LAS VEGAS — Since the start of mixed martial arts, Jon Jones has been far and away the best fighter in the sport. Nothing at all has changed despite the fact that I have gained weight and spent the past three years apart.
In the main event of UFC 285, which took place Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, Jones beat Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke at 2 minutes and 4 seconds into the first round. Jones has been the champion of the UFC’s light heavyweight division for many years. He is now the champion of the heavyweight division. It was already known that he was the best fighter in mixed martial arts, but with this win, there is no longer any doubt.
Jones, when asked about his preparation for the fight, remarked, “I’ve been preparing for this for a long time.” “A lot of people thought that I wouldn’t come back. I have always been determined to reach my goal. I have stayed true to the goal of this project. I never missed a session, even when I didn’t feel like working out.”
To be honest, Jones made everything look like it was very easy. He threw Gane to the ground, got him to sit with his back against the cage, and then choked him. That was odd, but Gane didn’t seem to be in any danger. But Jones applied pressure, and Gane had no choice but to tap out.
The submission happened in the third quickest time ever seen in a UFC heavyweight title fight. Tim Sylvia was knocked out in 47 seconds by Andrei Arlovski at UFC 51. At UFC 48, Tim Sylvia was knocked out in 50 seconds by Frank Mir.
Jones said that he had been wrestling since he was 12 years old. “I’ve never stood on the ground and felt more powerful or at ease than I do right now… As soon as I was able to grab him, I realised that this is the position where I feel most comfortable and where I can have the most control.”
Jones hadn’t fought in a match since February of 2020. He gave up the light heavyweight championship title in August 2020 so he could move up to the heavyweight division. Jones asked for more time to move in the right direction, and he got what he asked for. He had been a fighter for his whole career, and he had always competed at 205 pounds. On Friday, though, he weighed in at 248 pounds, which means he has gained more than 25 pounds of muscle.
Dana White, the head of the UFC, said that Jones went into the Octagon and fought Gane “like he was a little kid.”
White said, “I have a lot of faith in ring rust.” [Needs citation] “We didn’t get to see any ring rust. Who knows for sure if the ring had rust on it? He just went in, which was the easiest thing in the world. He is a strange thing in the world of nature.”
Jones has thought about moving up to the heavyweight division ever since 2012. The only time he lost in the cage was when he was disqualified in the middle of a fight he was clearly winning. Aside from that, he’s never really lost in the cage. Jones is the eighth fighter to win titles in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. Only Randy Couture and Daniel Cormier have won titles in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.
When Francis Ngannou left the UFC earlier this year to pursue a career as a free agent, the organization’s heavyweight title became open.
Jones’s win sets up a fight between him and Stipe Miocic, who is the most successful heavyweight fighter in UFC history and has won the title twice.
“You guys want to see me beat Stipe up, right?” From what Jones said in his Octagon interview, it seems that. “I know that the UFC gives the audience exactly what they want to see. Stipe Miocic, I hope you’re getting some work done. You are the most dominant heavyweight in the history of the sport. That’s just what I want. I really want you.”
Jones is currently the UFC fighter with the longest unbeaten streak (19 fights), the most wins in title fights (15), and the most title defences. Jones has a record of 27-1 right now (11, tied with Demetrious Johnson). In his most recent fight, the boxer from New York, who now lives and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico, beat Dominick Reyes to successfully defend his 205-pound championship belt.
Jones, who is now 35, set a record when he became the UFC’s youngest champion at the age of 23 in 2011.
Jones had not finished a fight since 2018, and this was his first victory by submission since 2012.
Jones said, “For a long time now, I’ve been used to getting a lot of praise.” “I’m extremely conscious that pride comes before the fall…. I know that grounding myself is going to be more necessary than it has ever been.” [As an example]
Gane, who was 32 years old and had a record of 11-2, had just knocked out Tai Tuivasa in the third round of their September fight. His only other setback in his mixed martial arts career came when he attempted to challenge Ngannou for the heavyweight title at UFC 270 in January 2022. He lost to Ngannou in a vote that everyone agreed on.
The French combatant expressed his “anger” with himself for the loss in his post-match interview.
“This one hurts so much more than the others,” Gane remarked. “It’s a big deal that this one is gone. This time has already passed. In order to look into the future, I have to move forward. And I’m going to the gym as soon as I can.”
