UFC 303 Betting Preview - Las Vegas

UFC action has been taking place all over the world over the last few months, but it returns to Las Vegas Saturday evening. UFC 303 has seen some changes made to the original schedule (there’s no Conor McGregor fighting Michael Chandler), but that shouldn’t mean any less action in the Octagon at T-Mobile Arena.

There were four cancelled bouts overall,  

Here’s a look at some of the top fights on the docket, along with some bets to make….

Prochazka vs. Pereira

It’s Alex Pereira (10-2-0) looking to defend his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka (30-4-1). These two fighters just met at UFC 295.

This fight is scheduled to go five rounds, but the betting odds suggest it ends much sooner. Over/under is set at 1½ total rounds, with under at 6-5 (+120) is very enticing.

Pereira is the betting favorite at 10-13 (-130), while Prochazka is an even-money proposition. These two are pretty close in ability, but we expect this rematch to go the way of the last fight.

Pereira will defend his light heavy title with a convincing win in the feature.

Ortega vs. Lopes

Co-main event at UFC 303 was also a late match, as there were some defections off the original. However, this new fight might actually be better than what was previously scheduled. It will be Brian Ortega (16-3-0, 1NC) opposing Diego Lopes (24-6).

Ortega is back in the featherweight class, his second appearance there since suffering a gruesome shoulder injury back in 2022. He is always a big name on the UFC scene, and will be looking to keep it that way.

However, it’s Lopes who is actually the betting favorite at -135, according to UFC 303 odds, and he’s been on a good run of late. This is scheduled as a three-rounder, but with a legitimate chance to end sooner.

It’s difficult to ignore Ortega and what he’s done throughout his career. There is value with Ortega (+115), so that’s the direction to go.

Dolidze vs. Smith

Keeping with the ‘last-minute’ theme, the middleweight event on the main card has also been ‘thrown together,’ but again, it’s a bout that figures to be competitive. Roman Dolidze (12-3-0) is the -145 betting choice against 38-19-0 Anthony Smith (+115), Do not doze on this one.

Dolidze did burst onto the scene a few years ago, winning his first four fights to jumpstart his career. He’s lost two in a row, hence backward steps.

Smith was originally scheduled to fight Carlos Ulberg. Regardless, he is back on a path to being a title challenger at this weight, ranked in the top 15, though still going after a signature win.

Smith just puts so much pressure on opponents, and he’s another underdog worth a wager.

There are also any number of other available wagers, as per Dolidze vs. Smith props.

Flyweights and Strawweights

In the flyweight division, Rei Tsuruya (9-0-0) is a short-priced 1-5 (-500) favorite to dispose of the 9-3-0 Carlos Hernandez (+300). If you enjoy the chalk, have at it.

In the strawweight division, Michelle Waterson-Gomez (18-12-0) at 8-5 (+160) deserves some coin against 13-8-0 Gillian Robertson (-190).

Here’s the Schedule

As of this writing, the list of UFC 303 bouts…

Main card (Start time 10 p.m. ET)
• Light heavyweight championship: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka
• Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
• Light heavyweight: Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
• Women's bantamweight: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
• Welterweight: Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page

Prelims (Start time 8 p.m. ET)
• Middleweight: Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
• Featherweight: Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
• Featherweight: Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
• Bantamweight: Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri

Early prelims (Start time 6 p.m. ET)
• Women's strawweight: Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
• Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski  vs. Martin Buday
• Flyweight: Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
• Bantamweight: Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira