Alex Pereira successfully defended his light-heavyweight championship at UFC 303, delivering a powerful left kick to Jiri Prochazka’s head followed by ground strikes, ending the fight via TKO just 13 seconds into the second round.
This victory marks Pereira’s second win over Prochazka since November, solidifying his dominance in the light-heavyweight division and resolving any questions about his reign.
UFC 303 was marked by significant behind-the-scenes drama, particularly in the lead-up to the event.
A last-minute change was necessary for the co-main event due to Brian Ortega’s illness forcing him to withdraw. Dan Ige, who was already in Las Vegas for training, stepped in to face Diego Lopes in a lightweight bout.
Lopes (25-6) of Brazil won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 29-28. Ige (18-8), fighting out of Las Vegas, received enthusiastic cheers from the crowd for accepting the fight on short notice.
The UFC had to quickly arrange the Pereira vs. Prochazka matchup after Conor McGregor’s withdrawal due to a broken toe. Both fighters had a shortened preparation time, with Pereira’s vacation in Australia and Prochazka’s meditation retreat being interrupted.
Despite McGregor’s absence, the event drew a large crowd of 18,881 spectators, including notable figures like NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Marcedes Lewis.
The fight was a rematch of their November encounter at Madison Square Garden, where Pereira initially claimed the vacant light-heavyweight title with a second-round TKO victory over Prochazka.
Pereira further solidified his championship status by defeating former titleholder Jamahal Hill in the first round at UFC 300 in April. On the same card, Prochazka secured his rematch opportunity by defeating Aleksandar Rakic via second-round TKO.
In a bantamweight fight, Macy Chiasson (11-3) defeated Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1) via TKO in the second round after a severe cut on Silva’s face prompted the ringside doctor to stop the fight.
Marcus Bellamy