Main card? Right where Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson belongs on UFC 303

You’ve been conditioned to hate this article and its subject matter before even reading it, but hear me out: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson is rightfully on the UFC 303 main card this weekend (Sat., June 29, 2024).

Women are still fighting an uphill battle with MMA fans a full decade after they made it to the UFC. It’s become cool and hip — some might even say lit, bro — to disparage them in 2024 and create hate content. The latter is just a general seller or focal point for ignorant YouTubers building their names with trollish supporters. However, despite the restructuring that UFC 303 underwent these past couple of weeks, one thing stayed the same and that was the placement of the next bantamweight contender bout.

There’s a reason for that.

Okay, okay. I know I’m trying to make a point to you guys here, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lie on the broader scale and say the women’s bantamweight division isn’t in complete and utter shambles. That fact alone helps add to the disdain of fans scrolling down the UFC 303 lineup to see where “MBS” vs. Chiasson falls.

Bueno Silva, 32, will enter the clash off of her first and only career loss at 135 pounds (8-1, 1 NC at bantamweight, 10-3-1, 1 NC overall), which came in the vacant title tilt opposite Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision at UFC 297 earlier this year (January 20, 2024). Circumstantially and stylistically, that was never going to be a good fight for Bueno Silva and it wasn’t. She caught the brunt of the flack for it, too.

Pennington fought her fight and nullified Bueno Silva as she historically does against most. It wasn’t anything reminiscent of how “Sheetara” normally performs, though. Blame that on a lack of interest in the matchup or mid-fight injuries. Ultimately, Bueno Silva was the division’s most valuable player last year and it wasn’t remotely close.

A four-fight winning streak catapulted Bueno Silva into her first UFC title fight with the final three of those wins coming via sub-third round submissions. Well, it was a three-fight winning streak on a technicality per a failed USADA test against Holly Holm thanks to Bueno Silva’s Ritalin subscription. Don’t talk sh*t about that or she’ll come after you.

We as a collective community complain a lot about the lack of finishes in the sport, especially since the new UFC gloves were introduced this month. Bueno Silva and the judges don’t get along too often, as she’s scored finishes in eight of her 10 career wins (seven submissions, one knockout).

In Chiasson, the featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 28 (TUF), you have one of the hardest hitters at bantamweight who returned from a lengthy layoff this past March. Looking better than ever in the grappling department, Chiasson scored a rear-naked choke over Pannie Kianzad in round one of their TUF 28 finals rematch. The win was Chiasson’s fifth finish win (three submissions, two knockouts) amongst her nine victories (9-3). A Bueno Silva win would get Chiasson in the title picture. We have stakes here, folks.

The entertainment value of the matchup is what we should look for first, right? In this one, a submission feels more likely than anything and some fun scrambles can be in store. So, that’s that, but let’s not pretend like UFC 303 is loaded from top to bottom.

UFC 303 did get better with the changes atop the top billing. Now, whether or not you believe rankings matter — maybe should matter is a better way to phrase it — Bueno Silva vs. Chiasson is the third most important fight on this card. Arguably the second most important depending on how you gauge the space between the co-main event which is the No. 3-ranked featherweight Brian Ortega vs. No. 14 Diego Lopes. “T-City” isn’t even going to stick around featherweight after UFC 303.

Bueno Silva remains No. 3 at bantamweight after her title fight loss while Chiasson looks to jump from her No. 7 spot. After the bantamweights, No. 10 light heavyweight and middleweights collide in the bandaged-together matchup of Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze at 205 pounds. Sure, that fight should just be silly for as long as it lasts, but it doesn’t mean anything on the divisional totem pole.

Let’s circle back to finishes as we stick with rankings talk and the main card opener between welterweight contenders Ian Machado Garry and Michael “Venom” Page. That’s a No. 7 vs. No. 14 matchup. With Garry, you’re getting the same amount of finishes in his undefeated 14-0 career as Bueno Silva with eight. Funny enough, Garry is the anti-”MBS” with a seven-to-one rate in favor of knockouts. Since taking on ranked competition in his last two outings, however, Garry has gone to the judges’ scorecards.

Personally, I thought “MVP’s” UFC debut unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC 299 was a brilliant performance in March. I’d even go as far as to say it was the best of his career with all things considered, My thoughts aside, he still received critique from the community.

Detractors are nothing new for Page and his incredibly flashy showmanship-heavy striking style. Depending on the opponent, that’s created some pretty frustrating performances to watch in the past, but luckily for Page, his highlight-reel finishes wipe away the memory of the “action” that preceded them. Against Garry, we’re getting a toss-up in pacing as each tries to secure a crucial win.

In terms of finishing rates, Page has the best out of the four we looked at. His sample size is also larger with 24 fights (22-2, 13 KOs, 3 submissions).

Fights mattering is what we need more of in our 2024 MMA diet. Between these Apex fight nights and PFL’s format sabotaging the value of its own main events, UFC PPVs should have fights like Bueno Silva vs. Chiasson on them.

If you simply can’t stomach the thought of the fight, you can also think of it this way: You have your cooler spot on the main card. Second fight of the main card, get yourself warmed up with the opener and ease in for the rest of the ride afterward. It’s the best of both worlds and actually a less promoted spot than those final two preliminary bouts if that adds anything.

Remember that it could always be worse. There could be unranked heavyweights on a main card.

The full UFC 303 lineup can be seen below.

205 lbs.: (C)Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka
145 lbs.: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
205 lbs: Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
135 lbs.: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
170 lbs.: Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
185 lbs.: Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
145 lbs.: Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
145 lbs.: Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
135 lbs.: Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
115 lbs.: Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
125 lbs.: Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
135 lbs.: Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira

LIVE! Watch UFC 303 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

’GARDEN STATE’ SHOWDOWN! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Sat., June 1, 2024, featuring Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, locking horns with 155-pound legend and No. 4-seeded contender, Dustin Poirier, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event of the evening. UFC 302’s co-headliner features an action-packed, 185-pound scrap between No. 1-ranked contender, Sean Strickland, squaring off with Brazilian beefcake, Paulo Costa, in a five-round special attraction. UFC 302’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk, Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 302 start time scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).