UFC 303: Start time, round-by-round updates and undercard results

MVP has a far better round keeping it standing. He has the speed advantage and lands a few heavy shots, causing Garry to smile which is always a giveaway that something landed well. Garry will surely be looking for a takedown in the third. It’s so finely balanced.

MVP starts by bouncing on his toes as usual but his second kick is caught by Garry and the Englishman is taken down. He finds the back but somehow MVP escapes a choke and spends the rest of the round resisting a submission on his back, fascinating opening and big one for the Irish fighter.

We’ll see if Garry reveals those receipts he claims to have about this – but it certainly adds some extra spice tonight. Did MVP and his team really try and prise info out of the Irishman’s camp?

How can you look so relaxed ahead of a cage fight? Complete confidence and mastery of craft + the ability and love of being a showman. Both of these men have similar mentality, so will youth or experiance triumph?

We spoke to MVP this week ahead of his second fight in the UFC… and he had some words of advice for the England team too.

What a curtain-raiser we have tonight. Many were surprised Garry took the fight with MVP but such is the 26-year-old’s supreme confidence in his ability that he thinks he’ll make a statement and put himself within one of those long arm’s reach of a title shot. Two brilliant strikers, so will they cancel each other out or put on a classic?

Two of the UFC’s craziest fighters top the bill in a rematch that is simply not to be missed. Read our full preview here – the build-up to it has been suitably bonkers with accusations of black magic and even three days in a sensory deprivation room.

Pyfer calls out Paul Craig after this very short night of work and wants the Scot in autumn.

So it’s been confirmed. Dan Ige is stepping in on the latest of late notice to replace sick Ortega to fight Lopes. They both weighed in at 165 and the co-main event is saved. Ige says he is in top shape already and has been waiting his whole life for an opportunity like this. Crazy!

Cub Swanson and Andre Fili just put on a really fun three rounds. Swanson was the man pushing for the finish it seemed but Fili managed to clinch well and shoot for takedowns when his opponent over extended – in the end it’s a bit of a controversial decision with Fili given the nod by split 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.

Missing weight and then missing the fight? That’s a horrendous 24 hours for Ortega if indeed the reports are correct. A real shame too, because T-City against Lopes was a brilliant co-main event. Let’s hope something can be salvaged as that seems to be the name of the game for UFC 303.

Some huge breaking news is that Brian Ortega, who missed weight and rearranged to fight Diego Lopes tonight at 155-pounds, could be out due to illness as per Ariel Helwani – how badass would it be for Ige to just jump in with about five minutes notice!

Jourdain had never been stopped – until tonight. A really impressive win for Jean Silva makes it two finishes out of two on the pre-lims after a decision fest on the early pre-lims, this is much more like it!

Interesting tease from Dan Ige tonight, could we be getting some big news tonight? One we’ll keep an eye on for you.

Pereira is the favourite to dispatch his challenger again but there could be value in tipping him for an early KO.

Wow! Payton Talbott is a name you should mark down for the future and the present. The 25-year-old just took 19 seconds to win by TKO with his first meaningful punch down the pipe against Yannis Ghemmouri.

Four straight decisions on the early pre-lims:

Vinicius Oliveira def. Ricky Simon

Rei Tsuruya def. Carlos Hernandez

Martin Buday def. Andrei Arlovski

Gillian Robertson def. Michelle Waterson

UFC 303 is here and yes, it looks a bit different to what we expected… there’s no big McGregor comeback tonight but the situation has been pretty well salvaged with Pereira vs Prochazka II taking the headline spot. Michael Chandler might find it a tough watch tonight but red panty night will have to be worth waiting a bit longer for, won’t it?