Dana White agrees for two Fight of the Night bonuses, Jiri Prochazka again accuses Alex Pereira of "dirty practice," and more
UFC 303 is just two days away as Alex Pereira is set to defend his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka in the main event. The press conference for the event took place on Thursday, as has been the case for pay-per-view events.
The International Fight Week card was originally set to be headlined by the highly-anticipated return of Conor McGregor as the former double champ was set to face Michael Chandler, bringing his nearly three-year hiatus to an end. While 'The Notorious' was forced to withdraw with a broken toe, there was still a strong turnout for the press conference.
With all ten main card fighters on stage, there were several memorable moments during the press conference that lasted just about 30 minutes. Take a look at three highlights from the presser below.
Dana White agrees for two UFC 303 Fight of the Night bonuses
UFC 300 was a historical card and the company did everything they could to stack the card. Dana White appealed to both fighters and fans as he announced that the four performance bonuses handed out would be $300,000 each. While UFC 303 does not have the same historical significance, there will be a difference in how bonuses are handled.
Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie asked the promotional frontman if he would be willing to give out two Fight of the Night bonuses for International Fight Week, prompting Brian Ortega to claim:
"Make them $303,000"
White laughed off the comment from the No.3-ranked featherweight before responding:
"Yeah, f**k it, I'll do it. Not $303,000, but two bonuses."
Check out the full interaction between Dana White and Brian Ortega below:
While the UFC has had several events without a Fight of the Night bonus this year, that will not be the case at UFC 303. Although Ortega's push for the UFC President to increase the bonus amount by $253,000 was unsuccessful, two extra fighters will be able to take home an additional $50,000.
Jiri Prochazka again accuses Alex Pereira of "dirty practice"
Leading up to UFC 303, Jiri Prochazka has not been shy about expressing his belief that Alex Pereira uses magic and spirits to win fights. 'Poatan' responded to the accusations during the press conference, stating:
"I think everyone has a spirit. We don't just live in a body. If he hasn't found his spirit yet, it's not my fault."
Prochazka fired back by accusing his upcoming opponent of dirty practices, claiming:
"Yeah, sorry, this is not the question about like who I believe, if I am self confident or not. I am 100% self confident, but this is to speak about some dirty practices and all these things are behind that. And I just want to keep that in a clear way. That's all. That's all what I told you about. This is all in his name [points to the sky]"
Check out the interaction between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira below:
Prochazka and Pereira previously clashed for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 295 last November, with the latter winning the bout via second-round TKO. While many labeled it as an early stoppage, the former will have the opportunity to avenge his loss this weekend. Meanwhile, 'Poatan' will look to defend his title for the second time.
Ian Garry claims Michael 'Venom' Page's coach attempted to pay Chute Boxe Academy for information
Ian Garry and Michael 'Venom' Page are set to open the UFC 303 main card. 'The Future' accused his opponent's coach of attempting to pay Chute Boxe Academy for information ahead of the bout, stating:
"I've already broke this man's confident down so much. He knows I don't need to say what I'm talking about. You know exactly what I'm on about. Your self confidence is f**ked... Did you and your team offer thousands of dollars to get information in Chute Boxe from my boys? Did you send someone a message and offer thousands for information and you couldn't infiltrate the camp."
Check out Ian Garry's comments to Michael 'Venom' Page below:
He claimed that Page's jiu-jitsu coach was the one who made the offer. Garry added that his opponent and his coach will be suspended for life after UFC 303.
Check out the full UFC 303 pre-fight press conference from the UFC's official YouTube channel below: