Though plagued with numerous failed bookings, including the co-main event being rebooked three times, UFC 303 played out as an amazing summer thriller that presented some of the best talent the promotion has to offer. Headlined by the short notice rematch between reigning Light Heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka, the event saw a bevy of other entertaining matchups like Diego Lopes and Dan Ige squaring off, as well as Mayra Bueno Silva taking on Macy Chiasson for a possible number one contender spot. And now, let’s take a look at who the main card winners should fight next.
Ian Machado Garry
While the much-anticipated clash between European powerhouses Ian Machado Garry and Michael Page ended on a mostly lackluster note, the Irishman was able to walk away with the victory to record his eighth UFC win. While Machado Garry did almost secure the rear naked choke finish in the first round, “Venom”’s veteran experience allowed him to stay alive and even take the following second round. The scores were even going into the final five minutes, that was until “The Future” was able to grab hold of a standing body triangle and maintained it for the majority of the final round, allowing him to get the judge’s nod in the end.
Fight to make: Colby Covington
While Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) has seemingly silenced any talks of fighting Colby Covington, the bout between the two brash Welterweight stars makes more sense in more ways than one. For starters, Covington and Machado Garry have exchanged numerous verbal barbs over the past year over social media, with many fans excited at the thought of seeing them settle their dispute in the Octagon. Secondly, “Chaos” has not won a fight since March 2022 when he took a one-sided unanimous decision win over then BMF title holder Jorge Masvidal. He is also coming off a bafflingly poor performance against current 170 lbs champion Leon Edwards. If Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) wants to get back into title contention, as well as stay relevant within the division’s utmost elite, then a high-profile finish over the undefeated Irishman would blow some much needed wind in the once interim champion’s sails.
Macy Chiasson
After dropping down to the Bantamweight division once more following a third round TKO loss to Irene Aldana, Macy Chiasson picked up her second straight win last weekend at UFC 303 with a grizzly finish over Mayra Bueno Silva. Taking her Brazilian adversary to the ground, Chiasson delivered a short but devastating elbow that cut Silva open immediately, leaving a massive gash across her face. Although “Sheetara” was able to find her way back to her feet, the referee almost immediately called in the ringside doctor to check out the cut, who waved off the fight soon after. The victory marked Chiasson’s second finish in a row, which also includes a previous round one submission over Pannie Kianzad.
Fight to make: Ketlen Vieira
Back in January, Macy Chiasson (10-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was scheduled to fight 135 lbs contender Ketlen Vieira (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on the very first UFC Fight Night card of 2024. However, that bout ultimately fell through after Vieira was pulled from the card due to an apparent injury. This injury has since kept “Fenômeno” sidelined for the entirety of 2024, so far, while Chiasson has already competed twice this year. With both women currently residing within the Bantamweight top six, a win for either fighter could land them a top-billed matchup against their division’s new champion, Raquel Pennington.
Anthony Smith vs Roman Dolidze
Originally, UFC 303 was meant to feature a Light Heavyweight scrap between two of the hardest hitters in the weight class, Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. Unfortunately, because of injuries, in addition to Rountree testing positive for a banned substance, the contest would be rebooked multiple times, resulting in a completely different bout with two new competitors. In just over a week before the show was set to begin, the final product wound up being 205 mainstay Anthony Smith coming to blows with the number 10 Middleweight contender, Roman Dolidze. Although he was stepping up in pounds against a ranked foe, Dolidze actually entered the cage as a slight favorite over “Lionheart” at -140. While surprising at the time, it is important to note that “The Caucasian” had previously competed almost solely at Light Heavyweight, having gone 7-0 in the weight class, which included his first two UFC fights before making the drop to 185 lbs.
Making his return to his old stomping ground, Dolidze’s performance at UFC 303 was admittedly very lackluster, with the Georgian bruiser visibly tiring as the later rounds unfolded. Regardless, though, he eventually eked out a dull unanimous decision over Smith to cement his first win since December 2022. While some credit must be given to Dolidze for filing in on such short notice without undertaking a full camp, the victory didn’t necessarily deliver a resounding statement to the 205 lbs class.
Fight to make: (Middleweight) Caio Borralho or (Light Heavyweight) Alonzo Menifield
In his post-fight interview, Roman Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) made it clear that he wants to fight at both Middleweight and LIght Heavyweight. Should he continue to focus on his ascent at 185 lbs, a fight with the streaking Caio Borralho (16-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) would surely spell a fun striking battle between two of the division’s best rising talents.
If he intends to stay at 205 lbs, however, there could be no better opponent than the heavy-handed Alonzo Menifield (15-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) for his sophomore outing in the upper echelon of the Light Heavyweight elite. With ten KO/TKO finishes each across their professional careers, it is almost guaranteed that someone is going to end up on the wrong end of a highlight-reel defeat.
Diego Lopes vs Dan Ige
In one of the most unexpected turns in UFC history, Dan Ige, on just four hours notice, stepped in to fight Diego Lopes in the co-main event at UFC 303, replacing a sick Brian Ortega, who had to drop from the event due to illness stemming from cutting weight. The bout proceeded as a 165 lbs catchweight, with both fighters hitting the mark without issue.
Although he had earned the gratitude of the promotion, as well as the fans, for saving the penultimate fight of the evening, Ige came into his contest with Lopes with all the desire in the world to win. Throughout the three round affair, “50K” relentlessly pursued his Brazilian adversary, easily handing him the most damage he had ever received in his whole UFC career, so far. However, the superior grappling and slick striking of Lopes proved to be too much for Ige, with the Hawaaian losing a competitive unanimous decision.
Fight to make: Josh Emmett
After their short notice bout at UFC 303 failed to materialize, Diego Lopes’s next fight likely could have been against Brian Ortega, except this time with both fighters being given ample time to prepare and make weight. Alas, for Lopes, it appears that “T-City” is instead eyeing a potential move up to Lightweight for his next fight this September.
Should Ortega choose not to rebook against Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC), there is another venerable top 10-ranked opponent that is looking for an opponent for his first outing of 2024, former interim title-challenger Josh Emmett (19-4 MMA, UFC 10-4). In his fight clash with Ige, Lopes showed that, while his striking ability is top-notch, his defense possesses some very clear holes, holes that the always-dangerous Emmett could easily exploit to bring Lope’s hype train to a screeching halt.
Alex Pereira vs Jiří Procházka
Originally, UFC 303 was meant to showcase the climactic showdown between two of the most entertaining fighters in MMA history, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. However, mere weeks before the show was meant to begin, “The Notorious” was pulled from the card due to breaking his toe. This led to the UFC swiftly booking Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira in a rematch with former foe Jiří Procházka in a rematch from their meeting last November. Only a little over two months removed from his battle against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, Pereira would be making the second defense of his 205 lbs strap.
Living up to his nickname early on, “Poatan” nearly knocked out Procházka in the closing seconds of the first round with a thunderous hook that left him absolutely laid out on the canvas. Before the champion could finish the job, though, the horn sounded to bring the round to a close and save the Czech from further damage.
Although “BJP” had managed to survive the opening stanza of the runback, it only took Pereira just 13 seconds to put away his challenger for good with a superb head kick to successfully notch his second title defense. With the victory, he now becomes the first 205 lbs champion to claim more than one defense since Jon Jones vacated the throne back in 2020 following three consecutive retentions.
Fight to make: Magomed Ankalaev
In every single fight he has had since his move up to the Light Heavyweight division last year, Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has only fought former champions, and other than a split decision win against Jan Błachowicz, he has finished all of them in two rounds or less.
Waiting in the wings, however, is a man who has never held UFC gold, but has proven himself a dark horse in the 205 lbs class as of late, Magomed Ankalaev. Unbeaten since losing his company debut in 2018, Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) has amassed an incredible 11 fight unbeaten streak, a streak that almost elevated him to becoming the champion before falling short in a controversial draw against Jan Błachowicz. With world-class wrestling and fight-ending power, Ankalaev could very much end up being the hardest test of “Poatan”’s Light Heavyweight tenure.
