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The new UFC 303 fight card is actually kind of awesome

UFC 303 is not the stinker card that fans are making it out to be.

By Amy Kaplan

Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira / Carmen Mandato/GettyImages
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Nothing is as special or as exciting as a Conor McGregor card but the newly renovated UFC 303 fight card is actually really good. The fans who are trashing it are trying to compare it to what it should have been and that's just silly, it's impossible to find a great replacement for McGregor. Try to look at it without bringing McGregor into the mix.

A rematch between Alex Pereira (10-2-0) and Jiri Prochazka (30-4-1) tops the card and dare I say, it might have more excitement the second time around. Pereira is on an absolute tear, winning titles left and right and defending against tough former champions. But Prochazka is no slouch, he's incredibly motivated and dangerous and we're about to see if their first match was just a fluke.

Updated UFC 303 fight card

MAIN CARD

  • Alex Pereira (10-2-0) vs. Jiri Prochazka (30-4-1)
  • Brian Ortega (16-3-0) vs.  Diego Lopes (24-6-0)
  • Anthony Smith (38-19-0) vs. Carlos Ulberg (11-1-0)
  • Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1) vs. Macy Chiasson (10-3-0)
  • Ian Machado Garry (14-0-0) vs. Michael Page (22-2-0)

PRELIM

  • Joe Pyfer (12-3-0) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (16-7-0)
  • Cub Swanson (29-13-0) vs. Andre Fili (23-11-0)
  • Charles Jourdain (15-7-1) vs. Jean Silva (12-2-0)
  • Payton Talbott (8-0-0) vs. Yanis Ghemmouri (12-2-0)

FIGHT PASS PRELIM

  • Michelle Waterson-Gomez (18-12-0) vs. Gillian Robertson (13-8-0)
  • Andrei Arlovski (34-23-0) vs. Martin Buday (13-2-0)
  • Rei Tsuruya (3-0-0) vs. Carlos Hernandez (9-3-0)
  • Ricky Simon (20-5-0) vs. Vinicius Oliveira (20-3-0)

There are ranked fighters throughout the card, 12 if you count the campion. Every single fighter on the main card is ranked and there's even ranked match-ups as low as the early prelims. The co-main event is a scrap between two Mexican stars. The veteran Brian Ortega (16-3-0) fights the rising star  Diego Lopes (24-6-0) for a chance at proving he's still got it. Lopes is fighting the biggest name to date and will be looking to prove he deserves the clout that's chasing him.

The third new fight is a light heavyweight barn burner between UFC veteran and fan favorite Anthony Smith who takes on the budding Carlos Ulberg. The night has insane knockout potential and you'd be an idiot to miss it. Tune in on June 29.

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