The UFC returned to Las Vegas tonight for UFC 303. Headlined by a light heavyweight championship fight, the pay-per-view event was changed quite a bit right up to the wire but still gave us some very entertaining fights and some big highlights.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the night and break down the three fights we looked at in our UFC 303 preview.
Prelim Highlights
In one fo the first fights of the night, the young Payton Talbott stepped into the octagon as an astounding -1600 favorite for his bout with Yanis Ghemmouri. And if you had any doubts about those odds, by the time you had finished vocalizing them, the fight was already over. Talbott landed a jab and followed it with a straight right that landed cleanly on Ghemmouri’s chin and dropped him. Talbott hesitated for a moment but Ghemmouri appeared to be at least partially out, so he pounced on the opportunity and got the finish after just 19 seconds. We might have a future bantamweight star on our hands here.
In just his second trip to the Octagon, Jean Silva faced off against a UFC veteran in Charles Jourdain. It was clear from the beginning that Jourdain was very aware of the punching power of Silva as he was showing big reactions to all of his opponents faints. Silva landed some good shots in the first round, but Jourdain ended up on top after a big takedown. In the second, Jourdain seemed eager to secure another takedown, pushing Silva up against the fence. Silva fought Jourdain off though and, after getting just a few inches of separation, landed a short uppercut that dropped Jourdain and put him away. There is no doubting that punching power of Silva and he just made a statement in the featherweight division.
In the final fight before the main card, Joe Pyfer wasted no time putting on a show against Marc-Andre Barriault. Pyfer stalked his opponent, who was clearly wary of the knockout power in Pyfer’s hands. And just a minute and 25 seconds into the fight, Pyfer proved that his opponent’s fears were warranted. Pyfer landed a big right and followed it up with a few more good shots that put Barriault’s lights out. It was a very impressive performance for an emerging middleweight contender.
Main Card Highlights
A showdown between Mayra Bueno Silva and Macy Chiasson entertained early as the two came out swinging. It was very clear though that Bueno Silva had the power advantage as her strikes seemed to make the much bigger impact. Still, Chiasson hung in there and kept coming forward. In the second, Chiasson scored a takedown and landed a huge elbow that immediately opened up a nasty cut above Bueno Silva’s right eye. Once the fighters got back to their feet, the ref called for the doctor to inspect the cut. After a few moments, the fight was stopped and Chiasson took a TKO victory.
In one of the messiest contests on a card that had plenty, Anthony Smith faced off with middleweight Roman Dolidze in a light heavyweight bout. This contest was changed multiple times and both of these guys came in on short notice. Unfortunately, it showed as cardio was not a strength for the two fighters. Still, they stood toe to toe and tried to score the knockout. It was Dolidze who blitzed Smith though and landed some good shots in the second round. He wasn’t able to get the finish and the overall performance may not have been what he wanted, but Dolidze did secure a decision victory in a new weight class and could very well find himself in the top 10 in two divisions.
Ian Garry def. Michael Page
Typically, I will put the spotlight on the final three fights of the night. However, this fight was just too exciting to pass up. Ian Garry has been touted as the next big thing for some time and Michael Page was very impressive in his octagon debut earlier this year. It was clear from the beginning that Page had the speed and striking advantages, which was certainly a new experience for Garry. So instead, Garry went to his grappling game and sunk in a choke early in the first round. Page defended well though and survived the round. With the fight back on the feet, Page showed his striking advantage and clearly won the second round. In the third, It was clear Garry wanted to get the fight back to the floor and he desperately looked for a takedown. That backfired though as Page wound up on top. Garry defended and eventually got back to his feet with a couple of minutes to go and fight still very much up in the air. Garry once again pushed to get the fight to the ground and ended up taking Page’s back. Page once again defended but could not shake Garry off and the fight ended with Garry in the advantageous position. That control was enough to give Garry the unanimous decision victory and keep his undefeated record. After the fight, Garry said he is ready to be a world champion and he very well could be the next in line.
My pick: Garry via decision
Result: Garry via decision
Diego Lopes def. Dan Ige
There were some very interesting developments with this co-main event. After forcing the fight to move up a weight class just hours before the weigh in, Brian Ortega had to pull out of the fight with an illness, just hours before his scheduled walkout. Luckily, and quite frankly amazingly, Dan Ige was ready and willing to step in to face Diego Lopes to save this co-main event.
Coincidentally, this matchup was much more exciting stylistically, as both of these guys are typically looking to stand and bang. That was the case in the first as Lopes frequently blitzed Ige wildly, landing a few good shots. Ige was patient and countered well, landing a few shots of his own. In the closing moments of the round, Ige looked for a takedown and Lopes locked up a very tight choke. Ige, a talented grappler as well, defended will though and survived the round. In the second, Ige landed a solid high kick but Lopes took him to the ground in the process. Lopes eventually took his back and grinded out the round in the dominant position. Ige landed a big right hand early in the third and it was clear that Lopes was getting tired. After fighting off another takedown attempt, Ige found himself in top position and landed some strikes on the ground before the final horn. It was a strong performance for Lopes who had to deal with the fight changing weights multiple times and getting a new opponent just hours before the fight. This was also a great showing for Ige though who is only going to gain popularity and the favor of the UFC after stepping up like this.
My pick: Ortega via 3rd round submission (fight canceled)
Result: Lopes via decision
Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka
The energy was electric for this main event as these two rivals shared another intense staredown in the octagon, just like they did in their first meeting. As the fight began, both guys showed that they had tremendous respect for each other, but they were still willing to trade strikes. Pereira had the clear power advantage and landed more frequently as well. In the closing seconds of the first round, Pereira landed a huge left hook that dropped Prochazka and had the horn not sounded a second later, the fight might have been over. The challenger was wobbly as he made his way back to his corner. In the opening moments of the second round, Pereira almost immediately landed a left head kick and dropped Prochazka. The ref tried to give him a chance to recover but after a couple more shots from the champ, the fight was over. This guys just possesses a different level of knockout power that no one is ready for when they step into the octagon with him. There is talk of him moving up to heavyweight next and it would certainly be very exciting to see.
My pick: Pereira via 4th round knockout
Result: Pereira via 2nd round knockout
The UFC will return to ESPN+ on Saturday, July 13 for UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Barber. Be sure to check back for a preview of the event.