UFC 303: B/R Main Card Staff Predictions | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Daniel Santos Haris Kruskic: This card isn't what anyone expected a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean it's a bad one. An Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka rematch is a great alternative.
Pereira is one of the UFC's biggest stars because of his willingness to take on challenges no matter the circumstances. He'll only grow his legacy with a win on Saturday.
Although I absolutely love Prochazka's exciting fight style, he's too risky of a striker for someone of Pereira's ilk. "Poatan" makes him pay for that again.
Prediction: Pereira by KO, Rd. 2
Tom Taylor: I love this fight, but I also hate it, because I don't want to see Pereira or Prochazka lose. They're two of my favorite fighters to watch, and I am certainly not alone in that.
In a way, I'd prefer to see Prochazka even the score with Pereira, because then we'd get to see them fight a third time. But I don't see it happening.
As Haris said, Prochazka tends to take extreme risks on the feet, and while that often leads him to wild knockout wins, it also leaves him open. Against a sniper like Pereira, that's a big problem.
Unless Prochazka leans more heavily on his grappling this time around, I see the rematch unfolding very similarly to the first fight, though I think it will go a bit longer.
Prediction: Pereira by KO, Rd. 3
Lyle Fitzsimmons: I rode with Team Jiri the first time and I'm staying put this time, too, though I realize as I type this it may not be the wisest course. The first fight never really turned into the combative free-for-all that would have suited Prochazka but I'm thinking maybe this time it will and he'll land something, or a series of somethings, that'll necessitate a trilogy.
Prediction: Prochazka by TKO, Rd. 2