The UFC held another incredible event this weekend with UFC 285 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Read our thoughts from UFC 285 below.
Find all the results from UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane here.
In the main event, Jon Jones returned to the UFC Octagon after three years away and looked better than ever. Jones secured his status as the undisputed GOAT by becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Alexa Grasso dethroned Valentina Shevchenko to become the new women’s UFC Flyweight Champion in the co-main event. In doing so, Grasso became the first women’s UFC champion from Mexico.
The rest of the UFC 285 was stacked with exciting fights and great performances from Shavkat Rakhmonov, Bo Nickal and Dricus Du Plessis.
Jon Jones: The GOAT of MMA
Jon Jones returned to the UFC for the first time in three years and looked like the Jones of old. Jones submitted Ciryl Gane in the first round to claim the UFC Heavyweight Championship and become a 2-division UFC champion.
Coming into UFC 285, questions surrounded whether Jones still had the motivation and drive to compete at the highest level and whether his ability would translate to the Heavyweight division. Jones answered every possible question and passed every test with flying colours.
Despite Jones’ octagon entrance being delayed due to illegal taping on his foot, he looked in the zone the entire time. Jones had the confidence and composure of a man who entered UFC 285 in the proper mental and physical state.
Jones looked right at home once the Octagon door shut, with the fight going how many thought it would. On the feet, both men looked relatively even. But once Jones got his hands on Gane, it was the beginning of the end.
Gane overcommitted to some strikes, allowing Jones to grab onto a body lock and drag him to the ground. From there, Gane showed little resistance, with Jones jumping into mount right against the fence.
To the surprise of many, Gane quickly tapped to a mounted guillotine choke. However, once the replay was shown, Jones had clearly locked up a perfect guillotine with immense pressure from the mount position. Jones made his UFC return in stunning fashion in just over two minutes.
Jones becomes one of several fighters to become a UFC champion in two weight classes and joins Daniel Cormier and Randy Couture, who were champions at both Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight.
Find all the results from UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane here.
Dana White has announced the intention for Jones to face former UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic in July during the UFC’s International Fight Week. Jones faces another tough test in a blockbuster fight against the man many consider the UFC Heavyweight GOAT.
With the form Jones showed at UFC 285, he could rule the Heavyweight division as long as he likes, so long as he remains in the right state of mind and avoids the issues that have plagued his career.
Gane has found himself in a tough position following UFC 285. He came one round away from defeating Francis Ngannou to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. But now he has two losses in UFC title fights, a record that is historically difficult to overcome. If he is serious about becoming a UFC Champion, he must completely dedicate himself to the championship lifestyle.
Alexa Grasso Dethrones the Flyweight Queen
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In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso shocked the world by submitting Valentina Shevchenko in the fourth round to become the women’s UFC Flyweight Champion. Grasso, who was riding a four-fight win streak coming into UFC 285, put on the performance of a lifetime in the biggest fight of her career.
Find all the results from UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane here.
While any Championship fight is a big deal, much of the talk surrounding the fight was about the future opponents of Valentina Shevchenko, with Erin Blanchfield looming large following her win at UFC Vegas 69. However, in MMA, you can never look past an opponent.
Early in the fight, Grasso earned the respect of Shevchenko by winning the striking exchanges with her left hand on the money from the southpaw stance. However, Shevchenko bounced back with her wrestling to control Grasso on the ground.
Nearing the end of the fourth round, it seemed that Grasso might enter the final round needing a finish. However, everything changed in one moment. Shevchenko threw a spinning back kick which Grasso countered mid-spin.
Grasso jumped on the back and immediately got her locks in. As they fell to the ground, Grasso threatened with a rear-naked choke which seemed only to tighten. Shevchenko held off for as long as she could but was forced to tap to a choke that had immense pressure.
With the rear-naked choke, Grasso snapped one of the greatest win streaks of all time and defeated one of the best female fighters of all time to become the UFC Flyweight Champion. Grasso has cemented her legacy and, at 29 years of age, is still only entering her prime.
An immediate rematch will likely be next, with July also lining up well. Beating Shevchenko in a rematch will be extremely difficult, but Grasso has the opportunity to become the new Queen of the Flyweight division.
The Rest of the Card
The entire UFC 285 fight card was stacked, with some rising prospects and emerging contenders putting on great performances. On the main card, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal put on the fight of the night. Shavkat remains unbeaten in 17 professional fights, with every win by a finish. He truly is one to watch and should get a top-5 Welterweight matchup next.
In a battle of top-10-ranked Lightweights, Mateusz Gamrot stepped in on short notice and defeated Jalin Turner to get back in the win column. The first fight of the PPV main card saw Bo Nickal do what many expected him to do, secure a submission in the first round. While there was some controversy with a clear groin shot, Nickal should get a real test in his next bout.
The prelims saw three action-packed fights, with Dricus Du Plessis, Amanda Ribas and Marc-Andre Barriault all having great performances. On the early prelims, exciting prospects Ian Machado Garry, Cameron Saaiman and Tabatha Ricci all continued to prove themselves as fighters to watch.
All-in-all, UFC 285 was another incredible event put on by the UFC. The card truly had the big fight feeling, proving the star power Jon Jones still holds. As always, the fans are the winners, and luckily for us, the UFC’s next PPV, UFC 286, takes place in a fortnight.
Find all the results from UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane here.