Two UFC titles are on the road at UFC 285 on Saturday evening as former UFC mild heavyweight champion Jon Jones makes his return to the cage as he makes an attempt to seize the heavyweight crown. Plus, Valentina Shevchenko places her flyweight title on the road as she seems to be for title protection quantity eight.
UFC 285 Outcomes – Predominant Occasion
After three years away from the octagon, making ready for his debut within the heavyweight division, Jon Jones is again and he faces former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title. Beginning again in 2014, Jones was solely combating every year till 2017. That was the 12 months folks thought Jones was again for good as he defeated Daniel Cormier for the sunshine heavyweight title at UFC 214. Sadly, Jones failed a drug check after that combat, forcing the UFC to strip the belt from him and droop him.
Jones made his return in 2018 when he confronted Alexander Gustafsson for the vacant UFC mild heavyweight title. Jones captured his belt again by ending Gustafsson within the third spherical by knockout. Jones was again after that as he went on to defend his title 3 times after the win over Gustafsson. His subsequent three title defenses have been all very shut fights however he was capable of efficiently get via all of his opponents. Jones’ first title protection was towards Anthony Smith at UFC 235 that noticed Jones profitable by unanimous resolution. In his subsequent protection, Jones received a detailed cut up resolution towards Thiago Santos at UFC 239. Lastly, Jones’ most up-to-date outing and third title protection was a unanimous resolution win over Dominick Reyes. Now, after three years away, Jones seems to be to change into the baddest man on the planet as the brand new UFC heavyweight champion.
To do this, he should get via French powerhouse, Ciryl Gane. Gane made his skilled MMA debut in 2018 and after solely three years within the sport, he had change into the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion. His UFC debut occurred a 12 months after his professional debut, after simply three fights. In his first two outings with the UFC, Gane had put collectively back-to-back submission wins over Raphael Pessoa and Don’Story Mayes. His third UFC outing noticed him go the space for the primary time in his profession as he defeated Tanner Boser by unanimous resolution at UFC Struggle Evening 165.
Gane’s greatest win within the UFC got here after that one as he completed former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos by TKO in spherical two of their assembly at UFC 256. Now sitting at 7-0 with six finishes and 4 wins within the UFC, Gane earned his first UFC fundamental occasions in his subsequent two outings. He received each by unanimous resolution, beating Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Struggle Evening 186 and Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30. In his tenth skilled combat, Gane grew to become the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion with a 3rd spherical TKO win towards Derrick Lewis at UFC 265. Within the title unification bout with then-champion Francis Ngannou, Gane got here up brief, dropping the combat by unanimous resolution. It was Gane’s first skilled loss. Gane was capable of bounce again from the loss in one other fundamental occasion as he completed Tai Tuivasa by third spherical knockout throughout their wild combat at UFC Struggle Evening 209. Developing brief in his first title combat, Gane seems to be to seize the heavyweight crown and get via arguably one of many best fighters of all time.
UFC 285 Outcomes – Co-Predominant Occasion
Earlier than the UFC finds it’s new heavyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko seems to be for her eighth straight title protection as she places her UFC flyweight title on the road towards Alexa Grasso. Shevchenko received the UFC’s flyweight title again in 2018 and has been unstoppable ever since. In her first title protection, she knocked out Jessica Eye with a head kick within the second spherical of their assembly at UFC 238.
Title protection quantity two was a unanimous resolution win over Liz Carmouche in the primary occasion of UFC Struggle Evening 156. Following that combat, Shevchenko picked up one other end in her subsequent combat as she completed Katlyn Chookagian by TKO in spherical three at UFC 247. Later that 12 months, Shevchenko picked up her fourth title protection with a unanimous resolution win over Jennifer Maia at UFC 255. In 2021, Shevchenko picked up back-to-back TKO finishes for her fifth and sixth title defenses towards Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy. Lastly, Shevchenko’s final look was final summer season at UFC 275 the place she fought a really shut combat with Taila Santos that noticed Shevchenko win by cut up resolution. After the primary shut combat of her title run, Shevchenko will look to get again to her dominant methods at UFC 285 towards Alexa Grasso.
However Grasso won’t be a simple opponent as she enters this combat on a 4 combat win streak. Making her UFC debut in 2016, Grasso has put collectively a document within the octagon of 7-3. Over her first six outings within the UFC, Grasso alternated wins and losses. She made her debut with an undefeated document of 8-0 and improved it to 9-0 with a unanimous resolution win in her UFC debut towards Heather Jo Clark. Grasso suffered her first loss in her subsequent combat when Felice Herrig defeated her by unanimous resolution at UFC Struggle Evening 104. Over the rest of these first six fights, Grasso additionally picked up resolution wins over Randa Markos and Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
She additionally suffered a pair extra losses together with her first time being completed in a submission loss to Tatiana Suarez, plus a majority resolution loss to Carla Esparza. For the reason that loss towards Esparza, Grasso has been on a four-fight win streak. The primary of these wins was a unanimous resolution win over Kim Ji-Yeon at UFC Struggle Evening 175. That win was adopted by one other unanimous resolution win, this time towards Maycee Barber at UFC 258. Grasso picked up her first end within the UFC following her win over Barber when she submitted Joanne Wooden within the first spherical of their combat at UFC on ESPN 33. After that, Grasso fought in her first fundamental occasion, which happened in her most up-to-date combat, the place she picked up one other unanimous resolution win by defeating Viviane Araujo at UFC Vegas 62. Grasso seems to be to hitch UFC males’s flyweight champion Brandon Moreno as the one Mexican-born UFC champions if she will get via Shevchenko.
UFC 285 – Predominant Card
Kicking issues off on the pay-per-view might be a matchup within the middleweight division as Bo Nickal makes his UFC debut towards Jamie Pickett. The NCAA gold medalist in wrestling makes his UFC debut after placing collectively a professional document of simply 3-0. He had two profitable showings on Dana White’s Contender Sequence to earn himself a contract as he put collectively back-to-back first spherical submission wins in these fights. Pickett, who can be a product of the Contender Sequence, has had a complete of six fights within the UFC since incomes his contract. Over that span, he has gone 2-4 in these six fights as he enters UFC 285 on a two combat dropping streak as he was completed in his final two fights towards Kyle Daukaus and Denis Tiuliulin.
Following that combat might be a light-weight bout between prime ten contenders in Mateusz Gamrot and Jalin Turner. Gamrot is coming into this combat with only one loss in his final 5 outings. That loss occurred in his most up-to-date combat as Beneil Dariush snapped Gamrot’s 4 combat win streak with a unanimous resolution win at UFC 280. Previous to the loss, Gamrot had put collectively 4 straight wins over Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens, Carlos Diego Ferreira and Arman Tsarukyan. As for Turner, he’s getting into the combat with 5 straight victories behind him. All 5 of these wins got here by the use of a end as he picked up TKO wins over Joshua Culibao and Jamie Mullarkey, plus submission wins over Brok Weaver, Uros Medic and Brad Riddell.
Lastly, earlier than the title fights get underway, a welterweight contest goes down between Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov. Neal missed weight for this contest, however the combat will go on with Neal forfeiting 30 % of his purse. Neal is getting into this combat with back-to-back wins behind him. The primary of these wins snapped a two combat dropping streak as he picked up a cut up resolution win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. After that, in his most up-to-date outing, Neal completed Vicente Luque by knockout of their combat at UFC Vegas 59. Rakhmonov enters this combat with an undefeated document of 16-0, 4-0 within the UFC. He made his debut in 2020 and has since put collectively three submission wins over Alex Oliveira, Michel Prazares and Neil Magny, plus a knockout win over Carlston Harris.
UFC 285 Outcomes
MAIN CARD (PPV/ESPN+ – 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST)
Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane by way of Submission (Guillotine) at 2:04 of Spherical OneAlexa Grasso def. Valentina Shevchenko by way of Submission (Rear Bare Choke) at 4:34 of Spherical FourShavkat Rakhmonov def. Geoff Neal* by way of Submission (Standing Rear Bare Choke) at 4:17 of Spherical ThreeMateusz Gamrot def. Jalin Turner by way of Break up Resolution (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)Bo Nickal def. Jamie Pickett by way of Submission (Arm Triangle) at 2:54 of Spherical One
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+ – 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST)
Cody Garbrandt def. Trevin Jones by way of Unanimous Resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Dricus du Plessis def. Derek Brunson by way of TKO (Nook Stoppage) at 4:59 of Spherical TwoAmanda Ribas def. Viviane Araujo by way of Unanimous Resolution (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)Marc-Andre Barriault def. Julian Marquez by way of TKO (Punches) at 4:12 of Spherical Two
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Struggle Go/ESPN+ – 5:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. PST)
Ian Machado Garry def. Track Kenan by way of TKO (Punches) at 4:22 of Spherical ThreeCameron Saaiman def. Mana Martinez** by way of Majority Resolution (29-26, 28-27, 28-28)Tabatha Ricci def. Jessica Penne by way of Submission (Armbar) at 2:14 of Spherical TwoFarid Basharat def. Da’Mon Blackshear by way of Unanimous Resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Loik Radzhabov def. Esteban Ribovics by way of Unanimous Resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
*Neal missed weight at 175 kilos and can forfeit 30 % of his purse**Martinez missed weight at 137 kilos and can forfeit 30 % of his purse
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