UFC 303 will happen soon. The main event features Alex Pereira seeking to make a second defense of his light heavyweight title. This fight is a rematch with Jiri Prochazka. The fight card has been changed more than a little in recent weeks, but still includes plenty of exciting fights.
We previewed UFC 302 in an earlier article. That fight card wasn’t great overall, but hopefully, UFC 303 will be better. Without further ado, let’s dive into our preview of UFC 303 and the top three fights on the card.
UFC 303 Preview: Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
In the featured bout, Anthony Smith takes on Roman Dolidze in the light heavyweight division. Smith is the #10 ranked light heavyweight contender. Dolidze is currently unranked. Smith is 2-3 in his last five fights. He is a well-rounded fighter, with good striking and some good submissions on the ground. Additionally, Smith has fought in the UFC since 2016, so he has much more high-level experience than Dolidze.
Dolidze has skills on the feet and on the ground. He has 12 KO/TKO wins and three wins by submission. However, he has lost back-to-back fights in the UFC to Marvin Vettori and Nassourdine Imavov. As such, he has even more motivation to beat Anthony Smith and avoid a three-fight losing streak.
Smith’s experience and well-rounded skillset will likely prove too much for the much less experienced Dolidze, though.
Prediction: Anthony Smith by Decision
UFC 303 Preview: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
The co-main event features an exciting matchup between two-time featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega and rising star Diego Lopes. However, it is important to note that this fight will take place at lightweight. Ortega is an excellent and tough fighter, with technical striker and effective submissions.
Ortega nearly submitted Alexander Volkanovski twice in their UFC 266 title fight. Additionally, Brian Ortega submitted Yair Rodriguez in a rematch at UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2. As you might expect, Ortega has a significant experience advantage in the fight with Lopes.
However, Lopes has youth on his side, being four years younger than Ortega. Lopes has won four of his last five fights with finishes in all of those wins. Lopes has dangerous striking with 12 KO/TKO wins so far in his career. Also, Lopes has 12 wins by submission. Despite the experience gap, Lopes and Ortega seem fairly evenly matched on paper.
This is a difficult fight to predict, but it seems likely that Ortega’s experience will prove vital in him overcoming Lopes. It is sure to be an exciting and hard-fought battle, though.
Prediction: Brian Ortega by Decision
UFC 303 Preview: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2
In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira seeks to defend his title once again against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. Pereira defeated Prochazka in their first fight at UFC 295 by TKO in round two to become the new light heavyweight champion.
Additionally, Pereira has plenty of momentum on his side after his lopsided first-round TKO against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. Pereira is an exceptional kickboxer with devastating knockout power and incredibly technical striking. His leg kicks are an underrated but important part of his striking arsenal. He has sometimes struggled with effective grapplers in his career, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue against a striker like Prochazka.
Alex Pereira’s exciting fighting style and intimidating aura are some of the reasons why he is so popular and any merchandise related to him tends to sell well.
Meanwhile, Jiri Prochazka is an unorthodox and unpredictable striker. Prochazka lost to Pereira in the pair’s first fight but bounced back by finishing Aleksandar Rakic in the second round in his next fight. As a result, Prochazka remains the #1 contender in the UFC light heavyweight division.
Prochazka does have some skills on the ground with three submission wins. In fact, he won the UFC light heavyweight title by submitting Glover Teixeira with a rear naked choke in the fifth round of an incredible fight at UFC 275. However, Prochazka prefers to fight on the feet and is unlikely to try to take this fight to the ground despite Pereira’s kickboxing skills.
Considering this, it is likely that Pereira will finish Prochazka once again.
Prediction: Alex Pereira by KO/TKO
UFC 303 Looks Like a Solid Card Despite All the Changes
It is undeniable that UFC 303 has gone through many changes, most notably with McGregor vs. Chandler being replaced by Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 as the card’s main event. However, the card still looks solid with these fights and other promising fights like Ian Garry vs. Michael Page. As always, we hope you enjoy the fights.