Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight championship for the second time this year in Saturday’s UFC 303 main event, blasting Jiri Prochazka via head kick and subsequent punches 13 seconds into Round 2.

Pereira, who has won four consecutive fights since moving up to the 205-pound division, won as a -148 favorite. Wagers on ‘under’ 1.5 rounds netted a +160 payout at FanDuel. Prop bets that cashed on ‘Poatan’ included to win by TKO/KO (+110 at DraftKings), to win in Round 2 (+600 at FanDuel) and to win inside the distance (+100 at DraftKings).

Pereira, who will turn 37 next week, improved to 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the UFC. He has now beaten six current or former champions during his nine-fight tenure with the promotion. The Brazilian has already won belts in two different loops – middleweight and light heavyweight – and is interested in moving up to heavyweight to try to become the UFC’s first ever three-division champ.

Pereira nearly ended the bout at the end of the opening frame, dropping Prochazka with a vicious left hook. However, the horn sounded before Pereira was able to follow up with any more punishment.

But to say Prochazka was saved by the bell would be inaccurate because the head kick landed perfectly five seconds into Round 2.

The co-main event was an absolute circus. The initial matchup was Khalil Rountree vs. Jamahal Hill in a 205-pound showdown, but Rountree was removed from the card after being suspended for using a performance-enhancing drug.

When Hill went down with an injury, the promotion booked Brian ‘T-City’ Ortega against Diego Lopes in a featherweight scrap. However, the UFC doctors forced Ortega to quit cutting weight – when he was down to only 151 pounds, five pounds shy of the required 146 mark – and to start rehydrating at 3:30 a.m. Pacific on Friday morning.

Nevertheless, Lopes immediately agreed to still fight Ortega at 155 pounds. But then on fight night, Ortega fell ill and had to withdraw from the contest.

We’ve seen fighters take bouts on just 24 hours of notice like Anderson Silva replacing Jon Jones to face Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, but we’ve never seen anyone step in and fight on merely three hours of notice.

Until now.

Dan ’50K’ Ige pleaded with the UFC brass to let him fight Lopes at a 165-pound catchweight, and his wish was granted.

Ige fought valiantly too, albeit in a losing effort. Lopes won the first two rounds with strong striking and dominant grappling, but the momentum quickly shifted in the third stanza.

Ige went into the final round knowing he needed a finish and had to let his hands go. He did just that right away, snapping Lopes’ head back with a powerful straight right.

After Ige connected again, Lopes went for a takedown that failed. Ige ended up in top position and began hurling elbows and punches, some of which were blocked but others penetrated Lopes’ defense.

It wasn’t enough to seriously threaten a finish or earn a 10-8 round, but it certainly earned the admiration of the crowd, Dana White and everyone associated with the UFC.

Lopes won a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) as a -275 (BetMGM) to -320 ‘chalk,’ with bettors backing the prop for him to win by decision netting a +310 return at Bet Rivers. Wagers on ‘over’ 2.5 rounds collected a +124 payout at FanDuel, while the ‘yes’ prop for the fight to go the distance had a +180 payout at FanDuel.

Lopes was all class at his post-fight presser when asked about Ortega. “I hope he’s good in health,” Lopes said. “I have absolutely no ill will toward him.”

He also gave props to Ige: “Dan Ige, thank you so much, brother,” Lopes said after his win. “All the respect to Dan Ige. Not many fighters take a fight on three hours’ notice. Whomever, whenever, however, I’ll fight anybody. It doesn’t matter. I’ll fight anybody.”

“It doesn’t matter — eight weeks, six weeks, four weeks, four hours, it doesn’t matter,” Ige shouted into the microphone during his Octagon interview with Joe Rogan. “This is what I live for. This is an opportunity to become a legend. To show up on four hours’ notice at International Fight Week … I couldn’t be happier with my performance.”

Lopes expressed interest in fighting at the Sphere for Noche UFC, the re-branded name for UFC 306. He said he’d be ready for anyone but threw out the names of Ortega and former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

In another 205-pound battle, Roman Dolidze defeated Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) as a -145 favorite. The ‘yes’ prop for the fight to go to decision had a +110 return, and bets on Dolidze to win by decision had a +260 payout at BetRivers.

In a women’s bantamweight clash, Macy Chiasson beat Mayra Bueno Silva by second-round TKO (doctor stoppage) in a pick ’em matchup (-110 either way). Chiasson opened up a deep and nasty cut on Bueno Silva’s forehead with a slicing elbow from the top position.

Once the fighters worked their way back to the feet again, the referee paused the action to have the ringside doctor examine the cut above Bueno Silva’s eye. Once the doctor said the cut was incredibly deep, the referee called the bout off at the 1:58 mark of Round 2.

In the opener of the pay-per-view portion of the card, a much-anticipated welterweight matchup turned out to be a dud when Ian Machado Garry implemented a grappling gameplan against Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who was making his second UFC appearance after winning a UD over Kevin Holland in his Octagon debut at UFC 299.

Garry landed an early takedown and quickly advanced his position into a body triangle. Moments later, the 26-year-old Irishman locked in a rear-naked choke. Page, the former Bellator star, appeared to be in trouble but somehow broke free. Nevertheless, he still had to wait out the round with Garry hanging on his back.

Page landed the better strikes and was able to keep the fight standing for a large portion of the second frame. His confidence grew and it was clear that the third round would decide the fight.

It went Garry’s way via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) thanks to his grappling and control in the final round. He improved to 15-0 overall and 8-0 in the UFC as a -200 favorite.

Bets on Garry to win via decision had a +130 payout at DraftKings, while the odds on the ‘yes’ prop for the fight to go the distance had a -175 price. Page fell to 22-3 overall and 1-1 in the UFC.

In the Prelims headliner, Joe Pyfer starched Marc-Andre Barriault via first-round KO (1:25) as a -335 ‘chalk.’ Props on Pyfer to win by KO/TKO netted a +200 payout at BetRivers, while Pyfer to win inside the distance was even money (+100) at DraftKings. The prop for Pyfer to win in Round 1 had a +250 return, and wagers on ‘under’ 1.5 rounds had a +148 return at BetRivers.

Andre Fili bested Cub Swanson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) in a featherweight battle, hooking up his backers as a -225 to -250 favorite. However, according to MMADecisions, 13 of 15 media members scored the bout in favor of Swanson.

Payton Talbott’s steady rise to stardom continued when he destroyed Yanis Ghemmouri with a 19-second KO as an enormous -1400 favorite. Bets on ‘under’ 1.5 rounds netted a +140 payout, while props on Talbott to win in Round 1 had a +250 return at Caesars.

Talbott improved to 9-0 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. The KO was the seventh of his career and his eighth overall finish.

Since White agreed to give out two Fight of the Night bonuses at the press conference this past Thursday, he gave out four Performance of the Night bonuses instead. He explained that he didn’t feel like there was a second bout deserving of the Fight of the Night moniker.

Swanson and Fili won an extra $50,000 for FOTN honors, while the POTN bonuses went to Pereira, Chiasson, Pyfer and Talbott.