Here’s a look behind a few of the key matchups and fighters heading into UFC 285.
The hours proceed to tick down till a noteworthy UFC 285 card that featues the return of one of many sport’s greatest athletes in Jon Jones. After three years away from the Octagon, Jones returns, in search of gold in a second weight class, as he takes on Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship.
The co-main occasion will see Valentina Shevchenko look to proceed her dominant run at 125 kilos, as she defends the UFC ladies’s flyweight title in opposition to Alexa Grasso.
UFC 285 can even characteristic appearances from a number of rising contenders, together with Shavkat Rakhmonov and Dricus du Plessis, in addition to the UFC debut of three-time NCAA wrestling champion Bo Nickal.
Right here’s a rundown of the storylines, info, and background behind a few of the key fights for UFC 285.
Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane: Does Jones stay one of many sport’s GOATs after a three-year layoff?
This will probably be Jon Jones’s first combat in simply over three years. He final fought in February 2020, efficiently retaining the UFC mild heavyweight championship in opposition to Dominick Reyes. That marked Jones’s eleventh general title protection throughout his two UFC mild heavweight title reigns, tying him with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson for essentially the most profitable general title defenses in UFC historical past.
Jones comes into this combat on an 18-fight win streak, the longest unbeaten streak in UFC historical past. His controversial December 2009 loss to Matt Hamill nonetheless marks as the one loss in his skilled MMA profession.
Whereas that is Jones’s first official combat at heavyweight, his skilled MMA debut got here at a catchweight of 210 kilos in April 2008.
In his three-and-a-half years within the Octagon to date, Cyril Gane is 8-1 within the UFC. Like Jones, Gane’s sole loss within the UFC is his solely MMA loss. Gane, a Muay Thai specialist, turned interim UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 265 with a end of Derrick Lewis. Gane then dropped a choice to Francis Ngannou of their undisputed title combat at UFC 270 — which proved to be Ngannou’s final UFC combat earlier than parting methods with the promotion as champion.
Gane most not too long ago competed at UFC Paris in September, knocking out Tai Tuivasa in three rounds.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso: Can Shevchenko rebound from controversial Talia Santos combat?
Valentina Shevchenko has received 9 straight fights getting into this title protection. She is unbeaten since dropping to flyweight in the beginning of 2018. She defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 to win the then-vacant championship.
Shevchenko most not too long ago fought at UFC 275 this previous June, scoring a controversial cut up resolution win over Talia Santos. It was the primary time the usually dominant Shevchenko had been in an in depth combat — and one arguably she ought to have misplaced — since her rematch with Amanda Nunes for the UFC ladies’s bantamweight title at UFC 215.
Shevchenko’s lively seven-fight title protection streak is essentially the most title defenses by a lady in UFC historical past. Her general nine-fight win streak at 125 kilos is the present document for many consecutive wins within the division — and ties her with Katlyn Chookagian for many wins general within the division.
Alexa Grasso initially struggled within the UFC after making the leap from Invicta, going 3-3 at strawweight. Since leaping as much as flyweight in 2020, nevertheless, Grasso has received 4 straight. She most not too long ago fought at UFC Vegas 62, scoring a unanimous resolution win over Viviane Araujo in the primary occasion.
Grasso’s UFC 238 victory over Karolina Kowalkiewicz noticed her throw 369 strikes, the third-most strikes thrown in a three-round combat in UFC historical past.
Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov: An enormous alternative for Rakhmonov
Geoff Neal comes into this matchup ranked No. 7 within the UFC at welterweight. He’s 2-2 in his final 4 however at present holds a two-fight win steak, scoring a cut up resolution over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269 and a spotlight knockout of Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 59 again in August.
Neal is 7-2 within the Octagon since coming into the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Sequence.
Ranked No. 9 within the division, this combat is the largest alternative within the profession of Shavkat Rakhmonov to date. Undefeated in MMA via 16 fights, Rakhmanov is 4-0 within the UFC. The previous M-1 welterweight champion is coming off back-to-back wins with efficiency bonuses, knocking out Carlston Harris at UFC Vegas 47 final yr and submitting Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 57 in June.
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Jalin Turner: Who’s prepared for the step up at 155?
Mateusz Gamrot got here into the UFC in 2020 as an undefeated fighter following a stint within the KSW, the place he captured each featherweight and light-weight gold. Gamrot is 4-2 within the Octagon, most not too long ago competing at UFC 280 in a unanimous resolution loss to Beneil Dariush. This snapped a four-fight win streak he picked up after dropping his promotional debut.
4 of Gamrot’s six fights have seen him earn a post-fight bonus. His most up-to-date win — a choice victory over Arman Tsarukyan in the primary occasion of UFC Vegas 57 — earned Combat of the Evening honors.
The grappling professional holds the UFC document for the quickest kimura submission win, needing simply 65 seconds to complete Jeremy Stephens at UFC Vegas 31, which ended up being Stephens’s closing combat within the UFC.
After going 1-2 to begin his UFC tenure, Jalin Turner has impressed together with his present five-fight win streak — one which has seen him rating three submissions and two TKOs. An alumnus of Dana White’s Contender Sequence, Turner most not too long ago fought at UFC 276 in July, needing simply 45 seconds to place away Brad Riddell with a guillotine. This win earned Turner his first post-fight bonus within the UFC.
Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett: Nickal’s long-awaited UFC debut
UFC 285 will open the extremely anticipated Octagon debut of extremely achieved wrestler Bo Nickal. Competing for Penn State, Nickal was a three-time nationwide champion (competing within the finals all 4 years of his collegiate profession) and a three-time Massive Ten convention wrestling champion (plus a third-place end).
In 2019, Nickal received each the US Nationwide Championships and U23 World Championships in freestyle wrestling at 92kg. He then was a finalist within the 2020 US Olympic Workforce Trials.
After a profitable skilled MMA debut by way of a 33-second knockout at Jorge Masvidal’s iKon FC 3, Nickal competed twice on Dana White’s Contender Sequence in 2022, submitting Zachary Borrego with a choke in 62 seconds and Donovan Beard with a triangle choke in 52 seconds.
Jamie Pickett entered the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Sequence himself — defeating Jhonoven Pati in his third time on the present — however his UFC tenure has not gone the way in which he had hoped. Pickett is simply 2-4 within the promotion, dropping his first two UFC fights and getting into this battle with Nickal on a two-fight skid.
Pickett most not too long ago fought at UFC 279, struggling a second-round TKO loss to Denis Tiuliulin. His most up-to-date win got here at UFC Vegas 46 in January 2022, defeating Joseph Holmes by way of unanimous resolution.
This combat had been scheduled for UFC 282 in December however was pushed again following an harm to Nickal.
Cody Garbrandt vs. Trevin Jones: The tip of the highway for Garbrandt?
There was as soon as a time the place Cody Garbandt was on prime of the 135-pound world, defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 to maneuver to 11-0 and turn out to be the UFC bantamweight champion. After that second, nevertheless, every little thing has appeared to crash down.
The heated rivalry with former teammate T.J. Dillashaw adopted, with Dillashaw ending Garbrandt twice. Pedro Munhoz then completed Garbrandt within the first spherical of their UFC 235 brawl. He’d rebound with a highlight-reel knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 however dropped a choice to Rob Font the subsequent yr.
Garbrandt’s try to maneuver to flyweight proved unsuccessful, as he was completed in simply over three minutes by Kai Kara-France at UFC 269, bringing his skid to 5 losses in his final six fights.
Trevin Jones is by far not Garbrandt’s strongest opponent, with a 13-9 (1 NC) document within the sport and 1-3 (1 NC) document within the UFC. Jones has misplaced three straight, most not too long ago dropping a choice to Raoni Barcelos at UFC Vegas 61 in October.
This combat most positively comes off as a “Loser Leaves City” situation. It most actually will probably be this for Jones, but when Garbrandt ought to in some way lose right here, one must think about that is the top of the road for him — at the very least within the prmotion, if not the game.
Derek Brunson vs. Dricus du Plessis: Will the du Plessis hype prepare proceed?
Derek Brunson, at present ranked No. 5 at middleweight, most not too long ago fought at UFC 271 a yr in the past, getting knocked out by Jared Cannonier. This snapped a five-fight win streak Brunson was on from 2019 to 2021 and noticed him seemingly stand up out of gatekeper standing.
Sadly for Brunson, he might discover himself again on this position relying upon how his UFC 285 bout with Dricus du Plessis goes.
Du Plessis has drawn numerous consideration since coming into the UFC in 2020, following time with EFC Africa — the place he received its welterweight and middleweight titles — and KSW — the place he was a welterweight champion.
Du Plessis’s run to date has seen him knock out Markus Perez and Trevin Giles, rating a unanimous resolution over Brad Tavares and, most not too long ago, submit Darren Until at UFC 282.
Brunson’s 14 wins within the UFC middleweight division ties him with Anderson Silva and Brad Tavares, whereas his 9 finishes in UFC middleweight matchups has him at third-most alongside Chris Leben and Nate Marquardt.
