UFC 222 Harris vs. Dalton: Which fighters actually headlined the 2018 event?

UFC 222 Harris vs. Dalton: The world of combat sports is no stranger to celebrities and Hollywood stars showing up to watch fights, but the weigh-in for UFC 285 on Friday was quite a spectacle.

The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Cyril Gane, and while the two fighters faced off on stage, Conor McGregor used the opportunity to announce an upcoming film project he was involved in. McGregor revealed a backdrop displaying the words ’UFC 222 Harris vs. Dalton’ and fans were left wondering what it was all about.

During the weigh-in, actor Jake Gyllenhaal stepped onto the stage, looking incredibly ripped. He was followed by UFC veteran Jay Hieron, and the two men squared off in front of UFC President Dana White before Gyllenhaal appeared to slap Hieron. Fans were left wondering if Gyllenhaal was fighting at UFC 222 Harris vs. Dalton.

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Unfortunately, it turned out that the whole bit was not real and was a scene being filmed for an upcoming film. Gyllenhaal and Hieron were portraying UFC fighters in Amazon Prime’s reimagining of the classic movie Road House. McGregor, who was also promoting the film, was not part of this particular scene, but will have a role in the movie.

The film will feature a made-up event called UFC 222 Harris vs. Dalton, and it’s expected that Gyllenhaal will play one of the two fighters. McGregor will play an original character and not himself, though there are no details on who he will be portraying. The film is slated to arrive in 2023, but there is no official release date yet.

UFC 222 Harris vs. Dalton: The real headliners of the 2018 event was Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya

While the weigh-in antics of Gyllenhaal and Hieron were just for show, UFC 222 was a mixed martial arts event held on March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was headlined by a women's featherweight championship bout between Cris Cyborg and Yana Kunitskaya. Cyborg successfully defended her title by defeating Kunitskaya via TKO in the first round.

The co-main event featured a highly anticipated featherweight bout between former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and rising star Brian Ortega. Ortega shocked the world by defeating Edgar via knockout in the first round.

Other notable fights on the card included Sean O'Malley's UFC debut, where he defeated Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision, and Mackenzie Dern's second UFC fight, where she defeated Ashley Yoder via split decision.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman