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UFC 303 Preview And Predictions
By James Herrick,
1 day ago
UFC 303 has been filled with turmoil before fight week, but it’s still a great card. It’s time to preview and predict the UFC 303 main card. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
UFC 303 Preview And Predictions
The lead-up to UFC 303 has been filled with numerous cancellations, replacements, and short-notice fights. The card has been completely shuffled and now features three completely different fights atop the bill. Thankfully, amid all the chaos the promotion has created a quality fight card.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC 303 main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 70-49
Garrett: 67-25
Anthony: 71-48
Jerry: 61-47
No. 7 Ian Machado Garry vs. No. 14 Michael Page- Welterweight Bout
James: The UFC 303 main card kicks off with a welterweight bout between Ian Machado Garry and Michael “Venom” Page. Machado Garry is one of the most popular UFC prospects. The Irishmen had potential when he joined the UFC roster and he grew into a massive hype train . Page made a name for himself in Bellator before jumping into the deep end in the UFC. At 37, he picked up an impressive win over Kevin Holland in his UFC debut and showed that he has plenty to give in the octagon . The winner of this matchup will put themselves in a position to get a massive opportunity atop the welterweight division.
Machado Garry is a technical striker who uses his length and range management to out-strike opponents. The weapons in his game are vast. This begins with his kicks. Machado Garry has great leg kicks. In addition, he takes kicks to the body and head. This is done with a variety of attacks as he can throw teeps and oblique kicks along with his standard kicks. It is rare for him to let his boxing combinations go, but it is a solid tool in his arsenal.
Page is an unorthodox fighter with a unique stance. Page stands sideways and uses a lot of bounce in his stance. This gives him chances to dart inside and land strikes or shift back to force his opponent to miss. The latter also gives him a chance to land counters. This is all done with explosion, speed, and power. If he lands, he does damage.
The UFC 303 main card is a tough fight to preview. Machado Garry and Page have a lot of stylistic similarities. The pair are both long fighters that work to outstrike their opponents from range. Unfortunately, that has the opportunity to produce a low-output kickboxing match. In that type of matchup, Page’s speed and quickness will be beneficial. That said, Machado Garry could use leg kicks to inhibit Page’s movement or work to offensively grapple. It’s a very close match, but I will lean toward Page because of his athletic advantage. I will take Page by decision .
James: The UFC 303 main card features a women’s bantamweight bout between Mayra Bueno Silva and Macy Chiasson. It is not the best fight of the night, but it will be fairly impactful for this division. Bueno Silva is 3-1 with a no contest in the bantamweight division. The only loss came in a title fight against Raquel Pennington. That was a let down considering she showed title potential before that performance. Chiasson is 7-3 in the UFC. In her attempts to jump the rankings, she has struggled. In this fight, she gets another chance to accomplish that.
Bueno Silva has a lot of finish upside for a bantamweight. On the feet, she throws hard punches and kicks. It is a level of aggression that yields results. Additionally, she has serious submission skills. Bueno Silva also has good clinch skills because of her ability to throw strikes or attack submissions.
Ideally, Chiasson uses her five-foot-11 frame to outstrike opponents from a distance. A disciplined game plan featuring straight punches and kicks helps her find success. Despite that, she often finds her way into grappling exchanges where the playing field is much more even.
This UFC 303 bout does not preview as a fight fans will be excited for. Still, it could end inside the distance. Bueno Silva has an extreme amount of finish upside. If they strike for three rounds, she will have chances to land big shots. That comes with her submission skills being even more dangerous. I have a hard time seeing Chiasson avoid big strikes and grappling sequences for three rounds. I will take Bueno Silva by second-round knockout .
No. 10 Anthony Smith vs. No. 10 (MW) Roman Dolidze- Light Heavyweight Bout
James: At UFC 303, Anthony Smith will fight Roman Dolidze. This bout materialized on short notice. That aspect of the fight should be tougher on Dolidze because he is moving from middleweight to light heavyweight. At middleweight, he has lost consecutive fights which broke a four-fight win streak. More concerning is the fact that looked much older and showed signs of decline in his most recent outing. Smith was in a similar position recently; however, he has won two of his last three fights to extend his career .
Smith is a fighter with solid boxing and BJJ. On the feet, he will look to land straight shots. Plus, he likes to use leg kicks as an offensive weapon. On the ground, he has some submission upside. The flaws are that he can be taken down often, he doesn’t check leg kicks well, and he is not as sharp as he once was.
Doldize is an aggressive fighter that hunts for finishes. On the feet, this is done with big hooks. Those shots do not land efficiently, but he does damage when he lands. If can get his opponent to the fence, he lands those strikes more frequently. On the ground, he is a crafty BJJ practitioner with good sweeps and quite a few dangerous submissions.
This UFC 303 bout is interesting to preview because of each fighter’s fluctuating performance. Smith has had ups and downs while Dolidze has seen a sudden sharp decline. That favors Smith. Additionally, his boxing style is much more consistent and should help him win a decision. The grappling sequences present Smith with danger, but his size advantage should help him avoid submissions. I will take Smith by decision .
Garrett: Dolidze via TKO
Jerry: Smith via decision
Anthony: Smith via decision
No. 3 Brian Ortega vs. No. 14 Diego Lopes- Featherweight Bout
James: The UFC 303 co-main event is a sensational fight between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes. This is a fascinating matchup between two exciting featherweights. Ortega has had a great run in the featherweight division with an 8-3 UFC record. The three losses came against Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Yair Rodriguez. At UFC Mexico City, he avenged his loss against Rodriguez. Lopes entered the UFC with a short-notice debut against Mosvar Evloev. That was a close bout, but he was on the wrong side of the scorecards. After, he ripped off, three consecutive first-round finishes.
Ortega is an outstanding BJJ practitioner with legitimate submission skills from the top or bottom position. This includes an insane guillotine and triangle choke. In his last outing, he showed a dangerous arm triangle as well. On the feet, he has a good jab and a solid uppercut. In his career, he has shown a ton of offensive striking progression, but his defensive flaws remain present. Additionally, his takedowns are not elite. This stops him from utilizing his submission skills.
Lopes is a dangerous fighter who hunts for finishes. On the ground, he constantly threatens submissions from his back. This is done with a variety of attacks. More importantly, he can chain submissions to set them up. In striking exchanges, he has a ton of power. This can be seen with his straight. This skill set gives him a dangerous clinch game because he can strike with knees and uppercuts or attack takedowns and submissions.
This is the hardest bout to preview on the UFC 303 main card. This fight could go in a variety of directions. That is largely because Ortega and Lopes are each great grapplers willing to use their striking. Plus, it is a legitimate possibility that either fighter lands a takedown. That creates several variations to how this fight could play out.
In my eyes, this bout comes down to finish upside against the potential to win a decision. Lopes is a fighter with serious power in his hands and wild submissions. This gives him chances to finish the fight. Ortega has some finish upside; however, it is not as potent as it is for Lopes. The bigger difference is that Ortega is more likely to win a decision because of his striking volume and top control time. I trust Ortega’s durability and expect him to survive the dangerous moments to rally and get the win. I will take Ortega by decision .
(C) Alex Pereira vs. No. 1 Jiri Prochazka- Light Heavyweight Championship Rematch
James: The UFC 303 main event is a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. Pereira has made a massive impact during his short UFC tenure. At 7-1, he has won the middleweight and light heavyweight titles. At light heavyweight, he won the title over Prochazka before defending it against Jamahal Hill. Now, Prochazka will have a chance to get revenge against Pereira. The former champion picked up a win over Aleksander Rakic to work his way back to title contention. The matchup between Pereira and Prochazka pits two exciting strikers against one another and will likely produce a fan-friendly fight for the second time.
Pereira is a tough fighter to deal with because of the power he presents. What is even more important is how he can utilize his power to find success in the early rounds as well as the late portion of a fight. In the early rounds, he has fight-ending power. This is best seen in his left hook. That said, his jabs and leg kicks will accumulate over multiple rounds and break fighters. In more specific weapons, he lands his left hook while moving forward and can also be used as a counter. Pereira also has a great arsenal of kicks. This allows him to kick to all three levels. In the clinch, he uses his knees to land effectively.
Prochazka is one of the most unique fighters in MMA. The movement that he uses in the octagon has never been seen before. It is sporadic and wild. That causes defensive issues, but it also gives him a wide range of angles to land his offense. On the inside, Prochazka lands hard knees and elbows to deal damage. All of these specific technical points in his skills are backed up with top-tier durability, cardio, and power.
The UFC 303 main event is a tricky bout to preview. In theory, Pereira could repeatedly land leg kicks, limit Prochazka’s movement, and land a knockout shot. That is exactly what happened in the first fight ( which I predicted ). The issue is that rematches are rarely a recreation of the first outing. As we prepare for this rematch, we have to expect changes.
The path to making improvements heading into the rematch clearly sides with Prochazka. It should be expected that he changes his game plan to deal with leg kicks more effectively. Similarly, his grappling success in the first fight may persuade him to grapple more frequently. The clear paths to improving specific skills or game plans both favor Prochazka. Additionally, he is a much younger fighter.
On top of the potential to make improvements, Prochazka holds advantages in durability and cardio. I also believe he is one of the only fighters crazy enough to trade with Pereira. That opens Prochazka up for counters, but it also gives him more chances to land against Pereira. I think the best path to victory against Pereira, aside from grappling, is to challenge his defensive limitations and test his suspect chin. That is something Prochazka is likely willing to do.
The potential for improvements, age, durability, cardio, grappling, and mindset are all swaying me toward Prochazka. Obviously, Pereira has a clear path to victory that we have already witnessed once, but I have a hard time seeing a similar fight considering how rare that is. I will take Prochazka by second-round knockout .
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