Jon Jones

Jon Jones ended a three-year sabbatical from the UFC, moved up to its highest weight class and emphatically won the heavyweight belt Saturday night with a ...

“This one is a win lost. “This one is so painful,” Gane said. Then Grasso, 29, put Shevchenko in a position where she was forced to tap out. “I had to show up and get (Gane) down to the ground,” Jones said. Middleweight Bo Nickal, 27, won his UFC debut, submitting Jamie Pickett, 34 by arm triangle at 2:54 of the first round. The former light heavyweight champion said it was important to cement in his own mind that he deserved the honor as the greatest ever. UFC President Dana White said the gate was $12.5 million, the highest for a heavyweight match and the fourth-highest ever. He won a record 14 title fight at light heavyweight. There were questions whether so much time off would affect Jones’ effectiveness, and he spent time at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to prepare for this night. He hired a team in Albuquerque to get him into optimal shape. “I been wresting since I was 12 years old. I’ve been faithful to my goal, faithful to my mission.”

A dream match between Jones and Miocic is being targeted after Jones defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

"Good for him," Miocic told UFC broadcaster Megan Olivia backstage. "The one thing I know about the UFC is we give the fans what they want to see. Miocic was the first to reignite interest in a potential dream match between him and Jones, often considered the greatest heavyweight and light heavyweight fighters in UFC history, respectively. That's what I was told." [told reporters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41hCQZAgVa0&ab_channel=UFC-UltimateFightingChampionship) during the UFC 285 post-fight press conference. Stipe Miocic is in the works following UFC 285 on Saturday.

The bout ended at 2:04 of the first round and gave Jones his second weight class championship.

Jones' domination of Ciryl Gane puts the UFC's heavyweight division on notice as the newest "baddest man on the planet" looks ready to dominate once again.

[Francis Ngannou](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3933168/francis-ngannou), who recently surrendered the UFC belt and left the company after a contract dispute, also has a strong claim, based on his long run of knockouts, including the one over [Stipe Miocic](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2504951/stipe-miocic) that made "The Predator" the champ. Instead, this is a night to stand in awe of Jones' comeback and his ability to not simply pick up where he left off but to raise his game. But this is not the time to dwell too gloomily on a future potentially soiled by a Jones downfall, even if his shadowy past suggests it is as inevitable as was this weekend's rise to the top of the heavyweight division. Walking out to a hero's welcome back from and adoring (and forgiving) crowd at T-Mobile Arena, Jones took time to soak in the moment, stopping at cageside to hug his father, brothers and fiancée. At this point, when a fight card headlined by Jones is getting underway, the arena sound crew should set aside the UFC's usual "Baba O'Reilly" kickoff. Saturday's victory over Gane makes Jones the UFC heavyweight champion, which typically carries the designation of "baddest man on the planet." The swagger of Jones was and still is massive enough to swallow up the whole sport. Jones then straddled a seated Gane against the cage, rendering him helpless before sinking in the guillotine choke that made "Jonny Bones" a champion once more. When Jones choked out [Ciryl Gane](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4426000/ciryl-gane) in just 2 minutes and 4 seconds on Saturday in Las Vegas [to capture the vacant UFC belt](/mma/story/_/id/35788192/jon-jones-submits-ciryl-gane-win-ufc-heavyweight-title), it fulfilled a prophecy -- right? [anticipation of his next instance of bad behavior](/mma/story/_/id/25608180/jon-jones-complicated-legacy-mma-greatness-personal-trouble). [Jon Jones](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2335639/jon-jones) would end up as the heavyweight champion of the world. That meant Jones, returning to the cage after three years away from the sport, was 43 pounds heavier than the weight at which he had stepped on the scale before all of his record 11 title defenses in the 205-pound division.

The MMA community reacted to Jon Jones' successful UFC return to claim heavyweight gold against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 main event.

First heavyweight fight! 3rd fastest finish in heavyweight history! Jon Jones ran through Ciryl Gane like a buzzsaw. That’s what I want – I want you real bad. We truly missed out big on the Francis showdown [#UFC285]results: Jon Jones ( [@JonnyBones]) def. Jones is the new heavyweight champion. Jon Jones just ran through Ciryl Gane. [March 5, 2023] One thing I know about the UFC is we give the fans what they want to see. Jones: Y'all want to see me beat up Stipe? Stipe Miocic, I hope you’re training, my guy.

The new UFC heavyweight champion is so great, so dominant and so invincible that he seems almost impervious to defeat.

Three years after laying one crown to the side, Jones donned a new one. The now-35-year-old claimed the vacant UFC heavyweight belt at UFC 285.

As for that UFC prize, hard to expect Jones enters his first (or next few) title defenses as a mere -175 favorite. Forget the idea of reunifying the lineal and UFC titles, at least for a while. Ngannou, the lineal heavyweight champion, crept up near the 265-pound heavyweight limit as a true and massive big man with rare power in his hands for an MMA striker. He looked fuller upstairs — still lacking meat on his notoriously-thin calves — but it’s hard to say whether the added mass was the difference between a dominant win and a potential loss. Yet, through it all, he kept winning, all the way through the end of his impressive championship reigns. Nothing too surprising about the way Jones (27-1, 17 finishes) swallowed up Ciryl Gane barely two minutes into his heavyweight run.

Jon Jones won the UFC heavyweight title in some style on Saturday, defeating France's Ciryl Gane with a first-round submission following a three-year ...

“My whole world is going to be focused on him,” Jones said. Some of my best performances are going to be coming in the next few years.” “This is the biggest opportunity in my life to beat the heavyweight GOAT and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

Middleweight Bo Nickal, 27, won his UFC debut, submitting Jamie Pickett, 34 by arm triangle at 2:54 of the first round.

One of the most wanted men in MMA right now, Jon Jones has plenty of options when it comes to upcoming fights. Win or lose, here are a few opponents Jones ...

At this moment, another Lesnar fight in the UFC is unlikely. The Sporting News asked Jones who he would face if he could pick anyone, ever. I know he was looking at doing a new deal with Vince [McMahon] to stay with WWE. The firefighter told reporters he expects a fight for the heavyweight title to be around International Fight Week in July. The long shot fight that would break the internet just also happens to be the ultimate fantasy fight for Jones. Speaking of Ngannou, “The Predator” and Jones have attempted to book a match for years. Not long after vacating, Jones decided to focus his attention on the heavyweight division. Now he is on another win streak (three in a row), with two in a row via TKO. It ends a campaign in which Miocic offered his services multiple times to fight Jones in his UFC debut. And who else could Jones face if the Miocic fight falls through? [told reporters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41hCQZAgVa0&ab_channel=UFC-UltimateFightingChampionship) during the UFC 285 post-fight press conference. UFC President Dana White confirmed the interest in a Jones-Miocic showdown as well.

Jon Jones captured the UFC heavyweight title with a submission victory over Ciryl Gane on Saturday night at UFC 295. It was his first bout since February ...

"I had to show up and get (Gane) down to the ground," Jones said. "This one is so painful," he said. [Tom Brady](https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/tom-brady), Mike Evans and Conor McGregor were also in the house for the fight. 8, 2020, against Dominick Reyes, and he took the necessary time to prepare for a new weight class and a new crop of fighters. I've been faithful to my goal, faithful to my mission." He won with a guillotine choke at 2:04 to put a dramatic cap on

Jon Jones just surpassed Georges St.Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Anderson Silva as the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

His opponent Ciryl Gane was already in the Octagon when Jones finally made his walk to "The champ is here." "Not only is he the greatest light heavyweight ever, but he's also looking like the greatest heavyweight ever, too," said Dana White, praising Jones as the MMA GOAT, to Insider and other reporters at a post-event press conference. At UFC 285, in the final fight of a 14-bout card in Las Vegas, Jones weighed 43 pounds heavier than he did in his prior division and was tasked with competing against one of Such was his pedigree and accomplishments at 205 pounds, Jones quickly became one of the common names in the greatest fighters of all time conversation. One thing he was happy to talk about was the time he's spent fine-tuning his physique so that when he made his heavyweight debut, he'd be as dominant as he was when he was slaying the biggest names at light heavyweight during a nine-year reign as champion. - It was his first fight in three years, and he claimed the heavyweight title without breaking a sweat.

It took just a little more than a minute for Jones to win on Saturday. Read more on Boston.com.

“This one is a win lost. Then Grasso, 29, put Shevchenko in a position where she was forced to tap out. “This one is so painful,” Gane said. “I had to show up and get (Gane) down to the ground,” Jones said. The former light heavyweight champion said it was important to cement in his own mind that he deserved the honor as the greatest ever. UFC President Dana White said the gate was $12.5 million, the highest for a heavyweight match and the fourth-highest ever. There were questions whether so much time off would affect Jones’ effectiveness, and he spent time at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to prepare for this night. He hired a team in Albuquerque to get him into optimal shape. He won a record 14 title fight at light heavyweight. “I been wresting since I was 12 years old. I’ve been faithful to my goal, faithful to my mission.” “I’ve been working for this for a long time.

It wasn't long ago new UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was charged with domestic violence in Las Vegas – a charge that later was dropped.

Earlier in UFC 285 fight week, Jones declined to address the incident when asked about it at media day. [Jones left Moses bloodied](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/09/jon-jones-arrest-report-details-assault-fiancee-in-front-of-kids) after he allegedly assaulted her inside a room at Caesars Palace with their three children present. But there she was in a bright pink business suit kissing Jones before he stepped into the octagon at T-Mobile Arena.

Jones cemented himself as the best MMA fighter of all time while Grasso authored the latest wild upset in a title fight.

Still, it's hard to see the fight being overturned and a rematch with Pickett is a waste of everyone involved's time. Given how pivotal the takedown was to Nickal's gameplan, it's understandable that Pickett's manager is To be fair, before the first minute was up, Nickal was already fishing for a submission finish. A fight with Covington is a test with a far higher difficulty but it'd be better to see Rakhmonov advancing up the ranks quickly than getting stuck fighting middle-of-the-road contenders for the next few years. But Grasso took advantage of a split-second opportunity, latching onto Shevchenko's back after the champion missed a spinning kick and immediately taking the fight to the floor and locking in the choke, snapping a nine-fight winning streak for Shevchenko that included seven successful title defenses. Shevchenko will certainly be given an immediate rematch, which will force Grasso to prove the win was not a fluke. The UFC 285 main card opened with several fights featuring heavily-hyped prospects getting a chance to shine on the big stage. But mixed martial arts is a volatile sport with so many paths to victory that it is almost a guarantee that defeat will eventually find even the greatest fighters. While there was plenty of talk about how dangerous an opponent Gane was, the reality is that a properly motivated Jones will always be a nightmare for someone with Gane's grappling deficiencies. Jones' greatness was on full display, taking just over two minutes to force Gane to tap out and winning a title in the second weight class in his career. Jones winning changed the heavyweight division in a massive way and could spark big returns for the UFC's overall business, but Grasso snatching the title from Shevchenko was far more shocking. That said, Jones secured his place as MMA's "GOAT" on Saturday night by not only finally moving to heavyweight, but making incredibly easy work of Gane, a proven and capable top-tier heavyweight.

After three years off, Jones won the Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight title. But it was against Ciryl Gane, not Francis Ngannou, ...

He said he would like to arrange a boxing fight with Tyson Fury, the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, or the former champion Deontay Wilder, and explore M.M.A. He took Gane down early in the first round Saturday and pinned him against the fence. He said that while the two shared different perspectives, he respected his approach. offered him a deal that made him feel “immediately respected.” Richard Schaefer, Jones’s representative, said in a January broadcast interview that Jones’s restructured contract most likely made him the He developed new hobbies, such as dog training and flying drones, and said in an interview last week that he felt he was in a “better place.” “You have to give them a firm no and be decisive in what you want in order for the system to know that maybe something is getting done in the wrong way.” On Saturday, in a news conference, he repeated that he would not try to sign Ngannou again and said that Jones would next face Miocic. suspended him in 2015 and stripped him of his title after the authorities charged him with felony hit-and-run offenses in New Mexico. He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was sentenced to up to 18 months of probation. As Jones celebrated in the octagon, falling to his knees and praying while his family and coaches surrounded him, Ngannou wrote a congratulatory message, with a hint of sarcasm, to Jones on Twitter. 285 on Saturday night: He was the reigning heavyweight champion when he and the U.F.C. The U.F.C.

Stipe Miocic reacts to Jon Jones' dominant victory over Ciryl Gane to become UFC heavyweight champion while previewing a future fight between them.

That would give Jones and Miocic the chance to take the spotlight in July with the heavyweight title going up for grabs. As much as Miocic wants July, White wasn’t ready to commit to booking the fight on that date just yet, although it would make sense for one of the marquee cards in 2023. “I’m going to train my ass off and I’m going to beat that ass. “Honestly, I thought it was going to a decision,” Miocic said during the UFC 285 post-fight show. “Nothing’s going to change,” Miocic said. “I think a lot of things [about the fight].

The numbers show Jon Jones stands in rarified air after making it 15-0 in title fights when he claimed heavyweight gold at UFC 285.

[Trevin Jones](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/trevin-jones)’ (13-10 MMA, 1-4 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. [UFC 285](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/events/ufc-285). [UFC](http://www.ufcstats.com) research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. [Jon Jones](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/jon-jones) (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returned from a 37-month layoff and joined an exclusive club of two-division titleholders. [Da'Mon Blackshear](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/damon-blackshear) (12-5-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC) has suffered all five of his career losses by decision. [Song Kenan](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/song-kenan) (15-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by knockout. [Julian Marquez](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/julian-marquez) (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout. [Marc-Andre Barriault](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/marc-andre-barriault) (15-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has earned 11 of his 15 career victories by stoppage. [Viviane Araujo](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/viviane-araujo) (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has suffered all four of her UFC losses by decision. [Derek Brunson](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/derek-brunson) (23-9 MMA, 14-7 UFC) has suffered all seven of his career stoppage losses by knockout. [Amanda Ribas](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/amanda-ribas) (12-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has earned four of her six UFC victories by decision. [Jamie Pickett](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/jamie-pickett)’s (13-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career.

Jon Jones is your new UFC heavyweight champion and the path is clear for a dream fight with Stipe Miocic. Jones and Miocic are arguably the greatest light ...

Aspinall resumed sparring in January and might be on the verge of a comeback. Fortunately, Gane did not absorb any damage in the fight and can make a quick turnaround. A March 25 fight between Brady and Pereira was scrapped after Brady suffered a torn groin. Grasso can cement her place as the future and Shevchenko can turn back the clock. Jon Jones is your new UFC heavyweight champion and the path is clear for a dream fight with Stipe Miocic. While it is true that Miocic has been absent since losing to Ngannou in 2021, Sergei Pavlovich -- the only contender more deserving of a shot -- woefully lacks name value and has a fight booked. This is certainly a reasonable time to book the fight. Jones deserves to be UFC heavyweight champion and Miocic is the best situated for a title shot. Stipe Miococ: A dream fight between the most successful UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champions in history appears to be in the works. The main card also featured a thrilling UFC debut by highly-accomplished collegiate wrestler Bo Nickal and a major showcase for Shavkat Rakhmonov, a likely future title challenger. Jones is now surrounded by rareified air, including longtime rival Daniel Cormier, as the eighth two-division champion in UFC history. Jones and Miocic are arguably the greatest light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters in mixed martial arts history, respectively.

What mattered most at UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings … 5. Can Cody Garbrandt turn a corner for the better?

His position on the GOAT throne is going to be untested for the foreseeable future, and his work still isn’t done. If you watched the contest prior to the final moments, it was obvious Shevchenko was in control and well on her way to registering an eighth consecutive defense of the belt. 15-0 in UFC title fights, a 22-fight unbeaten streak inside the octagon and It’s another to engage in a blood and guts war with a killer like Neal, and come out on the winning end with one of the more unique submissions we’ve seen of late. Shevchenko is as deserving of an immediate rematch as any champion who has lost their title in UFC history, and if Grasso can do it again, she would truly be starting a legacy of her own. And considering his entire body of work, he’s now a tier above everyone else in that group. It was exactly the first step Nickal needed to show if he wants to eventually reach the heights he’s set out for himself, and that’s being an all-time great in the sport. That’s exactly what arguably the most touted prospect in MMA did when he stepped into the cage for the first time as a UFC fighter. [Alexa Grasso](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/alexa-grasso)’s shot at women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko as a mere formality. The version of Garbrandt we saw against Jones is likely going to be how he has to fight if he wants to maintain success, but the biggest question will be if he can consistently avoid being the brawler we know if deep inside him. It wasn’t his most impressive performance, but the former UFC champion ultimately did what he needed to do: win. Jones, with all due respect, was the most low-level opponent Garbrandt has faced since making his run to UFC gold.