'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC 303 hit Las Vegas last night as the centrepiece of International Fight Week. Despite some late changes, the event largely delivered.
UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 might've lacked Conor McGregor as was initially planned, but fans will still be talking about this show for a while.
The headliner saw one of the best knockouts of 2024, while there were interesting fights up and down the card.
Here are five takeaways from UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
#5. Payton Talbott is for real and needs a big step up
Trending
The preliminary bout between bantamweights Payton Talbott and Yanis Ghemmouri was one of the more highly anticipated clashes last night. That was largely because the unbeaten Talbott had established himself as a man to watch.
It didn't take long for the 25-year-old to show everyone exactly why he's so highly rated. After just 19 seconds had gone in the opening round, Talbott lanced Ghemmouri with a right hand that put him down, and finished him moments later.
The win unsurprisingly netted the prospect a $50k bonus, but it probably did more than that. With a big spotlight on him, Talbott delivered the goods in a big way and showed he's beyond fighting lower-level foes like this.
Would it be too soon to push Talbott against a top 15§ opponent? Based on this display, the answer would be a definite no.
Some fighters are simply blessed with the ability to climb the ladder faster than most, and Talbott appears to be one of them. The UFC has something special in their hands here, and it's time for him to step up.
#4. The rise of Ian Machado Garry continues despite a slightly lackluster showing
In many sports, the ability to win whilst not performing well is often seen as the mark of a champion. If that's the case in MMA, then based on last night, Ian Machado Garry will be a future UFC champion.
'The Future' was involved in a highly anticipated striking bout with former Bellator star Michael 'Venom' Page. While he edged out a win, it definitely wasn't his best showing.
Garry clearly won the first round of the fight by taking Page down and dominating him on the ground, but the second saw 'Venom' clearly score the better strikes.
With the fight in flux going into the third round, the judges decided Garry's back control and choke attempts late on were enough to seal a victory, despite many fans believing otherwise.
So based on this, has Garry hit his ceiling, or did the Irishman simply have an off-night? The truth is that he was probably in with a bad stylistic match against Page, and the fact that he still won was, in many ways, impressive.
Essentially, then, the win was the important thing. 'The Future' is still unbeaten, and his welterweight title hopes definitely remain.
#3. Brave Dan Ige was a winner despite losing to Diego Lopes
Initially, UFC 303's co-headliner was supposed to see Diego Lopes take on Brian Ortega in a featherweight bout.
That changed on Friday shortly before the weigh-ins. It was announced that - largely due to the late notice of the fight - Ortega wouldn't be able to make the 145-pound featherweight limit.
Lopes immediately agreed to take the fight at 155 pounds instead, but once it came to showtime, 'T-City' reportedly fell ill. Under normal circumstances, this would've resulted in the cancellation of the fight.
Remarkably, though, the UFC were handed a lifeline by Dan Ige. According to reports, '50k' sent a text message to Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, offering to take the fight with Lopes on just three hours' notice.
Naturally, the promotion obliged, producing what now stands as the latest-notice fight in octagon history.
Sure, Ige lost, but he fought remarkably well considering the circumstances and even lasted the distance with Lopes, who seemingly has title contender-level talent.
Essentially, '50k' put on a performance up there with the bravest in MMA history, and he'll probably have a roster spot for life because of it. He lost the fight, but he definitely gained more overall than most of the fighters on this card.
#2. Did Jiri Prochazka take needless damage in the main event?
UFC 303's headline bout saw Alex Pereira confirm his status as the world's top light heavyweight. 'Poatan' produced a wonderful performance to defend his title successfully.
However, it's worth discussing the showing of his opponent Jiri Prochazka before getting onto the Brazilian.
It's fair to say that 'BJP' tried his best, but this time around, unlike in their first bout, he felt completely outgunned from the start. The Czech fighter had no answer for Pereira's low kicks, failed in his attempts to outwork the Brazilian in the clinch, and was essentially knocked out by a left hook in the final seconds of the first round.
As everyone now knows, Prochazka did make it into the second round, where he was swiftly knocked out by a head kick. But should he have been allowed to go that far?
Realistically, the answer is no. Many observers - including the UFC's own announcers - were horrified at how long it took Herb Dean to stop the fight after the head kick.
However, they probably should've been horrified that Prochazka was allowed to eat the shot in the first place. He was essentially knocked out at the end of the first round, and the fight probably should've been stopped there.
Such things aren't without precedent. B.J. Penn famously appeared to call off his own fight with Sean Sherk when he knocked him out on the buzzer in 2008. The same thing should've happened here.
With any luck, the damage 'BJP' took last night won't impact his career going forward, but there are no guarantees. At the end of the day, the decision to let him out for the second round was a reckless and needless call from all parties.
#1. Alex Pereira might be the most intimidating fighter in UFC history
Whether Jiri Prochazka should've been allowed to continue to fight after being essentially knocked out at the end of the first round of his clash with Alex Pereira is up for debate.
However, what cannot be debated is the brilliance of 'Poatan' and his performance in UFC 303's headliner last night.
After not seeing the fight called off at the end of the first, many fighters would've shrunk away. Not Pereira. He remained as cold as ice, and it took him just 13 seconds of the second round to dispatch Prochazka for good with a brutal head kick.
'Poatan' is perhaps not the greatest fighter in octagon history. However, at this stage, it's very arguable that he's the most intimidating to ever set foot in the UFC.
The Brazilian's stoic nature is very reminiscent of heavyweight great Cain Velasquez. Unlike Velasquez, however, Pereira is a one-hit killer who only needs a single strike to put away his foes.
Coming into this fight, Prochazka essentially accused the Brazilian of using magical powers of a sort to win his fights, and appeared to genuinely believe what he was saying.
It felt bizarre, but after seeing 'Poatan' destroy him last night, it suddenly doesn't feel too far-fetched. After this performance, nobody is really going to want to fight 'Poatan'. He's that scary.
