Alex Pereira successfully defended his light-heavyweight championship at UFC 303, delivering a powerful left kick followed by strikes to defeat top contender Jiri Prochazka just 13 seconds into the second round.
With this victory, Pereira (11-2) has now defeated Prochazka (30-5-1) twice, solidifying his dominance in the light-heavyweight division.
UFC 303 was filled with drama even before the main event, with significant changes to the fight card in the days and hours leading up to the event.
A late illness forced Brian Ortega to withdraw from the co-main event, requiring a last-minute replacement. Dan Ige, already in Las Vegas for training, stepped in to face Diego Lopes in a lightweight match.
In that lightweight contest, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Lopes (25-6) from Brazil. Ige (18-8), fighting on short notice, received enthusiastic support from the Las Vegas crowd.
The Pereira vs. Prochazka matchup itself was a result of a last-minute change, after Conor McGregor was forced to withdraw from the headline fight due to a broken toe. Pereira and Prochazka had only about two weeks to prepare for their championship clash, disrupting Pereira`s vacation and Prochazka`s meditation retreat.
Despite McGregor`s absence, the event drew a large crowd of 18,881 spectators, including notable figures like NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The fight between Pereira and Prochazka was intense from the start, with a long face-off during fighter introductions. After a cautious first round where both fighters assessed their opponent, Pereira demonstrated his striking power. He initially knocked down Prochazka with a left hand at the end of the first round (after the bell) and then decisively finished the fight at the beginning of the second.
This fight was a rematch of their November bout at Madison Square Garden, where Pereira first won the title by TKO in the second round. Pereira further strengthened his championship reign by defeating former champion Jamahal Hill in the first round at UFC 300 in April. On the same UFC 300 card, Prochazka earned his rematch opportunity by defeating Aleksandar Rakic via second-round TKO.
In another fight on the card, Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1) suffered a severe cut in her bantamweight match against Macy Chiasson (11-3). The ringside doctor stopped the fight at 1:58 of the second round due to the injury, awarding Chiasson the victory.
