UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 took place on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was the rematch of their UFC 295 encounter, where Pereira had survived a first-round knockdown from a Prochazka spinning elbow to come back and TKO Prochazka in round two. In the rematch, there was no drama and no early danger — Pereira dominated from the opening bell and finished with a clean KO at 4:44 of round two. The card produced an estimated 650,000 pay-per-view buys.
The card had originally been headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler — the most anticipated fight on the UFC's 2024 schedule. McGregor withdrew in the weeks before the event, citing a broken toe sustained in training. The UFC elevated Pereira-Prochazka 2 to the headliner; the card underperformed the McGregor-headlined numbers that had been projected but still produced a strong gate on the Las Vegas market.
The undercard featured Ian Machado Garry defeating Michael Page via unanimous decision in the welterweight co-main, and Diego Lopes delivering one of the biggest featherweight upsets of 2024 by stopping Brian Ortega via TKO in the first round.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, June 29, 2024
📍 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 20,171 (full capacity)
📺 PPV Buys: ~650,000
🏆 Main Event: Alex Pereira (c) vs. Jiri Prochazka — UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (205 lbs)
✅ Result: Pereira def. Prochazka via KO (punches) — R2, 4:44
🥇 Co-Main: Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Welterweight
The Build-Up
UFC 303 was originally headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler — the most commercially anticipated UFC fight of 2024. McGregor had not competed since his broken tibia at UFC 264 in July 2021 — a three-year absence. He withdrew citing a broken toe approximately two weeks before the event. Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 was elevated to the main event.
Their UFC 295 meeting had been one of the most dramatic title fights of 2023: Prochazka dropped Pereira with a spinning elbow in round one; Pereira came back to TKO Prochazka in round two. The rematch was framed as the definitive settling of the light heavyweight rivalry.
Main Event: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2
No drama this time. Pereira controlled round one on volume and footwork, denying Prochazka the space for his wide spinning attacks. The champion landed clean combinations in the final 90 seconds of round one; the judges had it clearly 10-9 Pereira.
Round two ended it at 4:44. Pereira pressed Prochazka against the cage at 3:30, landed a clean right hand that wobbled the Czech fighter, and pressed with sustained body-head combinations. A left hook at 4:30 dropped Prochazka; follow-up ground strikes brought referee Marc Goddard in at 4:44. Alex Pereira retained the light heavyweight title with his most one-sided championship performance.
The Pereira-Prochazka series stands at 2-0 Pereira. Prochazka went on to fight Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 (UD win) to re-establish his contender status.
Co-Main Event: Garry vs. Page
Ian Machado Garry controlled three rounds of technical welterweight striking. His reach and his footwork neutralised Michael Page's signature spinning and jumping attacks — Page needed distance and angles for his unorthodox game; Garry closed the range consistently. Final scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. The dominant win positioned Garry for his welterweight title shot against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 in December 2024.
Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega was the night's most dramatic finish. Lopes had submitted Ortega... no — Lopes TKO'd Ortega via punches in round one at 2:47, ending the career ambitions of one of the featherweight division's most popular fighters and launching Lopes as a legitimate title contender.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Alex Pereira (c) def. Jiri Prochazka — KO (punches) — R2, 4:44 — Light Heavyweight Title
Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Welterweight
Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:47 — Featherweight
Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault — TKO (punches) — R1, 3:33 — Middleweight
Mayra Bueno Silva def. Norma Dumont — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Bantamweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Steve Garcia def. Joanderson Brito — KO (punches) — R1, 2:59 — Featherweight
Billy Quarantillo def. Melquizael Costa — TKO (punches) — R2, 0:47 — Featherweight
Abus Magomedov def. Gregory Rodrigues — KO (punches) — R2, 4:59 — Middleweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Alex Pereira — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Jiri Prochazka, his third consecutive light heavyweight title defense finish.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Diego Lopes — $50,000 for the first-round TKO of Brian Ortega.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Abus Magomedov — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Gregory Rodrigues at 4:59 of round two.
Records & Milestones
• Pereira-Prochazka series concluded 2-0 Pereira — the most dominant light heavyweight championship series of the modern era.
• Pereira's third consecutive light heavyweight title defense finish (TKO Prochazka 1, TKO Hill, KO Prochazka 2).
• McGregor withdrawal — UFC 303 was the second time in three years (UFC 303, UFC 200) that a McGregor-headlined card lost its main event due to withdrawal.
• Diego Lopes' TKO of Brian Ortega — the most significant featherweight contender win of the night, launching Lopes as a top-three featherweight.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 303 is remembered as the most emphatic statement of the Pereira light heavyweight era. The rematch KO of Prochazka — with none of the first-fight chaos, none of the early danger — confirmed that Pereira had learned from UFC 295 and was now too complete a fighter for Prochazka's unorthodox game to threaten.
The McGregor withdrawal shadow over the card is also part of its legacy — the man who had been the UFC's biggest pay-per-view draw of the decade withdrew again, adding to the 2021 injury absence and producing what is likely the permanent end of his competitive UFC career. McGregor has not competed again as of mid-2025.
FAQ
Why did McGregor withdraw from UFC 303?
A broken toe sustained during a training camp session approximately two weeks before the event. McGregor cited the injury as fight-ending; the UFC confirmed the withdrawal and elevated Pereira-Prochazka 2 to the main event. It was McGregor's second consecutive major withdrawal after his broken tibia at UFC 264 in July 2021.
How does Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 compare to their first fight?
Completely different narrative. UFC 295 was dramatic — Prochazka dropped Pereira in round one before Pereira came back to TKO in round two. UFC 303 had no drama: Pereira controlled from the opening bell and finished in round two without being threatened. The two-fight series confirmed that Prochazka's unorthodox approach, while capable of creating moments, could not sustain consistent pressure against Pereira's power boxing.
How does UFC 303 compare to UFC 302?
UFC 303 drew approximately 650,000 PPV buys versus UFC 302 (700,000) four weeks earlier — a 50,000-buy drop that significantly underperformed the McGregor-headlined projections of 1.5-2 million buys. The withdrawal cost the promotion an estimated 800,000-1,200,000 buys in lost McGregor premium.
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