Although the fight card for UFC 303 was constantly changing until the last minute, the UFC still managed to put on a pay-per-view event that featured star power and emerging talent.
In the main event, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira retained the title by knocking out former champion Jiri Prochazka in the second round. Pereira also defeated Prochazka by knockout in the second round at UFC 295 in November. Pereira and Prochazka fought on short notice after the original main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler was canceled due to McGregor’s broken toe.
The co-main event between Diego Lopez and Dan Ige became the story of the night as Ige stepped in Very Lopes was selected at the last minute to replace Brian Ortega, who had to withdraw due to illness on Saturday afternoon. Lopes defeated Ige by decision to continue his rise in the rankings.
With so many changes from this weekend’s pay-per-view, what should be next for the big names at UFC 303 – even those who didn’t make it onto the final fight card? Let’s take a look.
Alex Pereira, light heavyweight
Who should be next?, Magomed Ankalaev
Honestly, it’s hard to argue for anyone else. Pereira has beaten three of the top four ranked contenders in the division. The No. 5 ranked contender, Aleksandar Rakic, is coming off a loss. Pereira has said he will take that fight and he likes the fact that it’s a bout that fans believe he has a good chance of losing. The Pereira and Glover Teixeira camps want to silence critics by showcasing their superior grappling. The question is Ankalaev’s availability. He hasn’t fought since January and has only fought twice in the last two years. Depending on that, he’s the obvious choice for next.
Wild Card, Khalil Rountree Jr.
Rountree was initially scheduled to face Jamahal Hill at UFC 303, but after he self-reported that he had taken a supplement that contained a banned substance, he was forced out and suspended for two months. Of course, any doping violation is never a good thing, but in terms of malicious intent, this is a mild case. His style is a home run matchup for Pereira. He would be a big underdog, but this division lacks contenders and Pereira likes to be an active champion. Whether he’s next or not, Rountree isn’t too far away from winning a title. There will be opportunities to try his hand at this weight class and he’s in a good position to get one.
Diego Lopes, featherweight
Who should be next?, Alexander Volkanovsky
I wouldn’t suggest this fight if Volkanovski didn’t have a desire to fight as much as possible. Volkanovski is arguably the greatest featherweight of all time. He deserves to face Ilia Topuria in his next fight to get his 145-pound belt back. But this guy never wants to wait. He wants to fight as soon as possible and has teased the idea of fighting at lightweight while waiting for a featherweight shot against Topuria or Max Holloway. If he wants to fight that badly, I would be in favor of him facing Lopes. This is a big jump for Lopes, but this sport is about striking while the iron is hot and Lopes is on fire. Lopes had three first-round wins in his last three fights, then he accepted Ortega at 145, Ortega at 155 and Ige at 165. These are the things the UFC rewards. The game will be geared towards this type of battle.
Wild Card, Winner of Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze at UFC 304
Allen vs. Chikadze takes place on July 27 in Manchester, England. It’s a big fight for the division, stylistically interesting too. No matter who wins, both will still have to work hard to win the title. They may not want to face someone lower in the rankings in the first place, but given Lopes’ growing popularity, he represents a big fight. The winner of that fight against Lopes could set up a future title bid.
1:10
Dan Ige, Diego Lopes to fight to decision in co-main event on short notice
Dan Ige and Diego Lopez fought over all three rounds in the co-main event of UFC 303.
Ian Machado Gary, welterweight
Who should be next?, Colby Covington
Covington isn’t interested in this fight and I understand that, but at some point he’s going to have a hard time turning it down. Machado Gary was already ranked No. 7 going into this fight. He’s undefeated and has now won eight in a row in the UFC. I don’t know what other options there are for Covington. He says he’s a big name and only wants big fights and he’s not wrong, but he also had probably the worst performance of his career against Leon Edwards. I’m a little surprised Machado Gary wants this fight so much, as it would likely turn into an ugly fight week between the two and I don’t believe Machado Gary really enjoys that kind of negative energy – but this would be a big name for his hit list. It would be great if the UFC made this a five-round main event. Maybe in Dublin?
Wild Card, Shavkat Rakhmonov
These two have trained with each other in South Florida, but they will face each other if needed. They are both undefeated. They are seen as future title contenders. They will likely fight at some point, and this could be next. But the Covington matchup is something to explore first.
Michael Chandler, Lightweight
Who should be next?, Justin Gaethje
I don’t think Conor McGregor will fight again at this point. It never seemed like he would He First of all the idea of fighting Chandler. The possibility of him coming back after this long hiatus in a fight he’s not keen on anyway — I don’t see how that adds up. Chandler has waited a reasonable amount of time. He had no great options while waiting for McGregor, but waiting that long seems risky. I know Gaethje still needs some time before he comes back. Let Chandler wait a few more months to see what happens with McGregor, and if nothing works out, try for a matchup with Gaethje. Gaethje put his No. 1 contender spot on the line at UFC 300, performed well for the company and lost his spot in the end. Reward that risk by booking him against Chandler and calling it a No. 1 contender fight.
Wild Card: McGregor
The other option is to wait for McGregor. However, at this point, that feels like a wild card, not a guarantee that it will ever happen.
conor mcgregor, Welterweight
Who should be next?, michael chandler
If he fights, he should take on Chandler. Plain and simple. For one thing, it’s the right thing to do, but beyond that, it’s the fight the UFC has invested in. The only alternative that would beat it would be…
Wild Card, Max Holloway
Because Holloway is so big right now, this fight would be a blockbuster home run based on what he did at UFC 300. But Holloway is most likely going to go back to 145 pounds. And even if he stays at 155 pounds, he is not going, nor should he go, to 170. And McGregor is not going to go back to 155 anytime soon.
