This coming Saturday, the UFC will host its third pay-per-view of the year, UFC 285, built around the Heavyweight Championship of the World. The greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Jon “Bones” Jones makes his highly anticipated return as he battles French Superstar Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane for Heavyweight supremacy.
Aiming to capture heavyweight gold only twelve fights into his professional MMA career, Cyril Gane is ready to roll. After an incredible performance over fan favorite and Australian brawler Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris in September of 2022, Cyril is back in action.
Ciryl Gane has taken the UFC by storm since his debut in 2019, with a series of impressive performances in the octagon that put his UFC record at an impressive 8-1. The French Heavyweight has quickly established himself as a potent and cerebral striker with unprecedented speed and athleticism for a man his size.
Ciryl recently fought for the title in January 2022 at UFC 270 against Francis Ngannou in a highly competitive affair which he narrowly lost. Surprisingly, Ciryl lost the fight when he turned Heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, the most fearsome knockout artist in the sport, into a wrestler. The fight exposed a slight weakness in Ciryl’s game, his takedown defense. He will look to patch up his defensive grappling in his second attempt at Heavyweight gold as he faces the toughest test of his life, Light Heavyweight GOAT and arguably the greatest ever, Jon Jones. This coming Saturday, Ciryl Gane seeks to use his prolific striking attack to capture the UFC Heavyweight title and become the first undisputed French champ in the history of the sport.
Ciryl Gane’s opponent, Jon “Bones” Jones is one of the most dominant and destructive fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. Known for his incredible athleticism, dynamic striking, and dominant grappling, Jones has made a name for himself as arguably the greatest fighter to ever step foot in the octagon.
Jones grew up in a family of wrestlers with his two brothers, Arthur and Chandler, both becoming NCAA Division I All-American wrestlers. Jones himself showed a natural talent for the sport from a young age, but it was when he discovered MMA that Jon Jones found his true calling card. At the young age of 23, Jones won the UFC Light Heavyweight championship with a stunning victory over MMA hall of famer Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. From there, Jon went on to defend the title a record-breaking eight times, cementing his place as one of the greatest champions in the sport’s history. Jon holds a remarkable record of 26 wins and 1 loss, with his only loss by way of a controversial disqualification for illegal downward elbows.
Jones’s success comes from his incredible versatility and wide range of skills as a fighter. He is proficient in all aspects of the sport, with his creative striking, technical grappling, and dominant wrestling, Jon is able to adapt to any opponent he faces. His striking is particularly unique as he uses unorthodox techniques such as spinning elbows, back fists, and flying knees that make Jon a highly unpredictable and dangerous adversary. Jones’s toughness and fight IQ are also notable weapons and he uses them to exploit his opponent’s vulnerabilities and capitalize on their mistakes. Overall, Jon “Bones” Jones’s combination of physical attributes, creativity, and fighting knowledge make him a formidable opponent in the octagon and a true legend of the sport.
Jon Jones has taken over three years off from MMA as he transitions his body and mind from the Light Heavyweight division to the Heavyweight division of the UFC. His Heavyweight debut and return to the sport this coming Saturday will come against none other than dynamic and cerebral Heavyweight technician Ciryl Gane. This Heavyweight title fight is arguably the most skilled fight in UFC Heavyweight history. Jon Jones brings into the fight arguably the greatest MMA grappling skills of all time while Ciryl Gane possesses the fastest and most fluid striking skills the UFC has ever witnessed in the Heavyweight division.
One thing is certain, the UFC 285 main event will be one of the most intriguing matchups in the history of the sport and it will unquestionably not fail to entertain.
Before the main event and Heavyweight title, the co-main event will feature the most dangerous woman on the planet, Valentina Shevchenko, as she defends her Women’s Flyweight belt against surging Mexican contender Alexa Grasso.
Valentina Shevchenko is one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC today. The Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian champion has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the women’s flyweight division. Valentina’s fighting style is a combination of technical striking and grappling. She is equally comfortable fighting on the feet or on the ground and has a wide variety of techniques in her arsenal. She’s known for her accuracy and precision on the feet, as she is consistently able to pick apart her opponents with pinpoint strikes.
One thing that sets Valentina apart from her opponents is her calm demeanor and mentality in the heat of battle. Valentina is able to stay focused and make quick decisions during a fight to read and diagnose her opponent and strategize accordingly. With an impressive record of 23-3, Valentina Shevchenko is one of the best fighters in the world today. She’s already cemented her legacy as a true legend of the sport, and there’s no telling how far she can go in the years to come. She comes in as a sizable favorite for her eighth title defense of the women’s flyweight throne against Alexa Grasso. A victory would move Shevchenko to fifth all-time in UFC title defenses, surpassing Jose Aldo (7) and moving one place behind Georges St-Pierre (9). Look for Valentina’s skills to be on full display this coming Saturday in what should be a fiery affair between two capable and willing strikers.
Her opponent Alexa Grasso comes into her first UFC title fight with a perfect flyweight record of 4-0 since she moved up from strawweight in 2020. Grasso has beaten the likes of talented contenders Maycee Barber, Joanne Wood, and Viviane Araujo which was her first UFC main event back in October 2022. Grasso possesses strong boxing skills and an underrated jiu-jitsu game to go along with her striking prowess. Standing in as a sizable underdog against the dangerous Valentina Shevchenko, Alexa is ready to shock the world and capture UFC gold.
UFC 285 is stacked from top to bottom with superstars headlining the main and co-main and a series of super prospects ready to put on a show at the beginning of the main card and the preliminary card. Undefeated Khazaki sensation Shavkat Rakhmonov will face his biggest test to date as he takes on talented welterweight veteran Geoff “Hands of Steel” Neal on the main card. Polish star Mateusz Gamrot makes his return against uber-athletic contender Jalin Turner in an explosive short-notice lightweight contest. Before their fight, another undefeated rising star, Bo Nickal, will make his UFC debut. A three-time NCAA Division I National Champion and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State, Bo will look to use his dominant wrestling to make an immediate impact in his long-awaited debut. Bo will take on middleweight vet Jamie Pickett and currently stands as one of the biggest favorites in UFC history at -2500. On the preliminary card, South African teammates Dricus Du Plessis and Cameron Saaiman will make their returns after both winning in convincing fashion at UFC 282 this past December. Undefeated rising Irish star Ian Garry will also make his return in the preliminary card and Farid Basharat is set to make his UFC debut after his brother Javid recently began his UFC career in impressive fashion at 3-0.
The action will begin with the early preliminary card which begins at 2:30 pm PT, followed by the preliminary card at 5 pm PT, and finally the main card at 7 pm PT. The action will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday, March 4th, on ESPN+ and ESPN+ PPV.