The UFC head back to Las Vegas on Saturday night to deliver their monumental UFC 303 card.
Although the fight night has been affected by several major pull outs and changes in opposition, the promotion have still managed to put together a card which will be very much enjoyed by those attending International fight week.
The main event should have saw the return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler but following the withdrawal of McGregor due to a foot injury, Alex Pereira will step up on just a few weeks notice and will put his UFC Light Heavyweight title on the line against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch of their UFC 295 bout. Pereira makes the walk for the second time already this year and enters the contest on the back of the devasting first round victory against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. Since his defeat to Pereira, Prochazka got back into the win column with a second round comeback win against Aleksander Rakic at UFC 300.
The co-main event plays host to an extremely interesting Featherweight contest between former title challenger Brian Ortega and the rising prospect Deigo Lopes. Ortega, who admitted that prior to the fight being offered, he was ready to make the move up to Lightweight, comes into what could be the last time fans see him at 145lbs, fresh off a win against Yair Rodriguez following over a year and a half away from competition. Lopes is yet to see the second round in any of his three victories inside the UFC Octagon. Having made his promotional debut a little over a year ago, the Brazilian has amassed a 3-1 record, with his wins coming against Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini and Sodiq Yusuff.
The main card is also set to feature a thrilling Ireland vs England encounter when Ian Machado Garry and Michael ‘Venom’ Page meet in a Welterweight war. After spending a large proportion of his career under the Bellator banner, Page joined the UFC late last year and has already earned a spot in the rankings with a unanimous decision win against Kevin Holland at UFC 299. The unbeaten Garry finds himself ranked seventh at 170lbs and a win against Page would really put the rest of the division on notice. Both men are known for their elite level striking and the bout could very well deliver fight of the night.
Elsewhere on the card, gritty UFC veterans Cub Swanson and Andre Fili will square off in a Featherweight contest, Joe Pyfer will return for the first time since his first promotion loss – he will face Marc-Andre Barriault. Rising star Payton Talbott is also set to feature, in a Bantamweight contest against Yanis Ghemmouri.
Ahead of the event, the UFC’s “Embedded” cameras are following the fighters behind the scenes as they work their way through fight week, as they arrive in Abu Dhabi and go through their pre-fight media obligations before the weigh-ins and the final faceoffs ahead of fight night.
As described on the UFC’s official YouTube channel, in Episode 3: Jiri Procházka has an intense training session; Champ Alex Pereira has lunch in New York and watches his kids spar; Cub Swanson continues his camp; Brian Ortega plays video games; Roman Dolidze has a jiu-jitsu session; Diego Lopes gets a haircut."
Watch below:
