Saturday’s previously scheduled main event may have been derailed by the littlest piggy, but that doesn’t mean UFC 303 doesn’t still have plenty to offer for fight fans.
After Conor McGregor’s broken pinky toe caused the cancellation of the former double champion’s fight against Michael Chandler, the UFC went into event-saving mode. And while the new headliner for Saturday’s card may not be of the caliber as the biggest star in the sport making his return after nearly three years out of the Octagon, there will at least be a championship belt on the line.
[Related: How to watch UFC 303 without ESPN+ or cable]
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (10-2, 8 KOs) agreed to run it back with former champion Jiří Procházka (30-4, 26 KOs) on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. And just like that, the show will go on. The two met in the cage previously at UFC 295 in November with Pereira claiming the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round TKO.
In an unprecedented move, the co-main event will feature a truly last-minute bout at 165 pounds between rising prospect Diego Lopes and late-notice replacement Dan Ige. Lopes was originally supposed to fight Brian Ortega, but Ortega dropped out Saturday due to illness and was replaced by Ige just hours before the PPV broadcast began.
Follow our live blog below for all of the results, highlights and analysis from fight night with Yahoo Sports:
Live82 updates
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Next up: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
Who they are: Bueno Silva seemed like a good candidate to claim the vacant women’s 135-pound title, but came up short against Raquel Pennington in January. Chiasson won a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” at featherweight, but lately has been winning one and losing the next with a troubling regularity.
Why it matters: Bueno Silva is ranked third at bantamweight and probably wouldn’t need too many wins to get back to a title shot. Chiasson is a big fighter for this weight class, but she still seems pretty raw at times and hasn’t beaten anyone of note in the UFC. This would be a major step forward for Chiasson if she could win, while Bueno Silva is just trying not to fall in the rankings.
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:54 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:51 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:45 AM GMT+2
RESULT: Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:43 AM GMT+2
Round 3 ends
Page and Garry go the distance. Scorecards incoming after back-and-forth battle.
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:38 AM GMT+2
UFC president has moved on
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:37 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:37 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:32 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:31 AM GMT+2
Garry dominates Round 1
Garry got the early takedown and for a while looked like he was going to submit MVP, who somehow survives even through the full body triangle.
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:30 AM GMT+2
Actually Rogan, MVP was not out …
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:29 AM GMT+2
Garry with the early takedown
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:22 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:20 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:17 AM GMT+2
First up: Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
Who they are: Garry is an undefeated youngster who talks the part of a would-be star but also fights smart even when it means being slightly boring. Page (or “MVP” for those in the know) is a fun, flashy striker with an unpredictable style that can make opponents seem foolish — at least when they let him lead the dance.
Why it matters: We’re trying to answer a couple questions here. Is Garry as good as he says, and is he truly on the verge of being a title contender in the UFC’s 170-pound division? Is Page too late to the UFC party, and too one-dimensional to really make a splash there after years as a dependable but never elite attraction for Bellator? Someone’s on the way up, and someone’s on the way down here. We just haven’t figured out which is which yet.
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:16 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:15 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:15 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:14 AM GMT+2
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Sun, June 30, 2024 at 4:08 AM GMT+2
Main card (Live now on ESPN+ PPV)
Catchweight (165 lbs): Diego Lopes vs. Dan Ige
