UFC 303 International Fight Week June 29th
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— Dana White (@danawhite)
June 14, 2024
Combat sports fans who purchased tickets to this Ultimate Fighting Championship show can receive a full refund upon request.
News of the cancellation of the main and co-main events of UFC 303 was announced by UFC on Thursday, when it was announced that Conor McGregor was injured and his bout with Michael Chandler was canceled. Additionally, Jamahal Hill was injured and pulled from his penultimate bout with Carlos Ulberg. These changes left the promotion booking three bouts for the blockbuster event about two weeks in advance. The new centerpiece of the June 29 card is Alex Pereira (10-2) defending his 205-pound belt against Jiri Prochazka (30-4-1) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pereira was able to recover quickly after breaking multiple toes while facing Hill at UFC 300. “Poitan” faced Hill for the belt in April and overpowered him with a ferocious first round punch, snapping a three-fight winning streak since his debut at 205 pounds. In his two bouts at his new weight class, Pereira defeated former champion Jan Blachowicz and took the title from Prochazka at UFC 295.
Since losing the title to Pereira, Prochazka bounced back with a knockout win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300. Prior to the loss, the Czech fighter had won 13 straight bouts, including a finish to capture the UFC light heavyweight championship. During that time, “BJP” has won 12 of his bouts by knockout and currently boasts a 97% finish rate.
The new co-main event will be at 145 pounds, featuring Brian Ortega (16-3, 1 no-kick) and Diego Lopez (24-6). Neither fighter was scheduled to compete at the event, but the decision was made to have the two featherweights face off and add another great fight to the card. With Hill Ulberg out of the running, Ortega vs. Lopez was ranked #2.
The California native ended his first losing streak in 2022 by tapping out Yair Rodriguez with an arm triangle choke, avenging an injury-related TKO loss to “El Pantera” in 2022. Prior to his back-to-back bouts with Rodriguez, “T-City” fought champion Alexander Volkanovski and fell short despite Ortega putting the Australian in danger twice during the 25-minute fight. Ortega has competed just four times since COVID-19, with his other achievement being a win over Chan Sung Jung in late 2020.
Lopez joined the roster in May 2023 and was pushed to his limits in a surprise match against unbeaten Russian grappler Movsar Evloev. Though Lopez came up short on the scorecards, he made a name for himself with his tenacious skills. The Brazilian bounced back with three first-round stops over Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini and most recently Sodiq Yusuf. In those three wins, the RoboGym MMA alum has never needed more than 98 seconds to get the job done.
Finally, Hill’s withdrawal left Ullberg (10-1) without a dance partner. Former title challenger Anthony Smith (38-19) opted to take his place, leaving the hard-hitting New Zealander on the card. “Lionheart” has struggled in his last five fights, winning just two, but he reminded the division he’s still a threat when he finished Vitor Petrino with a two-minute guillotine choke in May. As a pro, the veteran has finished his opponents in 92 percent of his wins.
Ulberg earned the opportunity to face Hill instead after knocking out Alonzo Menifield in 12 seconds at UFC on ESPN 56. Hill was originally scheduled to face Khalil Rountree, but Rountree served a temporary suspension after revealing he had taken banned substances. Ulberg has won his last six bouts against top contenders and finished five of them. Six of his 10 professional wins have come in the first round, and four have come inside the Octagon.
The newly rebuilt UFC 300 will take place on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. According to NAC 467.255, the show’s main event has been rescheduled and a full refund must be given to anyone who wants a refund on their ticket. The new main fight will see Alex Pereira face former titleholder Jiri Prochazka for the 205-pound belt. The co-main event will be at featherweight, with Brian Ortega facing Diego Lopez. Rounding out the main card are light heavyweight bouts Anthony Smith vs. Carlos Ulberg, 135-pound bouts Myra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson, and welterweight bouts Ian Garry vs. Michael Page.
