For the primary time since 2020, Jon Jones will return to the Octagon on Saturday when he makes his heavyweight debut in the principle occasion of UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Jones will snap a three-year layoff when he takes on former interim titleholder Cyril Gane for the heavyweight title just lately vacated by Francis Ngannou. In the cardboard’s different title bout, Valentina Shevchenko will try to make the eighth protection of her girls’s flyweight title towards Alexa Grasso within the co-main occasion.
Just days out from this weekend’s loaded pay-per-view card, let’s take a better take a look at the most important storylines getting into UFC 285.
Can’t get sufficient boxing and MMA? Get the newest on the planet of fight sports activities from two of the perfect within the enterprise. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the perfect evaluation and in-depth information.
1. Jones can take away any debate to the G.O.A.T. dialog
Despite being stripped a UFC document 3 times of the sunshine heavyweight title he wore on and off over a nine-year stretch amid fixed authorized hassle outdoors the cage, Jones stays firmly entrenched atop most debates surrounding who’s the best fighter in MMA historical past. It’s a testomony to how nice of a fighter he actually is that Jones, 35, can nonetheless be thought of the G.O.A.T. regardless of a number of failed drug exams and a tarnished picture as UFC’s best cautionary story. Yet if he wins a UFC title in a second division on Saturday towards Gane — recent off a three-year layoff, no much less, in his debut combat in a brand new division — it is going to be exhausting to see anybody supplanting him when it comes to historic greatness anytime quickly. For all of the discuss what Jones might’ve been had he stayed on the straight and slim, who he was all through a 15-year professional profession has been nothing in need of outstanding. Outside of a 2009 disqualification loss to Matt Hamill that just about nobody considers an precise defeat, Jones has been excellent regardless of dealing with (and defeating) one future Hall of Famer after one other.
Over a 10-fight span from 2011 to 2015, Jones defeated Ryan Bader, Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira … in succession. And despite the fact that he has teased shifting as much as heavyweight for practically a full decade, the time is lastly now. No one, within the historical past of the game, has been a greater big-fight performer than Jones, who has been simply as canine robust in shut fights as he has been good find a path to victory when issues appeared they could get away. If Jones wins, he’ll grow to be the eighth two-division champion in UFC historical past, which could make it appear as if the feat is a bit watered down. But nobody else on that unique checklist has the identical resume as Jones or has remained as excellent all through their whole profession as has up up to now.
2. Is Gane the perfect or worst attainable matchup for Jones?
Jones can be a slight betting favourite when he touches gloves with Gane this weekend in his heavyweight debut, which reveals the respect oddsmakers have for his historical past regardless of the lengthy layoff. But the eventual alternative of Gane as an opponent — as a substitute of the just lately departed Ngannou or former two-time champion Stipe Miocic — would possibly clarify a substantial amount of that. Gane just isn’t often called having one-strike ending energy, which might be the most important problem Jones’ chin should face in making the most important hole in weight between any two adjoining divisions within the sport. Gane, as evidenced by his lone profession defeat to Ngannou in 2022, additionally has a floor recreation that isn’t wherever near as spectacular as his putting. Considering Jones’ dimension and the grappling prowess that was extra pronounced in his early prime, there is definitely a couple of causes to imagine “Bones” could have a pronounced edge. But one assumed benefit Jones would have towards most heavyweights in shifting up — his pace and elusiveness — may not come into play towards Gane, who strikes like a middleweight and possesses the type of next-level putting potential that’s virtually by no means seen at this weight class.
If Jones can depend on his size and grappling to attenuate his opponent’s success, the last-minute pairing reverse Gane (after Ngannou and the UFC had been unable to return to phrases on a brand new deal) could be seen as an advantageous flip of occasions for Jones when it comes to matchmaking. But what about if the time without work and the newly added muscle conspire towards Jones and restrict his world-class cardio? That’s the place Gane’s strengths might really feel much more like Kryptonite for UFC’s longtime Superman.
3. Look for Shevchenko to make an announcement
Already the document holder for title defenses by a feminine in UFC historical past with seven, Shevchenko has a shot at shifting even nearer to Demetrious Johnson’s mark of 11 when she faces Grasso. For “Bullet,” now could be the time to remind any lingering critics simply how nice she nonetheless is at age 34, as she seems to be to increase her present win streak to 10. The cause for the lingering doubt is two-fold. First, Shevchenko struggled to a split-decision victory over Taila Santos final June, which was the primary time she actually appeared human since first returning to 125 kilos in 2018 after UFC debuted the division. And secondly, it is beginning to look as if the as soon as dormant weight class is lastly catching up with Shevchenko only a bit after a current variety of rising contenders — together with Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot — have acknowledged their declare for a run on the belt. Is age catching up with Shevchenko or did Santos signify the incorrect model matchup on the incorrect time? Either manner, Shevchenko returns as a large favourite towards Grasso who, regardless of driving a four-fight win streak since shifting as much as 125 kilos, would not seem to have the proper model to provide Shevchenko points. In truth, every little thing Grasso does nicely, Shevchenko does even higher.
4. Shavkat Rahkmonov closes in on a possible breakthrough second
Unbeaten in 4 UFC fights (all by stoppage) and 16-0 total as a professional, Rakhmonov would possibly simply be the subsequent breakout performer to commandeer the eye of combat followers as he closes in on title competition. The 28-year-old Kazkah welterweight, who was born in Uzbekistan, has nearly every little thing one would need in a rising prospect. He’s technically sound, has a excessive combat IQ and is equally adept at ending on his toes or through submission on the bottom. Ranked No. 10 by UFC at 170 kilos following his demolition of perennial contender Neil Magny final June, Rakhmonov welcomes No. 7 Geoff Neal on Saturday in his stiffest check so far since making his UFC debut in 2020. With unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev presumably head north to middleweight for his subsequent bout, Rahkmonov might grow to be the division’s new boogieman in ready with victory over Neal, which might doubtless propel him to a matchup towards the division’s true elite.
5. The Bo Nickal present lastly makes its long-awaited debut
As a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State, it has felt as if Nickal has been in headlines throughout the periphery of fight sports activities for years. The 27-year-old middleweight lastly made his professional debut in 2022 and adopted up the 33-second knockout with a pair of equally as spectacular victories on the Dana White Contender Series to earn a UFC contract. A current harm delayed his inevitable debut, however Nickal is poised to go away his mark within the opening bout of Saturday’s PPV essential card reverse Jamie Pickett, who’s driving a two-fight dropping skid. Nickal, who opened as an astronomical betting favourite, is anticipated to win, though no matter stage of problem he has in doubtlessly doing so ought to nonetheless be compelling sufficient to observe. The larger query would grow to be how aggressively UFC would possibly look to match him shifting ahead, particularly after a sequence of public feedback made by Nickal final yr that he feels prepared, proper now, to combat for a UFC title.
