Significant Stats | UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2

Key Stats: 62.8% significant strike accuracy (4th all-time), 70% takedown defense, 50% striking defense

What It Means: “Poatan” is a technically brilliant kickboxer with fight-ending power few can match in the Octagon. The 36-year-old is a menacing figure at 6-foot-4, and he fights well both at distance and in close. His low leg kicks are hard for opponents to anticipate, and he often finds a home for those quickly. His best and most famous weapon is his left hook, which lands with prodigious impact whether the connection is clean or not. When Pereira feels like he has the bead on his opponent, he tends to get more aggressive and wade into danger a bit more, so he can be hit, but he bets on himself having the biggest gun in the fight. His defensive grappling improves each time out, but he mostly focuses on playing it safe and minimizing risk if his opponent does get him to the canvas. 

Jiří Procházka 

Key Stats: 56.2 significant strike accuracy (7th all-time among LHW), 5.75 strikes landed per minute (4th all-time among LHW), 60% takedown accuracy

What It Means: Unique is a term thrown around all too often, and it is a term Procházka truly fulfills. From his philosophy on martial arts to the style with which he fights in the Octagon, the former light heavyweight champion competes to the beat of his own drum. What that looks like is an all-action style that often puts him in harm’s way, but which also makes his own attacks difficult to track and see coming. Procházka will switch stances but often sits in an orthodox stance with a wide base and low hands. He flows into attacks well but at an unorthodox flow and rhythm. He has good power in his hands as well as impactful kicks, but his unpredictability is his most formidable weapon. 

Co-Main Event: Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes

Brian Ortega

Key Stats: 7 finishes (tied-2nd all-time among FW), 1.17 takedowns per 15 minutes, 1.2 submissions per 15 minutes

What It Means: Ortega is most known for his jiu jitsu prowess, and it is well-earned. “T-City” flows from submission to submission well and can pull something out of his hat even if he spent the previous minutes getting beat up. That said, his overall game has improved immensely over the years. His boxing is fluid and punches are heavy, he times a counter spinning elbow well and he made significant strides in his wrestling in recent fights. Ortega has the ability to finish fights anywhere, as well as the toughness to weather an onslaught while coming back with his own attacks. 

*Diego Lopes

Key Stats: 5:58 average fight time, 3.22 strikes landed per minute, 42% takedown defense

How To Watch And Stream UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2

What It Means: Lopes is an entertaining, all-gas-no-brakes kind of fighter with the finishing instincts to fortify the approach. Of his 24 professional wins, 22 came via finish (12 submissions; 10 knockouts). He is solid on the feet with sneaky-good power up close, and his footwork is light and explosive. However, his grappling is probably his best attribute. Whether he is on top or attacking from guard, Lopes is extremely active in improving his position and working for submissions. 

What to Look For in the Fight: Skill-for-skill, each man possesses the ability and confidence to challenge the other in any aspect. On the feet, Ortega might be the more powerful boxer, but Lopes’ speed could come to his advantage. If either man dare tempt the grappling of the other, they’ll have to be mindful of the submissions coming their way. As a whole, this projects as a don’t-blink sort of matchup in the featherweight division. 

Other Fight to Watch (Ian Machado Garry vs Michael “Venom” Page)

Ian Machado Garry

Key Stats: 55.7% significant strike accuracy (2nd all-time among WW), +2.78 striking differential (1st all-time among WW), 6.27 strikes landed per minute (5th all-time among WW)

What It Means: “The Future,” for all his brash confidence outside the Octagon, is an intelligent, composed and calculated competitor once his feet hit the canvas. The 26-year-old has a good sense of distance control and utilizes his footwork to keep his back off the fence efficiently. At 6-foot-3 with a 74-inch reach, Machado Garry utilizes front kicks, jabs and quick combinations to keep opponents at bay and off-rhythm. He has solid kicks off his back leg, and when he senses his foe is hurt, he shows good composure when he explodes for a longer combination. 

*Michael “Venom” Page

Key Stats: 3.14 strikes landed per minute, 69% striking accuracy, 1.6 strikes absorbed per minute

What It Means: “MVP” is quite the specific challenge for anyone that steps into the Octagon with him. He keeps his hands low and stands in a side facing, karate-based stance that allows him to dart in and out of range at ease, which he does with great athleticism and timing. When he crashes into range, it’s often with a hammer of a right hand, but he also has good counter shots and spinning attacks in unexpected moments as well. He also does well to grapple defensively and get back to space.

What to Look For in the Fight: This should be a chess match on the feet, with Machado Garry managing danger while advancing early and “MVP” looking to time the Irishman’s attacks. Machado Garry has shown a good ability to adjust over the course of a fight, but his early plan likely includes some lower leg kicks to mitigate Page’s movement, while the Englishman is certainly going to look to make a statement in his sophomore Octagon appearance. 

*Hasn’t competed in weight class enough to qualify in UFC Record Book