Author: Dan Hiergesell

Dricus du Plessis kept his winning ways going earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the streaking middleweight contender stopped veteran Derek Brunson with a second-round TKO (corner stoppage).

This was a wild fight that probably should have happened on UFC 285’s PPV main card. Both middleweights landed heavy shots in the early going with Brunson mixing in some wrestling. Du Plessis proved to be game and hung in tough to force a dog fight. Brunson started to tire in the second round and it allowed the South African fighter to absolutely unload with heavy shots. Brunson tried to smile it off, but once he hit the canvas du Plessis landed brutal ground-and-pound to force the corner stoppage.

Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

Du Plessis, 29, is now 5-0 under the UFC banner with four memorable finishes along the way. The middleweight contender usually has to get into an all-out war to win his fights, but he always comes out on top. Du Plessis is now on the cusp of potential title contention and could have a top 5 ranking alongside his name beginning next week.

For complete UFC 285 results and highlights click HERE.

Fight fans got more than they bargained for earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when actor Jake Gyllenhaal stepped inside of the Octagon to film a fight scene for the upcoming “Road House” movie.

By now you should know that there is an upcoming “Road House” adaptation coming to Amazon Prime. Filming began last year and we know this because former UFC double champ Conor McGregor was cast to be in the Hollywood film. McGregor has been leaking footage for the film ever since and things spilled over into Las Vegas this week for UFC 285.

On Friday, UFC 285’s ceremonial weigh ins were crashed by none other than McGregor, who informed fans in attendance they would be part of a “Road House” scene. Gyllenhaal proceeded to weigh in opposite former UFC fighter Jay Hieron, who was cast as his opponent.

Earlier tonight, Gyllenhaal stepped foot inside of the Octagon after the final bout of UFC 285’s early “Prelims.” The promotion purposely started the card early to make room for Gyllenhaal’s in-cage fight scene with Hieron. It was pretty cool and an unique look inside the making of a fight film. Gyllenhaal ended up defeating Hieron by knockout to win the UFC middleweight championship.

Check out the fight scene below:

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 285 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 285: “Jones vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Ian Garry pushed his UFC record to 4-0 with a late TKO stoppage over Song Kenan earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the Irish prospect had to recover from a brutal knockdown along the way.

Garry was in command in the early going with offense from range and sharp kicks to the legs and body. Kenan didn’t offer much countering as he kept shelling up and waiting for his window of opportunity. It finally came towards the end of the first as the Chinese fighter landed a massive left hook that sent Garry crashing to the canvas. Kenan followed up with more heavy shots, but Garry recovered to see the second. Check out the knockdown below:

From that point on, Garry dominated the action and started to wilt Kenan away with sharp kicks to the calf and a lead jab. Kenan wasn’t able to find another home for his power left hook and it allowed Garry to absolutely tee off in the third round and find a late TKO stoppage with a flurry of punches.

Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

Garry, 25, is now undefeated at 11-0 as a professional fighter and is clearly one of the most exciting prospects on the UFC roster today. The Irish striker will need to show more wrinkles to his game moving forward, but he couldn’t have asked for a better two-year start to his UFC career.

For complete UFC 285 results and highlights click HERE.

Tabatha Ricci turned in the best performance of her professional career earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Baby Shark” stopped women’s strawweight veteran Jessica Penne with a second-round submission (armbar).

Ricci dominated this “Prelims” matchup from the opening bell. She implemented crisp striking on the taller Penne before switching to her wrestling and scoring multiple takedowns. Penne was able to do enough to last to the second round, but Ricci was there yet again for another takedown. As Penne went to transition “Baby Shark” locked up an arm and put a stop to the fight.

Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

Ricci, 28, pushes her UFC record to 3-1 with this victory and captures her first finish inside of the Octagon. The Brazilian prospect is on the cusp of a ranking in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division and looks like she could make some noise atop the weight class, especially if her wrestling continues to shine.

For complete UFC 285 results and highlights click HERE.

To stream UFC 285 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV click here!

Jon Jones will finally make his long-awaited return to the Octagon this evening (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Bones” debuts at heavyweight against Ciryl Gane. The two fighters will battle for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in the main event.

This is a massive moment in the illustrious career of Jones to say the least. Having been absent from competition for the past three years the former UFC light heavyweight champion has many questions to answer upon his return. Pair that with Jones’ revamped heavyweight physique and it creates a plethora of uncertainties even for the consensus greatest fighter of all time.

Luckily, everything is in line for Jones to put his body to the test against a serious contender in Gane. The French heavyweight is one of the best strikers the division has ever seen and has only lost to Francis Ngannou inside of the Octagon. Gane needs to answer a few questions of his own — most importantly his takedown defense — but he’s an exceptional challenger to welcome Jones back into the fold.

Fight fans all around the world will be tuning in to watch Jones’ long-awaited heavyweight debut and return to the cage, but when will he actually lock horns with Gane atop UFC 285’s main card?

With four other fights comprising UFC 285’s main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET, the Jones vs. Gane heavyweight main event is likely to begin around 12:15 a.m. ET (Sunday). Of course, this start time could change depending on the outcome of the fights before it. The first three fights on the ESPN+ PPV main card could end quickly, but a co-main event title fight between UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and top contender Alexa Grasso could easily go all five rounds.

If things run late (or early) Mania will be sure to provide an updated start time for tonight’s Jones vs. Gane main event.

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 285 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 285: “Jones vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 285 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

One of the most bizarre boxing matches you’ll ever see transpired earlier today (Mar. 4, 2023) at Misfits Series 005 live on DAZN from inside the Telford International Centre in Telford, England, as Luis Pineda and BDave formed a tag-team group named “Los Pineda Coladas” to battle fellow social media stars IcePoseidon and Anthony Vargas, who formed a tandem called “The Fantastic 2.”

On a weekend that will see mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Jon Jones return to action at UFC 285 it’s only fitting that the combat gods even the score with a tag-team boxing match between inexperienced social media savants. It’s the good old give-and-take that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.

Needless to say, a tag-team boxing match is an intriguing concept on paper. We’ve seen some wild MMA fights over the years, but boxing hasn’t completely gone off the hinges until now. Luckily, the matchup between Los Pineda Coladas and The Fantastic 2 delivered across the board.

In the end, it was Los Pineda Coladas who were too sharp in their exchanges and put a vicious stop to the tag-team circus fight with a second-round knockout. Check out the video highlights below:

Stick with Mania for more Misfits Series 005 results and coverage.