Tag: UFC 285

UFC 285 video: Jon Jones sizes up Ciryl Gane in first faceoff at pre-fight press conference

Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane came face-to-face for the very first time at Thursday’s UFC 285 pre-fight press conference

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] came face-to-face for the very first time at Thursday’s UFC 285 pre-fight press conference, giving them the opportunity to size each other up.

As the days draw closer to Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) and Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) fighting for the vacant heavyweight championship in Saturday’s headliner at T-Mobile Arena, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+, the pair were put in the same room to answer questions from the media and in front of fans.

At the conclusion of the press conference, Jones and Gane engaged in a staredown, allowing the world to see what they look like when standing in front of each other.

Watch the video below to see the faceoff between Jones and Gane (via Twitter):

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

Video: ‘UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane’ pre-fight press conference live stream

Watch MMA Junkie’s live stream of the UFC 285 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas, featuring Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane as well as the entire main card.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 285 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream of the event beginning at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).

The entire main card will be in attendance, including [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag], who fight for the vacant heavyweight title in the main event; Women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag], who meet in the co-headliner; as well as the remaining matchups of [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag], [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] and [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag].

UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

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Jamie Pickett admits he didn’t know Bo Nickal before booking, ready to spoil his debut

Jamie Pickett wasn’t aware of Bo Nickal’s hype when he was offered the fight at UFC 285. Now the huge underdog wants to spoil his party.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] wasn’t even aware of the hype surrounding [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] when he was offered the fight.

Pickett (13-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) welcomes fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Nickal (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the octagon on Saturday’s UFC 285 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Nickal is one of the most highly touted prospects in the sport. A three-time NCAA Division-I national wrestling champion and three-time Big Ten champion at Penn State, the 27-year-old is one of the most decorated wrestlers in MMA – but Pickett agreed to the matchup without knowing any of it.

“I didn’t understand who I was signing up to fight,” Pickett told reporters at the UFC 285 media day on Wednesday. “My manager was pushing it. Everybody was pushing it. I was like, ‘All right, man, I’ll do it.’ They said more money. I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ I didn’t really realize who I was fighting. I’m not lying. I swear, I did not know who he was. Everybody else knew who he was except for me because I’m not really big into the wrestling like that. I don’t watch wrestling or anything.”

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Pickett also is well aware of the position he’s in for this fight. All the attention is on Nickal and he plans on coming up big as an underdog.

“I see another athlete that’s ready to compete,” Pickett said. “I’m ready to compete. He’s ready to compete. The UFC’s paying me for a test. That’s what I am – I’m a test for him. I’m not stupid. They want to see if he can fare against somebody that’s good all the way around. I’m not really great at one thing, but I’m good everywhere. So they want to see how he deals with me, and I plan on spoiling the party.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

Trevin Jones ahead of UFC 285: ‘I’m focused on the best Cody Garbrandt’

Trevin Jones won’t take into account Cody Garbrandt’s recent slump when he fights the former bantamweight champion at UFC 285.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag] won’t take into account [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]’s recent slump.

Jones (13-9 MMA, 1-3 UFC) faces Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) on Saturday’s featured prelim at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Since winning the bantamweight title with a flawless performance over Dominick Cruz, Garbrandt has struggled. “No Love” has dropped five of his past six and suffered knockouts in four of those losses. But Jones won’t put too much weight on Garbrandt’s skid, and will expect the prime version of him.

“I’m focused on the best Cody,” Jones told reporters at the UFC 285 media day Wednesday. “He doesn’t want to lose just like I don’t want to lose, so I’m not focused on any of that. I’m not focused on what people are saying. I’m only focused on myself, my game plan, and what I need to do to Cody to beat him.”

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With Garbrandt’s willingness to brawl, Jones sees himself winning by knockout. But in this fight, Jones anticipates Garbrandt will try to wrestle him.

“Absolutely, I believe I have a lot of power, and if he gets overaggressive with me and I could lay that shot, I have to believe that,” Jones said. “I also believe that he’ll try to wrestle me and take me down, so I’m also preparing for that considering the way my last fight went. So I’m prepared for this guy. Yeah, he’s a former champion, but I’m always willing to put myself up to the task and I’m ready for this fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

Jalin Turner: Beating Mateusz Gamrot answers people’s doubts about my grappling

Jalin Turner sees much bigger incentive in beating Mateusz Gamrot than he had in original UFC 285 opponent Dan Hooker.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] sees much larger incentive in beating [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] over [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag].

Turner (13-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was originally scheduled to face Hooker in a lightweight bout on Saturday’s UFC 285 main card, but Gamrot (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) stepped in after Hooker withdrew due to injury.

In Gamrot, Turner gets a higher-ranked opponent and he’s ready to put his grappling to the test against one of the division’s best wrestlers.

“It definitely feels a lot bigger to me,” Turner told reporters at the UFC 285 media day Wednesday. “He’s ranked above me, so inevitably, it’s more important.

“I feel like the last question that people want me to answer is, ‘How’s Jalin’s grappling? How’s this? How’s that?’ A victory over Mateusz would definitely solidify a lot of doubts in people’s minds about my grappling accolades and my takedown defense, so I’m ready for the challenge.”

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The change in opponent didn’t faze Turner too much. Although Hooker is a striker, he expected to be defending takedowns from “The Hangman,” too.

“I stick to what I do,” Turner said. “I always just try to execute my own game plan (and) not worry about my opponent too much. But in preparation for this fight with Hooker, I was anticipating him trying to take me down, anyway, so it kind of all played together pretty well.”

UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

Jon Jones more concerned with GOAT status than current pound-for-pound list

There was a time not long ago when Jon Jones was considered by many to be the sport’s top fighter. Now even he’s not worried about that.

LAS VEGAS – There was a time not long ago when [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] was considered by many to be the top fighter in the sport.

And while Jones never lost to cause any kind of tumble down the pound-for-pound list, his inactivity for more than three years no doubt has caused some to wonder if he can return after such a lengthy layoff and go right back to the throne.

Even Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) himself, ahead of his vacant heavyweight title fight against former interim champion Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC 285 main event, is willing to concede someone else is the pound-for-pound best in the game right now.

Jones, a longtime light heavyweight titleholder who vacated his belt in 2020 for a planned move to heavyweight that finally willl come to fruition Saturday, thinks featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) is the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter, even though he just lost a lightweight title shot against champ Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC).

“Volkanovski has been very active. I do believe he deserves to be the top fighter in the world, him and Islam,” Jones said at UFC 285 media day Wednesday in Las Vegas. “I think both (are the top two). Volkanovski kept that title after a loss. He deserves it. He’s refreshing, he speaks well, his country loves him, he represents the sport well.”

Jones’ inactivity took him out of MMA Junkie’s pound-for-pound rankings a while back, but his return against Gane will have him eligible to enter the rankings once more.

If Jones wins the heavyweight title, it will make him a rare two-division UFC champion. Many think he would cement himself as the greatest fighter in history if that happens, and that’s something Jones said he’s more concerned with than where he falls compared to Volkanovski right now on the pound-for-pound list.

“I’m fighting to be the greatest fighter ever, not to be the best pound-for-pound right now,” Jones said. “We have two different motivations, and I think there’s room for both of us at the top.”

Jones is a slight betting favorite at -160 at Tipico Sportsbook. The comeback on slight underdog Gane is +140.

UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

UFC 285 breakdown: How Ciryl Gane can finish Jon Jones to become heavyweight champ

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 285 heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC 285.

UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

UFC 285 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Jon Jones gets a trim that would make his brothers proud

The popular “Embedded” series is back behind the scenes at UFC 285, including during a fight week haircut for Jon Jones.

The UFC is back with its third pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

In the main event, the vacant heavyweight title is up for grabs as [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) makes his highly anticipated divisional debut after a three-year layoff to take on former interim champion [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). And in the co-headliner, women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) goes for her eighth consecutive title defense when she meets [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who seeks to become the first Mexican woman to win a UFC belt.

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The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Jon Jones gets lined up pre-fight. Geoff Neal, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Bo Nickal prep at the PI. Ciryl Gane readies for GOATness. Boxer Gervonta Davis and tight end David Njoku join Jones to train.

Also watch:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

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Who ya got? UFC 285 fighters predict Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight title fight

Even with Jon Jones moving up a division after a three-year layoff, it’s hard for UFC 285 fighters to go against him.

LAS VEGAS – Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is moving up to heavyweight after a three-year layoff, but that isn’t deterring his peers from backing him.

Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) is set to headline UFC 285 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he’ll meet former interim heavyweight champ [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant title in his highly anticipated return to the octagon. The event streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNEWS and ESPN+.

On Wednesday, various fighters from the UFC 285 lineup – including Valentina Shevchenko, Cody Garbrandt and Derek Brunson – weighed in with their analysis and predictions during media day, and they made it clear that it’s hard to pick against the man widely considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, mixed martial artists of all time.

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You can hear what they had to say by watching the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.\

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Mateusz Gamrot can envision quick finish of Jalin Turner at UFC 285, says it’s ‘a great matchup for me’

Mateusz Gamrot thinks he can put a halt to Jalin Turner’s momentum on short notice on the UFC 285 main card in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] thinks he can put a halt to [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]’s momentum on short notice.

Gamrot (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) replaced Dan Hooker to face Turner (13-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 285 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Turner is riding plenty of momentum with finishes of five straight opponents, but Gamrot likes the stylistic matchup.

“I think this is a great matchup for me,” Gamrot told reporters at the UFC 285 media day Wednesday. “He’s on a five-fight winning streak, (and) every fight he finished. He’s a high-level striker, very tall, very long reach, good guillotine choke when he defends takedowns – but I think that’s it. Many times, I fought with high-level strikers. Many times, I fought with taller guys than me. This is not a problem for me. I’m ready for his style.”

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Turner boasts a 100 percent finishing rate, but also has been stopped in three of his five losses. Gamrot either sees an all-out war or a quick finish on his end.

“I see two versions: First version, this is going to be a war – three brutal rounds, because Jalin is a tough opponent. He’s good on the feet,” Gamrot said. “But the second version is I finish him quickly, maybe – first or second round, because he’s really good in the striking. I’m ready for his style, but the question is, is he ready for my style?”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.