UFC 285 was the sight of one of the heavyweight division’s most decisive title showdowns and the return of one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the sport, as the legendary Jon Jones completely annihilated his most worthy contender for the vacant heavyweight championship after a first-round submission victory over Ciryl Gane.
Heading into the UFC 285 main event between the red-hot interim Heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane and the returning Jon Jones, a vast majority of MMA betting lines had predicted Jones to clinch his first victory at the 265lbs mark, with a majority of odds stating that Jones was 4/7 favorites over Gane.
Despite Jones entering the Octagon as the quintessential favorite amongst many of the bookmakers and fans in attendance, no one could have anticipated Jones to deliver such a decisive and dominant showing ahead of his debut matchup at Heavyweight.
Just before the halfway mark of the opening round, Jones would wrestle Gane to the mat, where he would ultimately lock in a vicious choke hold that would force the French starlet to tap out with just two minutes and four seconds still remaining on the clock.
This victory allowed Jones to enter the prestigious alumni of fighters who have won multiple titles across two separate divisions, with Jones being only the second-ever fighter to win the belt at both Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight, as only his bitter rival Daniel Cormier has ever accomplished the same feat in the UFC.
Many fans may still be pondering how Jones was able to score such a lopsided victory over the fearsome Gane in what would be his first taste of Octagon action since his narrow decision victory over Dominick Reyes way back at UFC 247, as Jones looks set to enjoy a majorly successful reign atop the Heavyweight rankings, with many already proclaiming him to be the greatest of all-time.
- Analyzing the bout:
Gane’s only main source of offense was an accidental hit that was rightly deemed an illegal blow by referee Marc Goddard, with the fight being temporarily stopped following this unnecessary strike.
Following this, Jones would soon take complete control in the typical fashion that every UFC fan expects to witness when he is squaring off in the Octagon.
Jones would side-step one of Gane’s attempted jabs and quickly move into a clinch that would result in a takedown with Jones holding Gane down on his front.
Gane would attempt to crawl to the cage wall before Jones would perfectly transition across to a back mount, using the wall as leverage.
With Gane pinned up against the wall, Jones would quickly transition again into a guillotine hold submission attempt that saw the former Light Heavyweight champion lock his left arm around the neck of Gane, which ultimately forced a tap-out win.
This might well go down as one of Jones’ most impactful and flawless displays against an adversary of Gane’s sheer caliber of talent, with Jones sending a clear message to the entire Heavyweight division and the UFC hierarchy that he was ready for any challenge that is expected to be thrown his way.
The comparison in fighting styles between both fighters might appear to be quite similar on paper, yet Jones has clearly demonstrated his ability to dictate a fight to his own pace and is still one of the most intelligent fighters to ever compete in the Octagon, with Jones showcasing his sublime groundwork and previously calling out Gane for his sloppy and often lethargic transitional game in a prior tweet ahead of the fight.
While Gane is an immensely talented competitor and has all the makings to once again challenge for a spot atop the Heavyweight division, the simple matter is that he was completely outclassed and fairly beaten by Jones, who entered with a tremendous gameplan that worked to perfection, which would likely revolve around Jones using his quick feet and improved upper body strength to catch Gane off guard and outpower the former interim champion.
- What the future holds for Jon Jones’ reign as champion:
Following his bout over Gane, Jones made his intentions very clear to the raucous Las Vegas crowd that he plans to fight former champion Stipe Miocic, who just so happened to be sitting ringside.
Stipe famously defeated Jones’ former rival Daniel Cormier for the title back at UFC 241 before completing his trilogy over Cormier with a unanimous decision win at UFC 252, which would prove to be Cormier’s last bout in MMA.
Miocic would then lose the title in his very next defense, which was a second-round KO loss to Francis Ngannou in a rematch of their prior UFC 220 showdown.
After his victory over Miocic and a successful defense over the aforementioned Ciryl Gane, Ngannou would ultimately choose to leave the promotion in January earlier this year, which left the belt vacated.
With Jones now expressing his desire to face off against one of the greatest Heavyweight contenders in UFC history, fans can expect a barnstormer between the two Octagon legends that is sure to be announced within the coming months.
