The UFC was characteristically busy over the summer of 2024. In addition to its weekly Contender Series and twice-a-month Fight Night cards, its summer schedule was highlighted by four pay-per-views. Let’s took a look back at each of these marquee events.
UFC 303
After a toe injury forced Irish superstar Conor McGregor to cancel his scheduled matchup with Michael Chandler, light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and former division champion Jiri Procházka were elevated to the main event at this June pay-per-view.
Pereira took full advantage of the opportunity, turning in a star-making performance that saw him knock down Procházka with a right hook at the end of Round 1 before finishing him with a switch-kick to the head 13 seconds into Round 2.
The win was the fourth consecutive for the 37-year-old Brazilian, who in only nine UFC bouts has won the middleweight and light-heavyweight titles. Pereira indicated he’s interested in moving up to heavyweight, where he’d look to make history as the only three-division champion in UFC history.
On the undercard, another Brazilian, Diego Lopes, won a unanimous decision over Dan Ige in a catchweight bout that took place under remarkable circumstances. Lopes had been scheduled to fight Brian Ortega at 150 pounds a day prior, but when Ortega had trouble making weight, the limit was bumped up to 155 pounds. Ortega then fell ill, forcing him to pull out. A 165-catchweight contest with Ige was then proposed, which Lopes accepted.
Ige, for his part, was planning on attending UFC 303 simply as a spectator. When Ortega canceled, he took the fight with Lopes on only four hours’ notice. Not since the early days of UFC had a bout occurred on such short notice.
Elsewhere on the 13-fight card, MMA legend Michelle Waterson-Gomez announced her retirement after a unanimous-decision loss to Gillian Robertson, and Irish welterweight contender Machado Garry maintained his perfect record in a close-decision win against Michael Neal.
UFC 304
Manchester, England, played host to UFC 304, which was co-headlined by welterweight and heavyweight title matchups.
In the night’s final bout, Belal Muhammad disappointed the British fans in attendance by beating local hero Leon Edwards. Muhammad smothered Edwards for much of the clash, racking up 12 minutes of control time and never allowing the Englishman to mount much offense. The unanimous-decision win earned Muhammad the welterweight belt and avenged his 2011 no-contest with Edwards.
In the co-main event, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall turned in an electrifying performance against heavyweight Curtis Blaydes, TKO’ing the American one minute into the opening round. The result was almost the polar opposite of the pair’s first matchup, which Blaydes won in only 15 seconds.
With the victory, Aspinall solidified his status as arguably the best heavyweight in the world. In a post-match interview, he continued to call out UFC legend Jon Jones, who is scheduled to step into the Octagon against heavyweight Stipe Miocic later this year. It remains to be seen whether “Bones” will accept the challenge.
UFC 305
UFC gathered its Australian and New Zealand talent for this 12-bout card in Perth, Western Australia. The biggest winner of the night, however, proved to one of the few non-locals.
In the main event, South African Dricus Du Plessis submitted divisional legend Israel Adesanya to retain the middleweight title. Du Plessis, who had won the belt from Sean Strickland in January, extended his win streak to 10 with the victory. His submission of Adesanya marked the first time in the 35-year-old’s career that he had tapped out.
The undercard was highlighted by New Zealand flyweight Kai Kara-France returning to the ring after more than a year to take on Aussie Steve Erceg. Facing a man who many believed had been the victim of a bad decision against flyweight champion Alexander Pantoja in May, Kara-France came into the bout a significant betting underdog.
The Kiwi proved the oddsmakers wrong. Demonstrating his prodigious power, Kara-France knocked Erceg down early before finishing him by the end of the opening round. In doing so, he sent a message to the division that he’s not a fighter to be overlooked.
UFC 306
The UFC returned to Las Vegas for this Mexican Independence Day event, dubbed Noche UFC. Taking place at the Sphere, it was headlined by two title bouts.
The final contest of the night saw Merab Dvalishvili taking on bantamweight champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley. The bout was a clash of styles, as Dvalishvili aimed to use his wrestling skills to smother his opponent. O’Malley, meanwhile, looked to land one of his patented knockout blows.
Dvalishvili prevailed, taking down “Suga” six times on his way to a unanimous decision. This six takedowns were actually far below the Georgian’s recent average. Meanwhile, it was his effective striking—a new tool in his arsenal—that kept “Suga” off balance and contributed to the victory.
The second title fight of the night saw an icon of the women’s division, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko, try to regain her flyweight belt against champion Alexa Grasso. Grasso had delivered “Bullet” a shocking defeat in 2023 in their first bout, while their second ended in a majority draw. Their meeting at El Noche marked the first trilogy in women’s UFC history.
Shevchenko was successful in taking back the title, utilizing a straightforward grappling style to flummox Grasso and win an overwhelming majority decision. The days of the 36-year-old knocking out her opponents may be over, but Shevchenko showed that, by drawing on her exceptional wrestling skills, she may be able to extend her storied career.
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