UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka Early Main Card UFC Betting Preview

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler might not be meeting in the octagon like we were expecting, but we’re arguably getting something better. The main event features two of the most exciting fighters in the sport in a championship battle, and the entire main card is stacked with talent. The first three fights of the main card are a mixed bag, and we’ve got you covered with best bets and UFC betting odds from the top Ontario sportsbooks for that trio of scraps.

UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka Early Main Card Betting Odds

In the first fight of the main card No. 7 welterweight Ian Garry puts his undefeated record on the line against No. 14 Michael Page. Next up is a top seven battle in the women’s bantamweight division between No. 3 Mayra Bueno Silva and No. 7 Macy Chiasson. And in the third slot of the main card, No. 10 middleweight contender Roman Dolidze will move up to take on No. 10 light heavyweight Anthony Smith. All odds provided by Sports Interaction.

No. 10 Anthony Smith vs. No. 10 Roman Dolidze Light Heavyweight Bout Odds

This isn’t the most exciting main card battle considering both men are 35 and not in the best form recently. No. 10 light heavyweight Anthony Smith (38-19) is a veteran of 20+ UFC fights, and he’ll be fighting on short notice against No. 10 welterweight Roman Dolidze (12-3), who is stepping in on even shorter notice and on top of moving up a weight class.

It’s tough to figure out who will come out on top in this one because both men have struggled recently. Smith had lost three of four before bouncing back with an impressive submission win over Vitor Petrino at UFC 301. Dolidze, meanwhile, has not looked as capable after moving up a level of quality in decision losses to Marvin Vettori and Nassourdine Imavov.

We believe Smith’s superior ground game could end up being the difference here, but considering how weak Lionheart’s chin is, we can’t rely on him for our best bet. Instead, we’ll take the decent odds we’re getting from sports betting sites for this fight not to go the distance at -149.

52 of Smith’s 59 pro fights have been finished before the final bell; this guy is the definition of live by the sword die by the sword. Not to mention the same goes for 10 of Dolidze’s 12 career wins, and both fighters have well-documented struggles with cardio.

No. 3 Mayra Bueno Silva vs. No. 7 Macy Chiasson Lightweight Bout Odds

Coming into this one, No. 3 Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1, 1 NC) is seemingly at a major disadvantage against No. 7 Macy Chiasson (9-3), who has five inches of height and six of reach on the Brazilian. Chiasson is probably the better wrestler overall, while Bueno Silva is the stronger striker. However, Sheetara showed in her most recent fight that her aggression and pace can cause problems for even the best wrestlers.

Bueno Silva ended up losing that bout to Raquel Pennington, but if it had been a three-rounder like this one, Sheetara would likely have won. Chiasson has all the advantages here, but she’s been known to be reckless, leaving herself open to big shots and submissions when transitioning. Once again, this one is too close to call—though we would lean toward the fiery Brazilian if we had to—and we will instead go with the fight to go the distance at -149 odds.

No. 7 Ian Garry vs. No. 14 Michael Page Welterweight Bout Odds

Ian Garry (14-0) remains undefeated, but Michael Page (22-2) might just be his toughest test yet. After crushing his early UFC opponents, Garry was unable to finish Neil Magny and then slogged through an ugly decision win over Geoff Neal in his last fight. Meanwhile, Page looked magnificent in his UFC debut, though the man he beat, Kevin Holland, is a lot more of a reckless fighter than Garry.

Page is one of the strangest, most unorthodox fighters you’re going to see, and we believe that is going to fluster the confident Garry. We believe Venom is cheeky enough to trick Garry into a slugfest, where Page will have the advantage with his more varied striking. If Garry can turn this into another slogger with a lot of grappling, he should eke out a decision, but we like Page to dance around, frustrate the Irishman, and hand Garry the first professional loss of his career at +125 underdog odds.