4 biggest storylines ahead of UFC 303

UFC 303, the promotion's annual International Fight Week pay-per-view event, is upon us.

It won't be Conor McGregor returning from a three-year layoff against Michael Chandler as planned, but Dana White and Co. put together a respectable overhauled lineup that will satisfy the appetites of MMA fans.

In Saturday's short-notice main event, Alex Pereira defends the light heavyweight title for the second time in a rematch with former champion Jiri Prochazka. In the co-headliner, longtime featherweight contender Brian Ortega looks to keep his No. 3 ranking intact when he faces the surging Diego Lopes.

Here are four key storylines ahead of the UFC's return to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pereira saving another event makes him one of the UFC's most important fighters

It cannot be stressed enough that Pereira is one of the most important and valuable fighters on the UFC roster heading into Saturday's main event.

Pereira agreed to headline UFC 300 less than two months before the event when the promotion was all but out of options. And now "Poatan" saved the day at UFC 303 when McGregor pulled out of the long-awaited, highly anticipated main event against Chandler because of a broken toe. Not to mention that the first Pereira-Prochazka bout was elevated to the UFC 295 main event at Madison Square Garden last November after Jon Jones withdrew from his fight with Stipe Miocic.

In a sport where injuries, illnesses, contract disputes, drug-test failures, and a wide variety of issues force changes and cancellations all the time, having Pereira seemingly available to fill in at any time is a huge perk for the UFC - especially with 40-plus events per year being the new norm. Pereira's star power is not at the same level as that of McGregor, Jones, or perhaps even rival Israel Adesanya, but it's quickly getting there. Since his UFC debut in November 2021, Pereira has become one of the most popular and beloved fighters in the world. He delivers every time and pulls in reasonable numbers on pay-per-view. That's worth a lot.

Prochazka could be facing final title shot for a while

Prochazka is under a lot of pressure heading into his rematch with Pereira.

Two years ago, Prochazka captured the UFC light heavyweight title with a come-from-behind submission of Glover Teixeira in one of the most thrilling fights in promotion history. (As a reminder, Prochazka vacated the belt after suffering an injury - he didn't lose it in the cage.) But a lot can change in two years and, now, the Czech fighter is at risk of falling to 0-2 against the current champ.

Prochazka suffered a second-round knockout loss to Pereira at UFC 295 in a fight for the vacant 205-pound title. If Prochazka loses to Pereira for the second time in seven months, that would effectively rule him out as a title contender, at least while Pereira is on top. So Prochazka definitely has a lot riding on this fight.

Will Lopes prove himself to be a top-five featherweight?

Lopes has a huge opportunity to burst into featherweight title contention with a win over Ortega.

One of the breakthrough fighters of 2023, Lopes impressed in his UFC debut loss against Movsar Evloev. He's since rattled off three consecutive victories, including an 89-second TKO of Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 to crack the top 15.

Now, he takes on the No. 3-ranked contender and a former title challenger in Ortega.

There's been a lot of buzz around Lopes in the past 12 months, and that'll go into overdrive should he get past Ortega. A title shot may not be next with Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski both in line for a crack at Ilia Topuria, but Lopes will be no less than in the mix.

Garry, Page narrowing in on contention - but only one will make it

Ian Machado Garry and Michael "Venom" Page are both welterweights on the rise - but only one will be considered a legitimate title contender after UFC 303.

Garry and Page have taken vastly different paths to reach Nos. 7 and 14 in the division, respectively, but they're two of the most intriguing fighters at 170 pounds. Garry, 26, is 7-0 in the UFC and Ireland's best hope for a champion since Conor McGregor. Page, meanwhile, is a longtime Bellator star approaching the end of his career at age 37.

Victories for both Garry and Page on Saturday would mark their biggest wins yet, and it would add them to the welterweight title conversation along with Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Jack Della Maddalena, and, of course, champ Leon Edwards.