UFC 303
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | November 12, 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC 303: Pereira vs. Procházka 2 was a mixed martial arts spectacle organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 29, 2024, hosted at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
Initially, the event was set to be headlined by a welterweight clash featuring former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor against former three-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler. However, McGregor withdrew on June 13 due to injury, leading to the postponement of this matchup.
The main event was subsequently restructured as a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch between reigning titleholder Alex Pereira—who is also a former Middleweight Champion and Glory kickboxing titleholder—and former champion Jiří Procházka, the first-ever Rizin Light Heavyweight Champion. Their previous encounter took place at UFC 295 in November 2023, where Pereira secured victory by second-round TKO.
A light heavyweight co-main event was originally planned between ex-champion Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.. Rountree was forced to withdraw after testing positive for a banned substance, attributed to a contaminated supplement, resulting in a two-month suspension. His replacement was Carlos Ulberg. Subsequently, Hill pulled out due to injury and was succeeded by former title contender Anthony Smith. Ulberg later withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Roman Dolidze.
The women's strawweight division featured a bout between former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Gillian Robertson, which had been postponed from UFC 302 to this event.
In flyweight competition, Cody Durden was replaced by Road to UFC Season 2 winner Rei Tsuruya in his fight against Carlos Hernandez.
A heavyweight contest between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski and Martin Buday, initially scheduled for UFC Fight Night 242, was rescheduled for this card.
The featherweight co-main event involving former Featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes was shifted to lightweight at Ortega’s request due to difficulties with cutting weight. Ortega withdrew just hours before the event because of illness and was replaced by Dan Ige, with the bout contested at a catchweight of 165 pounds.
During weigh-ins, Jean Silva exceeded the featherweight limit by 1.5 pounds; his fight proceeded at catchweight with Silva forfeiting 20% of his purse to opponent Charles Jourdain.
Bonus awards
The following athletes were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
- Performance of the Night: Alex Pereira, Macy Chiasson, Joe Pyfer, and Payton Talbott