UFC 303: Ian Machado Garry aims to takes another step towards title contention
Michael Bolton
After weeks of drama leading up to the event, Ian Machado Garry will be carrying Irish interest at UFC 303 on Saturday night as he aims to take another step towards a title shot.
Originally scheduled to be the return of Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler, an injury to McGregor means Irish eyes will be on Garry, who will take on Michael Venom Page.
The Dublin fighter is unbeaten with a 14-0 record, and 7-0 in the UFC since entering the promotion in 2021. His last victory was over Geoff Neal in a split-decision win.
A fighter who never lacks confidence, Garry who will use his speed and movement to get the better of Page, in what will be a very technical match-up.
The leg kicks of Garry to stop the movement of Page could be his path to victory, with the English fighter showing in his win over Kevin Holland how difficult he can be to hit.
Ranked number seven in the welterweight rankings, a win for Garry could put him up against a top five fighter, with the likes of Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman waiting.
Main event
The main event will now see Alex Pereria defend his light-heavyweight title against Jiri Procházka, in a rematch of the UFC 295 main event.
Due to McGregor's injury, this was made at three weeks notice, but both fighters were eager to headline in a fight fans will be eagerly looking forward to.
Pereria's rise in the sport has been incredible, having made his UFC debut on the same card as Ian Machado Garry in UFC 268.
After defeating his arch rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to win the middleweight title, Pereira was knocked out by Adesanya at UFC 287.
However, he moved up to light-heavyweight and won the vacant title at UFC 295 with a TKO victory over Procházka. His first defence was a first round knockout win over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
Procházka responded with a TKO win over Alexander Rakic at UFC 300, and will be eager to regain his title in what should be an exciting rematch against Pereira.
The kicks of Pereira will be crucial to stopping the momentum of Procházka, who is often unpredictable with his style. Like Pereira, he has the power to win at any moment, but will know he has the grappling advantage, and will likely use it at some point of the fight.
In the co-main event, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will clash in what could be the fight of the night.
Originally scheduled for featherweight, it was moved to 155 pounds on Friday as Ortega was having issues making weight. He has previously said before being offered this fight he was preparing for a lightweight bout.
After waiting almost four years for a win, Ortega defeated Yair Rodriguez via submission in their rematch in February in Mexico to remind fans why he is one of the top contenders in the division.
After a number of setbacks in the last couple of years including an injury in the first fight against Rodriguez, Ortega rolled back the years to show why he is so dangerous, particularly when the fight gets to the ground.
In Lopes, the Brazilian fighter had quickly become a favourite among fans since stepping up on short notice for his UFC debut at UFC 288.
While he may have lost to Mosvar Evolev, Lopes has three wins via finish since, including a first round knockout over Sodiq Yusuff, and would jump up the rankings with a win over Ortega.
Expect a quick start for Lopes, as Ortega takes time to grow into fights, and will wait for a mistake or opportunity to get Lopes into a submission.