UFC 282 PPV main card results, video: Ponzinibbio hits miraculous comeback TKO; Till loses again

Stay up to date with what’s happening tonight with the UFC 282 PPV main card, which is going down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This article will focus on the first-three fights on the main card, which will begin with top-ranked grudge match between undefeated featherweights Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria. After that will be a middleweight tilt between a slumping Darren Till and a surging Dricus Du Plessis. The last match we’ll cover here is a makeshift 180-pound catchweight bout between Santiago Ponzinibbio, and his short-notice replacement Alex Morono.

The early prelims begin at 6:00pm ET/3:00pm, PT, immediately followed by the regular preliminary card. Both broadcasts can be streamed on ESPN+. The PPV main card is slated for 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT, and can be purchased on ESPN+.

Main card:

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Alex Morono by TKO at 2:29 of round 3: 180-pounds

Morono was connecting with his straight punches early on, cleanly jousting the head of Ponzinibbio on a few occasions. Ponzinibbio wasn’t really throwing combinations out there. It was a lot of single strikes, where as Morono was at least throwing 1-2’s. Morono caught Ponzinibbio out of position and floored him with a big punch. He got on top, but Ponzinibbio scrambled back up just before the bell.

Ponzinibbio got off to a good start in the second round, jabbing away and being the more active fighter. Morono then regained control of the fight by dropping Ponzinibbio with another hefty heater. The flash knockdown didn’t really seem to bother Ponzinibbio, though. He went right back to throwing volume at Morono. He was also battering the lead leg of Morono with kicks.

The final round started out rather sticky. Neither man was really opening up. Then, Moreno connected with another right hand that made Ponzinibbio do the chicken dance. This was the third time that Morono had Ponzinibbio in big trouble. It wasn’t looking good for Ponzinibbio, but then the unthinkable happened! Ponzinibbio uncorked a sinister jab-overhand right that stunned Morono. Another right hand sat him down, and the referee came flying in to stop the fight just as Ponzinibbio engaged his fallen opponent with ground and pound. What a comeback!

Dricus Du Plessis def. Darren Till by submission (RNC) at 2:43 of round 3: Middleweight

Du Plessis hit an early takedown on Till, and proceeded to drop a lengthy barrage of punches. The referee warned Till to move on a few occasions, and the punches kept coming. Till eventually stood up, but Du Plessis was still attached and the velocity of his punches increased. Till was getting mauled. Du Plessis then went back to his takedown, and hopped right onto the back. He dropped a few hammers and then tried for a rear-naked choke, but Till escaped back to his feet. Till started to blitz Du Plessis, and even got on top and dropped a few blows of his own. The round ended with Du Plessis scoring another takedown. What a round!

Till came on strong in the second round, appearing to be the fresher man out there. Du Plessis blasted a takedown to get on top, but Till fought hard to get back up before ever really conceding bottom position. Till was finding success with his straight strikes, intercepting Du Plessis when he would explode forward. Du Plessis pulled off a much needed takedown, and then threatened with a tight foot lock until the bell.

Du Plessis began letting his hands go at the start of the final round. He was landing frequently, with his jab, and then accidentally hit Till in the cup. Till took a short break before the fight continued, but then Du Plessis hit a clean takedown. He then took the back while Till was belly down, and cranked on an RNC until he got the tap. This is a huge win for Du Plessis!

Ilia Topuria def. Bryce Mitchell by submission (Arm Triangle) at 3:10 of round 2: Featherweight

Topuria tagged Mitchell early with a boxing combo, followed by a calf kick that buckled Bryce. It quickly became apparent that Topuria was the more polished striker out there. He was snapping back the head of Mitchell with some crisp punching. An accidental clash of heads caused an unfortunate cut by the eye of Mitchell, but it’s unclear if the referee saw it. Mitchell tried to shoot in for a takedown, but Topuria defended well and returned to open space. With about a minute to go, Bryce got his takedown, but didn’t dish out much damage before the bell.

Topuria was able to stuff Mitchell’s takedown attempts in the second round, and then dropped Bryce with a big counter. Ilia got on top and started to land clean ground strikes, and Mitchell just had to eat them as he stood up. Mitchell shot in again, but Topuria rag-dolled him to get on top. In a scramble, Topuria locked up an arm triangle, and Mitchell quickly tapped out. What a performance!