*Alex Pereira flattens Sean Strickland with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

The UFC returns to its home base at T-Mobile Arena with an outstanding pay-per-view card. In the co-main event, we’ll see two outstanding grapplers face off when Brian Ortega takes on Diego Lopes. In the main event, we’ll witness a historic rematch of two dangerous scrappers, Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka. This entire card is loaded from top to bottom and is sure to deliver throughout. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

#7 Ian Machado Garry vs. #14 Michael Page

*Ian Machado Garry fires a front kick at Neil Magny. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Welterweight Bout

Ian Machado Garry: 14-0-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Michael Page: 22-2-0, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Garry is undefeated and has UFC victories over #10 ranked Welterweight Geoff Neal (15-6-0), #12 ranked Welterweight Neil Magny (29-12-0), and Daniel Rodriguez (17-5-0). He’s an excellent striker with a very fluid style, constantly moving and bouncing on his feet with an almost karate-like stance. He’s highly accurate, having landed 55% of the significant strikes he has attempted in the UFC, and remains patient, always looking for openings. Garry fights behind his jab and has excellent distance management, typically controlling the center of the cage and forcing his opponent to the outside. He has a deadly kicking arsenal and uses them to do significant damage at range, never telegraphing and constantly mixing kicks into punch combinations. Training at Chute Boxe, he holds a black belt in Judo and has solid takedown defense but rarely initiates grappling exchanges. Garry benefits from a slower, more technical fight, yet to be pulled into a knockdown, drag-out brawl.

*Michael Page lands a brutal spinning elbow on Kevin Holland. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Page has won four of his last five bouts and has a UFC victory over #15 ranked Welterweight Kevin Holland (26-11-0). Arguably the biggest star in Bellator history, he held a record of 17-2 in the promotion in his decade-long tenure. One of the most dangerous kickboxers in the sport, he has a fantastic arsenal of flashy kicks and flashier celebrations. Training at London Shootfighters, Page is in perpetual motion, keeping his hands down and his stance wide, looking for openings to land devastating kicks or combinations. He never telegraphs his attacks, constantly changes his target, and has fantastic distance management. He won’t typically pursue grappling exchanges but has solid takedown defense and submissions. With 13 finishes in the first round, Page is most dangerous early on.

#3 Mayra Bueno Silva vs. #7 Macy Chiasson

*Mayra Bueno Silva cracks Wu Yanan with a jab. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Women’s Bantamweight Bout

Mayra Bueno Silva: 10-3-1, 1 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Macy Chiasson: 10-3-0, 3 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Bueno Silva has won three of her last five fights with one no-contest and has UFC victories over Wu Yanan (12-7-0), Gillian Robertson (13-8-0), and Mara Romero Borella (12-9-0). She’s a wild, well-rounded fighter in constant pursuit of a finish. She’s perpetually coming forward on the feet, often throwing single shots and naked kicks with serious power. Bueno Silva varies her shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and typically setting up her offense with leg kicks. Although she won’t usually land many takedowns, she averages nearly two submissions attempted per fifteen minutes and is very dangerous on the ground. Training at American Top Team, she has heavy top pressure and never accepts a position, always looking to advance and find a submission. Bueno Silva prefers power to volume, throwing plenty of looping shots and loading up on her punches.

*Macy Chiasson rains down ground and pound on Sarah Moras. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Chiasson has won three of her last five fights and has UFC victories over #10 ranked Bantamweight Norma Dumont (11-2-0), #11 ranked Bantamweight Pannie Kianzad (17-8-0), and Gina Mazany (8-6-0). She is a lengthy fighter, using her reach to attack both the head and body, often landing big shots when at range. The winner of TUF season 28, she’s willing to take the fight to the ground, doing plenty of work on the feet while regularly mixing in takedowns. When she does get the fight to the mat, Chiasson uses solid top control to land ground and pound, not usually pursuing submissions. Training at Fortis MMA, she has a decent arsenal of kicks to back up her hands, throwing a good variety of kicks to the head and body, especially front kicks. She favors power to volume, using her size and strength to damage her opponents. Chiasson is always dangerous, with most of her finishes coming after round one.

#10 Anthony Smith vs. #10 (MW) Roman Dolidze

*Anthony Smith stuns Jimmy Crute with a jab. Credit: Sportstar.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Anthony Smith: 38-19-0, 19 KO/TKO, 15 Sub.

Roman Dolidze: 12-3-0, 7 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Smith has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #9 ranked Volkan Oezdemir (20-7-0), Ryan Spann (21-10-0), and Alexander Gustafsson (18-8-0). A well-rounded veteran, he’s highly durable and always pushes a consistent pace. He throws everything with power but remains technical throughout, always keeping his hands high and his shots straight. Smith fights behind his jab, never telegraphs or loads up, and constantly looks to close the distance and let his hands go. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has solid takedowns and top control. Training at FactoyX Muay Thai, he’s patient on top, looking for submission openings without putting himself in dangerous positions. Smith is rarely in a boring fight and always leaves everything in the cage, holding six Performance of the Night bonuses.

*Roman Dolidze cracks Marvin Vettori with a left hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Dolidze has won four of his last five outings and has wins over #9 ranked Middleweight Jack Hermansson (24-8-0), Phil Hawes (12-6-0), and Kyle Daukaus (14-4-0). He is an accomplished grappler outside of MMA and has a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo background. Averaging over one takedown landed and one submission attempted per fifteen minutes, he is most at home on the mat. Dolidze is excellent in the clinch and very hard to shake off, possessing devastating striking in close, particularly knees. Training at Xtreme Couture, he won’t put out too much ground and pound, choosing to focus on advancing position. He has good power in his hands and prefers to counter-strike when on the feet, not moving his feet a ton but always moving his head. Dolidze gets his best work done in the clinch, often throwing power shots in the pocket while exiting the clinch.

#3 (FW) Brian Ortega vs. #14 (FW) Diego Lopes

*Brian Ortega catches Yair Rodriguez with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lightweight Bout

Brian Ortega: 16-3-0, 3 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Diego Lopes: 24-6-0, 10 KO/TKO, 12 Sub.

Ortega has won two of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-5-0), #10 ranked Lightweight Renato Moicano (19-5-1), and Frankie Edgar (23-11-1). He’s a well-rounded fighter with technical striking and a slick submission game. He possesses power and speed in his hands, throwing everything tight and straight and never telegraphing his shots. He has a granite chin and excellent cardio, never going away or slowing down during the fight. Ortega advances lightning-fast on the ground, often chaining submissions together and easily transitioning between them. Training at Huntington Beach UTC, he has flashy attacks to back up his technical skill and can land flying knees and spinning attacks. He varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and regularly landing brutal leg kicks. All of Ortega’s submissions have come via choke, and he is known to have one of the best triangle chokes in MMA.

*Diego Lopes blasts Sodiq Yusuff with an uppercut. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lopes has won four of his last five fights, and has UFC victories over Sodiq Yusuff (13-4-0), Pat Sabatini (18-5-0), and Gavin Tucker (13-3-0). A well-rounded scrapper, he throws every shot with knockout intentions and constantly seeks a finish. He has one-shot KO power on the feet and has excellent accuracy and timing. Lopes has fast, powerful kicks and tends to get wild with his striking. Training at Lobo Gym MMA, he has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is dangerous anywhere the fight goes. He has a vicious submission game on top and bottom, constantly transitioning and looking for openings. Lopes has excellent ground and pound on top, which he’ll often use to set up a submission.

(C) Alex Pereira vs. #1 Jiří Procházka

*Alex Pereira fires a jab at Jiří Procházka. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Light Heavyweight Title Bout

Alex Pereira: 10-2-0, 8 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Jiří Procházka: 30-4-1, 26 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Pereira has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #1 ranked Middleweight Sean Strickland (29-6-0), #1 ranked Light Heavyweight Jiří Procházka (30-4-1), and #4 ranked Light Heavyweight Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1). He is a former Glory Kickboxing Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion with a pro kickboxing record of 40-7. He is notorious for having the most devastating left hook in combat sports and loves letting it fly. Pereira has just as heavy kicks to back up his heavy hands, which he’ll often use to find his range before getting into the pocket to throw big hooks and devastating knees. He’s comfortable fighting on the outside of the octagon but is most dangerous when he takes the center and cuts off his opponent. Pereira has shown solid takedown defense and continually improving grappling, but still prefers to keep it standing. Training at Teixeira MMA, he doesn’t move a ton on the feet and sometimes stands straight in front of his opponent, waiting for them to throw something so he can fire back.

*Jiří Procházka locks in a rear naked choke on Glover Teixeira. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Procházka has won four of his last five fights and has UFC wins over former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira (33-9-0), #9 ranked Light Heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir (19-7-0), and #14 ranked Light Heavyweight Dominick Reyes (12-4-0). He’s an elusive striker with a unique style and serious power. He has excellent head movement and footwork, never remaining in one spot long and constantly attacking from different angles. Procházka never telegraphs his strikes, always keeping his hands down and throwing every shot with fight-ending intentions. Training at Jetsaam Gym Brno, he’s always coming forward but won’t get sloppy, remaining patient and looking for openings to land strikes. He won’t typically look for takedowns but has solid pressure on top and a great submission game. Procházka hasn’t been to a decision since 2016 and finished his last eleven wins with ten knockouts and one submission.

Best Bets

Anthony Smith Moneyline: One of the more bizarre matchups on the card, this came together on late notice. Dolidze is coming up in weight to fight Smith, usually fighting at Middleweight. Considering Dolidze has a more wrestling-based game, coming up in weight and taking on a potentially bigger, stronger opponent could be a dangerous challenge. Smith is an underrated grappler, possessing a solid submission game and excellent takedown defense. Smith has also gone five rounds multiple times and can handle a grappling-heavy pace for three rounds. Smith should be able to fend off the takedowns and wear out Dolidze to earn a solid victory.

Diego Lopes Moneyline: Another late-notice matchup; this fight was moved from Featherweight to Lightweight recently when Ortega couldn’t make the weight cut. Given the fact that Lopes seems to be the naturally larger fighter, the rise in weight should be to his benefit. Ortega is fantastic on the ground, but Lopes may be one of the few fighters that can match his grappling prowess. I expect these two to have a war on the feet, and with Lopes having the advantage in size and power, he should win most of the exchanges and find a solid victory.

Pereira vs. Procházka Over 1.5 Rounds: We’ve once again been blessed with one of the best matchups in MMA, and I expect an all-out war. Despite that, I expect Procházka to use a more measured, technical style given the outcome of their first fight. Due to this, I expect this fight to last at least to the third round. This is a very rare matchup where no matter who wins, I will be completely satisfied with the result. Thus, I have no desire to pick a winner outright. This will positively be a banger, and I can’t wait to see who takes it.

UFC 303 Preview