Introduction : The main event of ” UFC 303 ” in Las Vegas featured 13 fights, with Alex Pereira and Jiri Procházka putting up a strong championship fight performance. Dan Ige filled in at the last minute for the co-main event, but Diego Lopes made it clear to the promoter that he was prepared for the main event. But which fights on the event stood out the most, and what were the biggest highlights from International Fight Week? Final remarks are provided by Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim, and Brett Okamoto.
Wagenheim: For Alex Pereira, things just keep getting better. It was already famous because he accepted this championship bout with barely two weeks’ notice, while traveling outside of the nation and distant from his training facility. However, he took the UFC light heavyweight champion to new heights with his performance on Saturday.
After stopping former champion Jiri Procházka with a left hook just at the buzzer to close the first round, Pereira startled the T-Mobile Arena audience with a head kick knockout 13 seconds into the UFC 303 main event. The fans was left wanting more from this explosive juggernaut. It’s possible that he will defend his championship at 205 pounds again or that he is prepared to step up to heavyweight.
Commentator Joe Rogan attempted to promote Pereira’s heavyweight move during his postfight interview inside the cage, suggesting that it may propel “Poatan” to an unparalleled feat. He has already won the middleweight and light heavyweight championships in just nine appearances inside the Octagon. UFC titles in three weight divisions have never been won by anyone.
“I think that’s in my future,” said Pereira, a former world champion in two divisions of kickboxing. “I mentioned it the previous time I was here, and it seemed like no one was really interested in the organization. Whatever the fans want to say, I believe they have a lot of influence on this. These are the ones footing the bill in the end. It will inevitably happen if this is what they desire.”
From one perspective, the current impasse amongst champion Jon Jones, interim champion Tom Aspinall, and former champion Stipe Miocic in the heavyweight division of the UFC seems unnecessary. Furthermore, Pereira’s star power, which was already dazzling before tonight, may still be used in the 205-pound class.
However, micromanaging a phenomena such as Pereira is impossible. If you’re the UFC, you find him the most exciting possibilities available and enable him to do more than anyone could have predicted even a few short years ago.
Conor McGregor, who Pereira replaced on Saturday, is not making a comeback. Although the Irishman is the biggest celebrity in the sport’s history, his influence went much beyond the cage and is now almost entirely focused on drama. Pereira is all warrior, in comparison. He speaks directly into the microphone and uses an interpreter. What transpires after he enters the cage is what distinguishes him as a UFC superstar from everyone else. It starts with his eerie, expressionless glare during the introductions and concludes with an even more terrifying knockout. More of that will be eagerly consumed by fans instead of stale dramatizations.
Lopes and Ige earn star treatment after UFC 303
Hale: Yes, Diego Lopes defeated Dan Ige by unanimous decision to win and increase his winning run to four bouts. The true tale, though, is how this battle came to pass and how Lopes and Ige performed well considering they were unaware of their impending fight until around four hours beforehand.
Let’s start with Ige.
He was a fan attending the bouts on Saturday morning. He was in the co-main event on Saturday night and looked good in the last round, trying to pull off an incredible upset in a fight he had no business being in.
Lopes, for his part, had the option to end this battle at any moment. He had the option to shoot down the weight restriction, increasing it to 155 pounds for his Friday morning bout with Brian Ortega. Lopes didn’t have to take a chance on another opponent, particularly one as tough as Ige, at 165 pounds, when Ortega became ill and had to withdraw. However, he succeeded.
It doesn’t really matter who wins or loses; what matters is the courage it required for both competitors to stick together during this co-main event and provide the audience a thrilling battle.
Now that he has left a lasting legacy, Ige has inscribed his name in history books. Give him anything he wants next, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of Lopes’ plans.
Lopes, for his part, had already pointed his arrow toward the ceiling. Give it to him if he wants to compete at UFC Noche at The Sphere. Give it to him if he wants to fight someone like Alexander Volkanovski, whom he later called out. once Volkanovski has fallen.
Whatever the winner, stars were born on this night. Stars are occasionally treated well due to their stature, so Lopes and Ige could expect to be asked for a favor or two in the future.
Okamoto: Ian Machado Garry’s career has been masterfully managed by the UFC. Really. Furthermore, Machado Garry has paid the UFC back by becoming into a legitimate welterweight contender. Although it hasn’t always seemed like a stroll in the park, he has made well-timed moves up the competitive ladder, and that may be a positive thing. He has kept his pristine record even in these tight fights, winning a close split decision against Geoff Neal in February and another close one against Michael Page on Saturday. These experiences are important to his overall trajectory.
Still, there isn’t a building right now. Machado Garry has moved up into the division, where it will be more difficult to uncover weaknesses to take advantage of. Even though it’s been encouraging to watch him overcome these difficult circumstances, there is merit to the difficult circumstances themselves. Machado Garry hasn’t always appeared to be completely at ease in all aspects of these battles. He overcame it with confidence, wise choices, and exceptional abilities, but once more, there won’t be such obvious routes to triumph against rivals in the future.
It doesn’t appear like his past of hopping around gyms is preventing him from succeeding. It’s very difficult to argue against him having studied Dutch-style kickboxing under the tutelage of Henri Hooft and having Demian Maia and the Muay Thai Chute Boxe style on his side in a bout like the one versus Page. While fighters switching gyms is often not thought of as a good thing, Machado Garry appears to be finding success with it.
