.com/P47PSsKcg0— danawhite (@danawhite)
June 14, 2024
Any fight fan that purchased tickets to this
Ultimate Fighting Championship show can receive a full refund
if requested.
News of the cancelation of
UFC 303’s main event—and co-headlining match as well—was
announced by the UFC on
Thursday, stating that Conor
McGregor suffered an injury and his match with Michael
Chandler has been canceled. Additionally, Jamahal
Hill suffered an injury and was forced out of his
second-to-last pairing against Carlos
Ulberg. Due to these changes, the promotion has booked three
fights on about two weeks’ notice for this blockbuster event. The
new main attraction for this June 29 card will be Alex
Pereira (10-2) defending his 205-pound strap against Jiri
Prochazka (30-4-1) atop the billing at the T-Mobile Arena in
Las Vegas.
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Pereira, who suffered multiple broken toes during his UFC 300
encounter against Hill, was able to be cleared for a quick
turnaround. “Poatan” put his belt on the line against Hill in
April, and he trounced Hill in the first round with a barrage of
punches. This put him on a three-fight win streak that dates back
to his debut at 205 pounds. In two fights in his new division,
Pereira beat former champ Jan
Blachowicz and then claimed the throne from Prochazka at UFC
295.
Since losing his title to Pereira, Prochazka rebounded at UFC 300
by pummeling Aleksandar
Rakic. Before his loss, the Czech fighter had strung together
13 straight wins, including finishes in the UFC that earned him the
light heavyweight crown. In that stretch, “BJP” earned stoppages in
12 outings, and he currently celebrates a finish rate of 97%.
The newly created co-main fight will come at 145 pounds, as
Brian
Ortega (16-3, 1 NC) and Diego Lopes
(24-6) collide on short notice. Neither man was scheduled for the
event, but the featherweights elected to step up and face one
another to put another banner fight on the card. With Hill-Ulberg
off the table, Ortega vs. Lopes slots in the No. 2 spot.
California’s Ortega put his first losing streak behind him in
February when he tapped Yair
Rodriguez with an arm-triangle choke, avenging an injury TKO
loss suffered to “El Pantera” in 2022. Before facing Rodriguez in
back-to-back bouts, “T-City” battled champ Alexander
Volkanovski and came up short despite two instances during
their 25-minute battle where Ortega had the Aussie in danger. Since
COVID-19, Ortega has competed just four times, with his other
performance being a win over Chan Sung
Jung in late 2020.
Lopes introduced himself to the roster in May 2023, where he faced
undefeated Russian grappler Movsar
Evloev on short notice and pushed him to the limit. While Lopes
came up short on the scorecards, he put himself on the map with his
gritty display of skills. The Brazilian bounced back with three
first-round finishes of Gavin
Tucker, Pat
Sabatini, and most recently, Sodiq
Yusuff. In those three wins, the Lobo Gym MMA product has never
needed more than 98 seconds to get the job done.
Finally, with Hill out of the picture, Ulberg (10-1) was without a
dance partner. Former title challenger Anthony
Smith (38-19) has elected to serve as the replacement, keeping
the heavy-handed Kiwi on the card. While “Lionheart” has struggled
in his last five fights, winning two, he reminded the division that
he was still a threat by strangling Vitor
Petrino with a two-minute guillotine choke in May. As a pro,
the longtime veteran has finished his opponent in 92% of his
wins.
Ulberg competed at UFC on ESPN 56, where he punched out Alonzo
Menifield in 12 seconds to snag the replacement opportunity to
face Hill. Initially, Hill was booked against Khalil
Rountree, but Rountree disclosed he had consumed a banned
substance and was issued a temporary suspension. Ulberg comes into
this top contender matchup winner of his last six, including
finishes in the last five. Six of his 10 pro wins have come in the
first round, with four coming in the Octagon.
The newly rebuilt UFC 300 will remain at the T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas on June 29. According to NAC
467.255, any person that wishes to refund their ticket must be
issued a full refund as the main event of the show changed. The new
main fight sees Alex
Pereira put his 205-pound strap on the line against former
titleholder Jiri
Prochazka. The co-main event comes at featherweights as
Brian
Ortega throws down with Diego
Lopes. Round out the main card is a light heavyweight contest
of Anthony
Smith vs. Carlos
Ulberg, a matchup between Mayra
Bueno Silva and Macy
Chiasson at 135 pounds and a welterweight scrap as Ian Garry
faces Michael
Page.