🥊 What Happened to UFC 303?

The UFC was back at the UFC Apex arena in Las Vegas after an incredibly eventful week in the MMA space. Not one, but TWO main events were canceled and re-booked, plus, a headliner was released early for the UFC’s return to Australia.

All of this plus… Chael Sonnen said WHAT!?

Watch our latest podcast episode breaking down all the drama:

HEADLINES

🥊 Israel Adesanya took to Instagram to announce his next bout, a headlining matchup with current champ Dricus Du Plessis going down in Perth, Australia later this summer at UFC 305. The matchup was lowkey revealed by internet sleuths in Dana White’s video announcing UFC 303’s updates.

🥊 Woah, did I bury the lead or what? UFC 303 went through a BEVY of changes last week with the Main and Co-Main events being canceled or postponed and replaced with a slew of damn good matchups. I’ll explain more later on!

🥊 The UFC touches down in Saudi Arabia this week as a continued extension of the partnership between the Kingdom and TKO. However, one half of the main event Khamzat Chimaev was forced to pull out of the fight, with some in his camp saying a terrible bout with food poisoning left him unable to compete.

🥊 Streamer “Benny Mack” got DROPPED by a random citizen on the street whom he got too close to. I audibly went “OHHH” when I watched it the first time:

I mean, what a clean left hook am I right? Bellator should sign this guy.

UFC Vegas 93 Recap

Flyweight: Tatsuro Taira def. Alex Perez (KO/TKO via Knee Injury at 2:59 on RD2)

The UFC returned to the UFC Apex arena this past weekend with surging Japanese phenom Tatsuro Taira picking up the win over veteran Alex Perez.

• Round 1 featured a few strong exchanges with Perez getting the better of Taira in my eyes, and the eyes of the judges, to edge him out a 10-9 RD1

• In Round 2 however, Taira was able to initiate clinch exchanges early and implement his grappling-focused gameplan.

  • Taira locked up a standing body triangle with a ton of torque on the knee of Perez. In these very critical seconds, Perez zigged when he should have zagged, allowing the pressure of Taira to mangle his leg, crumpling him to the floor for the ultimate fight stoppage due to injury.

• The Japanese Taira is now 16-0 in MMA and has angled himself nicely for a title shot in a division starving for new blood. I could see him getting that shot before 2025 if Pantoja is willing and able to compete.

UFC Vegas 93 Quick Hitters

• Miles Johns took home a surgical victory for his performance against Silva de Andrade in the co-main event that really just came down to damage. Neither fighter was able to piece together many big moments, but Johns certainly did more damage to warrant the win.

• The best exchange of the night came from Brady Hiestand and Garrett Armfield, but it wasn’t in the cage:

• The $50,000 bonuses went to Tatsuro Taira and Brady Hiestand for their performances, as well as the FOTN going to Gabriella Fernandez and promotional newcomer Carli Judice.

What The Hell Happened Last Week?

So last week was a doozy in the MMA world. The much-anticipated UFC 303 Main-Event was intact, then it wasn’t, then it was again, then it wasn’t, then it was, and ultimately… it’s off.

In addition, UFC President Dana White was as busy as ever with the UFC Saudi Arabia event slated for this weekend ALSO needing a new Main-Event (Khamzat Chimaev OUT vs Robert Whittaker).

Rumors swept the MMA Twitter-verse for a solid 72-hour period. The “would they or won’t they” was in full swing as MMA journalists tried to attach their names to “hunches” and “growing negativity”.

The reality is, nobody broke the story, because nobody had the real story!

Ultimately, it wasn’t a journalist that broke the news to us UFC fans, it was of course, our own Uncle Dana.

So, your new look UFC 303 card looks like this, and I’m not going to lie…

It is a BANGER

OUT are Conor McGregor & Michael Chandler as well as former LHW champion Jamahal Hill. In steps in Alex “Poatan” Pereira to take on Jiri Prochazka in an epic rematch from their November 2023 clash which saw Pereira put Jiri out with a left hook.

This dude has been a STUD for the promotion since his debut in 2021. Truly no man has done what he has done, perhaps other than Conor McGregor.

And think about the fact that the only reason Alex Pereira even thought about coming to MMA was because Israel Adesanya was talking smack in a random interview saying “he will be somewhere in a bar watching me on TV saying ‘I beat that guy once’”. '

Pereira saw that, and immediately began training MMA. Years later he would get revenge on Adesanya and now continues to cement his legacy as one of the best fighters in UFC history. In just 8 UFC fights, he has wins over 5 former UFC champions…INSANE. 🤯 

The card also got a shot of life with rising star Diego Lopes signing on to fight UFC vet Brian “T-City” Ortega in a new look co-main event slot. Anthony Smith has also been assigned the tall task of Carlos Ulberg on short-notice on the PPV in what could be a make-or-break fight for Ulberg’s immediate title hopes.

Let’s hope for Dana and Hunter’s sake that no more fights need to be adjusted for this massive card going down in Vegas next weekend!

POUND 4 POUND PODCAST

Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo recap some of this UFC 303 MADNESS and provide some updates to their picks for the UFC Saudi Arabia card which now features Ikram Aliskerov against Robert Whittaker.

New episode will drop on Thursday!

LISTENER’S HOT TAKES

“Michael Chandler’s reaction to the UFC 303 cancelation was a nice long swig of his new tequila brand…How long can Chandler sit around and wait for the ‘red panty night’ of a Conor McGregor fight? It’s been two years!”

Will, my man, I hear you, and shame on any man who commits to a beer games and pulls out….

BUT, here is the cold honest truth for Michael Chandler…

He can do whatever the fook he wants.

Let’s be honest, is a title shot against Islam Makhachev worth more to Chandler’s legacy than a Conor McGregor fight?

…No, it’s not.

Does a win, or a loss for that matter, against Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje do anything more for a 38-year-old Michael Chandler’s history in the sport?

…No it doesn’t. 

Chandler is a former Bellator World Champion, hell, he was one poor referee’s decision away from being UFC Champion in Houston over Charles Oliveira back in 2021 in his SECOND UFC FIGHT!

(I wore a custom CHANDLER - CHAMP 55 jersey in the crowd in Houston for this one. I’m not still salty about it at all…)

The point being, Chandler knows that his position in the sport is fairly immovable. He’s not out here trying to convince you of his decisions, he never has been. At this point in his career, I’d venture to say Michael Chandler values this fight more than any other win.

We forget about champions over time, that’s just the reality of sports in general.

BUT…

A win over Conor McGregor, the greatest star this sport has ever and probably will ever see?

THAT cements you into history FOREVER.

A legacy worth waiting for…

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