The bout between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is no go at UFC 303. Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka 2 is a new main event on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight card airs live on PPV during International Fight Week 2024.
The long-awaited Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler showdown fell off due to injury suffered by the former two-division champion of Ireland. Dana White made the announcement via a short video today. UFC CEO also confirmed the event’s new headliner pitting Pereira against Prochazka. The pair meets in a rematch.
Two-weight champion Alex Pereira (10-2) stopped former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka (30-4-1) in the second round last November and claimed the vacant 205-pound belt. In his previous outing in April at UFC 300, the 36-year-old Brazilian TKO’d Jamahal Hill in the first round and made the first successful defense of his belt. The 31-year-old Czech returned to winning ways at the same event in April, eliminating Aleksandar Rakic in Round 2.
White also announced that Carlos Ulberg (10-1) of New Zealand no longer fights Jamahal Hill (12-2, 1 NC) at UFC 303. The former light heavyweight champion of Chicago was replaced by Anthony Smith (38-19) of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Plus, a new co-main event has been set featuring Brian Ortega (16-3, 1 NC) of Los Angeles up against Diego Lopes (24-6) of Brazil. The pair battles it out at featherweight.
With the changes, the current UFC 303: Pereira vs Prochazka 2 lineup looks as the following:
- Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka, light heavyweight – Pereira’s UFC light heavyweight title
- Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, featherweight
- Anthony Smith vs. Carlos Ulberg, light heavyweight
- Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson, women’s bantamweight
- Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault, middleweight
- Ian Garry vs. Michael Page, welterweight
- Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili, featherweight
- Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva, featherweight
- Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri, bantamweight
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson, women’s strawweight
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday, heavyweight
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez, flyweight
- Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira, bantamweight