The weekend of UFC 285 was marked by two factors: the return of Jon Jones after three years and subsequent victory over Ciryl Gane to become heavyweight champion of the world, and the constant intervention of actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
Along with ‘Bones’, the Mexican Alexa Grasso also earned her share of the limelight after her surprising victory over Valentian Shevchenko.
As early as Friday’s weigh-in, it was clear that the UFC’s various stages were going to be transformed into a movie set. Gyllenhaal will play the character named Elwood Dalton in Amazon Prime’s version of the 1980s classic ‘Road House,’ a film that will also feature Conor McGregor.
To shoot several scenes in the film, the UFC was asked to collaborate. Right off the bat, we saw Gyllenhaal at the weigh-in as if he were just another fighter.
Once he was introduced, the usual liturgy continued and the actor stood in front of his opponent, former fighter Jay Hieron, who plays his opponent, Jack Harris, in the film. In the face-to-face, there was even a slap from the Hollywood star to his opponent.
The best part came during the evening, and not because Gyllenhaal was in the front row next to McGregor. The 42-year-old actor starred in a fictional fight, which had all the ingredients of a real fight.
There was a stellar entrance and presentation of fighters, with a large audience, and a fight was filmed in which Dalton wins over Harris thanks to a well-staged knee strike by
Gyllenhaal himself, followed by a series of knockout blows, as can be seen in several videos.