The crown jewel of Worldwide Battle Week rests in the principle occasion of UFC 303 on Saturday, with mild heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defending his belt in a rematch in opposition to top-rated challenger Jiri Prochazka. Their five-round showdown tops the principle card (10 p.m. ET) from T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas. Worldwide Battle Week is an unofficial celebration of types within the fight sports activities world that sees most main promotions placing on occasions to pay respect to followers of their sports activities. This week, the UFC has held quite a few meet-and-greets for followers to work together with their favourite fighters, and the head of the schedule lies within the stacked UFC 303 combat card Saturday night time.
Pereira is a -160 favourite (danger $160 to win $100), whereas Prochazka is obtainable at +135 within the newest UFC 303: Pereira vs. Procházka 2 odds. Within the co-main occasion, ranked featherweight contenders take the highlight as Diego Lopes (-150) meets two-time title challenger Brian Ortega (+125). Earlier than making any UFC 303 picks, be sure you see the MMA predictions and betting recommendation from SportsLine knowledgeable Daniel Vithlani.
From breaking down movie and following fighters and their camps intently, to monitoring sharp motion and betting market alerts, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting panorama prime to backside. He additionally trains novice boxers and speaks frequently with MMA fighters to know the game’s nuances.
Vithlani made his SportsLine debut in January 2023 and swept the principle card for UFC 283 with a 5-0 file and has been a constant winner ever since. Over the previous 12 UFC pay-per-view occasions, Vithlani has gone 8-4 on main-event picks and his main-card picks in that span have netted his followers a revenue of greater than $1,500.
His highlights embrace predicting an upset for Sean O’Malley (+210) in opposition to Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as a part of a 4-1 fundamental card and his UFC 299 winners included underdog picks on Poirier (+190) in opposition to Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Web page (+110) in opposition to Kevin Holland (-130). Anybody who has adopted him has seen large returns.
Now, with UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 on deck, Vithlani has studied the cardboard from prime to backside and launched his prime picks. You’ll be able to solely see his picks and evaluation at SportsLine.
UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 preview
In lower than two years, Pereira (10-2) has advanced from a relative unknown amongst UFC observers to maybe the promotion’s greatest lively star, with “lively” the operative phrase. That is the second time in simply 10 weeks that the sinister 36-year-old Brazilian striker has taken a short-notice combat to headline a pay-per-view occasion and salvage the wreckage of the promotion’s matchmaking misfortunes.
Pereira (10-2) was recruited and fast-tracked by the UFC solely for the aim of offering a possible rival for former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who had been dominating the division and operating wanting certified challengers. Pereira, who had crushed Adesanya twice in skilled kickboxing, knocked out Sean Strickland within the first spherical of their title eliminator in July 2022 earlier than rallying to cease Adesanya for the title in November of that yr.
He has since claimed a second title at mild heavyweight, however his stardom has skyrocketed largely due to the occasions he has helped save. After UFC brass failed to provide a promised tremendous combat to headline the historic UFC 300 card in April, Pereira and Jamahal Hill stepped in on brief discover to offer a fundamental occasion. Pereira received by first-round knockout.
He and Prochzaka each competed on the UFC 300 card, and each agreed to headline the UFC 303 card on about two weeks’ discover. Prochazka (30-4-1), a relentless and reckless brawler who received the UFC belt in simply his third combat with the promotion, knocked out Aleksandar Rakic within the second spherical of a wild combat that earned him a coveted $300,000 efficiency bonus. It additionally set the stage for him to earn a rematch with Pereira.
The McGregor vs. Chandler combat was believed to be in jeopardy after a kick-off press convention in Eire was canceled, and the long-lasting Irish fighter made his withdrawal from UFC 303 official the next week. Quickly after, UFC president Dana White introduced that Pereira vs. Prochazka 2 would change McGregor vs. Chandler within the prime slot at UFC 303 and be the centerpiece of this week’s UFC betting. You’ll be able to see extra UFC 303 picks at SportsLine.
Prime UFC 303 predictions
We’ll share considered one of Vithlani’s UFC 303 picks right here: He’s going with Andre Fili (-245) to beat Cub Swanson. Fili has a 23-11 profession file and he is alternated wins and losses in his final 5 fights.
He misplaced final trip and is trying to get again on observe in opposition to the 40-year-old Swanson, who’s heading in the direction of the top of his profession.
“Swanson nonetheless has a pointy kickboxing recreation, however I fear concerning the decline of his velocity in opposition to explosive opponents like Fili,” Vithlani informed SportsLine. In Fili’s final bout he was brutally knocked out by Dan Ige. He now has an opportunity to shake that loss off in opposition to an getting old Swanson, who will doubtless be a step behind.” You’ll be able to see extra UFC 303 picks at SportsLine.
The best way to make UFC 303 picks
Vithlani has sturdy picks for Pereira vs. Prochazka and different bouts on the UFC 303 card. He is placing two items down on an underdog to win outright. Vithlani’s picks and evaluation are solely out there at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2, and the way precisely does every combat finish? Go to SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC 303, all from the MMA knowledgeable who profited greater than $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and discover out.
UFC 303 odds, combat card
See full UFC 303 picks, predictions, greatest bets right here.
Alex Pereira (-160) vs. Jiri Prochazka (+135)
Brian Ortega (+120) vs. Diego Lopes (-140)
Mayra Bueno Silva (-105) vs. Macy Chiasson (-115)
Ian Machado Garry (-140) vs. Michael Web page (+120)
Charles Jourdain (-130) vs. Jean Silva (+110)
Anthony Smith (+120) vs. Roman Dolidze (-140)
Andre Fili (-245) vs. Cub Swanson (+200)
Joe Pyfer (-300) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (+240)
Vinicius Oliveira (+190) vs. Ricky Simon (-230)
Andre Arlovski (+210) vs. Martin Buday (-260)