JON JONES will make his long-awaited return to the octagon in the main event of UFC 285 – THREE years after his last fight.
And the former dominant light-heavyweight champion will FINALLY be making his long-anticipated heavyweight debut.
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Jones, 35, will challenge French Muay Thai phenom Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.
The belt became up for grabs in January after former champion Francis Ngannou left the promotion after failing to agree a new contract.
Should Jones get his hands on the strap, he’ll become a two-division champion, and, in the eyes of many, cement his status as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
Elsewhere on the card, dominant women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against Alexa Grasso.
And welterweight sensation Shavkat Rakhmonov will look to prove he’s a legitimate contender with a statement victory over Geoff Neal.
When is UFC 285 – Jones vs Gane?
Jon Jones’ historic clash with Ciryl Gane will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 4.
Close to 20,000 fans will be in attendance to see Jones’s bid to become a two-weight world champion.
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What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
UFC 285 will be shown live on BT Sport 1 in the UK and Ireland.
The prelims will get underway at 11pm on UFC Fight Pass before switching to BT Sport 1 at 1am.
The stacked main card will get underway 3am.
Fans can live stream the action from the BT Sport app, which is available for download on your mobile or tablet device.
The mouthwatering main event is expected to get underway at around 5am UK time on Sunday, March 5.
Will there be an event replay?
BT Sport will re-air UFC 285 less than 24 hours after the event has finished.
Those wishing to watch it on their TV will have to wait until around 10pm UK time.
While those eager to watch online will be able to view the highlights through the BT Sport app or official website.
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UFC 285 Full Card
Main card
- Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane – heavyweight title fight
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs Alexa Grasso – women’s flyweight title fight
- Geoff Neal vs Shavkat Rakhmonov
- Jalin Turner vs Mateusz Gamrot
- Bo Nickal vs Jamie Pickett
Prelims
- Derek Brunson vs Dricus du Plessis
- Ian Garry vs Son Kenan
- Viviane Araujo vs Amanda Ribas
- Julian Marquez vs Marc-Andre Barriault
- Jessica Penne vs Tabatha Ricci
- Da’Mon Blackshear vs Farid Basharat
- Kamuela Kirk vs Esteban Ribovics
Last fight results
Hall of Famer Jones was last in action at UFC 247 in February 2020 against Dominick Reyes in what proved to be his final outing at light-heavyweight.
Jones retained his light-heavyweight crown with a unanimous decision victory, although many thought he lost the final.
Gane, meanwhile, bounced from defeat in his unification bout with Ngannou last January with a stunning third-round TKO victory over fan favourite Tai Tuivasa in Paris last September.
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What’s been said?
Jones said: “It’s kind of short time for me. I wish I had a little bit more time to prepare
“This idea of preparing for a new opponent in about six or seven weeks, I’ve done it before and I think it’s more than enough time.
“I would have liked more time, but I do think that this is a good amount of time, I feel great.”
On an elusive clash with Ngannou, the former pound-for-pound king told RMC Sport: “I don’t think I deserve any criticism.
“I’m here. Francis had the opportunity to face me and he opted out of the opportunity.
“If anyone should be criticized, it’s Francis Ngannou.
“If I’m correct, he was offered the biggest contract in Heavyweight history.
“He had the opportunity to be a guy that dethroned me and he didn’t believe in himself. He wasn’t willing to gamble on himself.”
Gane said: “I know I’ve got good footwork at first, I think I’m a little bit more well-rounded [than Francis Ngannou].
“I look a little bit more like Jon Jones.
“Yes, when you have a big guy that just wants to kill you with one punch, it’s more easier for a guy well-rounded and smart like Jon Jones to manage the situation.
“Me, also, I am not like that. I like to manage the situation. It’s going to be really good.”
Weigh To Go
Jones told SunSport of his body transformation:
During the UFC 285 media day, he told SunSport: “I ended up off training camp bench pressing 315 (143kg) for five [reps].
“Deadlifts was about 640lbs and my squat was about 500lbs, maybe 520lbs, somewhere around there.
“Towards the end, I wasn’t going for big numbers.
“I was just going for explosiveness and muscular endurance. But I’ve got pretty strong over the last three years.”
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He added: “A few months ago, I got up to 267lbs.
“But I felt a little more bloated and I didn’t like my endurance at that weight.”
“I plan on competing right around, anywhere between, 245 and 250lbs.”
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