If Jon Jones isn’t already No. 1 on your MMA GOAT list, should he be No. 2?
Saturday marks the highly anticipated return of [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], one of the greatest fighters to ever compete in mixed martial arts, who is moving up to heavyweight after a three-year layoff to take on Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship in the UFC 285 headliner.
Aside from the official title at stake for Jones, so too could be unofficial GOAT status if the former longtime light heavyweight champ becomes a two-division champ. Jones himself has said a victory over Gane will cement his status as the best to ever grace the cage.
Where do we stand? Is Jones already the GOAT? And if he isn’t, would he become the GOAT with a win?
That’s what we asked this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia, who weighed in on the topic with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Check out their discussion in the video above and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.
Go inside the numbers of UFC 285, the deepest card of the year, where history is at stake – both good and bad – for multiple fighters.
The crown jewel of the UFC’s first-quarter schedule for 2023 takes place Saturday with UFC 285. The loaded fight card goes down at T-Mobile Arena with a main card scheduled to air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
Two championship fights top the card, and they feature arguably the greatest male and female athletes the sport has ever seen. In the headlining act, Former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) will finally return from a more than three-year layoff and make the move to heavyweight for a vacant title showdown with [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).
The co-headliner, meanwhile, will see decorated women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) attempt to make her eighth consecutive defense of her belt when she welcomes Mexican challenger [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC).
For more on the numbers behind the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 285.
Albuquerque residents at a local gym show how much they’re behind Jon Jones heading into UFC 285.
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.
The second 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:
Ciryl Gane enjoys the great outdoors. Jon Jones studies his opponent. Geoff Neal pushes himself at the PI. Champ Valentina Shevchenko wraps up a global training camp. UFC 285 is on Saturday, March 4.
Jon Jones says he simply wanted to make sure he felt ready before moving up to heavyweight, and now he’s out to prove he’s No. 1 at UFC 285.
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] insists that his delayed heavyweight debut wasn’t because of negotiation issues with the UFC.
Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) finally returns from three-year layoff when he faces Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant heavyweight title in Saturday’s UFC 285 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Two years ago, Jones asked for his UFC release, expressing his frustration with his pay. He then hired former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer as his advisor,who recently said Jones struck a deal that made him the second highest paid fighter behind Conor McGregor. Despite all that, Jones said his heavyweight debut taking this long was not linked to money.
“The prolonging of my heavyweight debut had nothing to do with money or being upset with the UFC or anything like that,” Jones told ESPN. “I just wanted to be at my best when I did come back, and I felt like I was ready to go about a year ago. We needed to figure out opponents, and there was just a lot of moving parts in the UFC, but now we’re here. We got Ciryl Gane, and I feel like all the stars are just aligned for me right now.”
“I started thinking about it the day that I decided that I was going to go up to heavyweight,” Jones said. “My goal for three years now is to become the heavyweight champion of the world. It’s what I pray about, it’s what I sleep on, it’s what I dream about. It is who I am, and I will get it done.”
He continued, “I just feel it in my whole being that I’m the best fighter on the planet, and now my job is just to prove it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.
Can Alex Grasso make extra history for Mexico by scoring the upset over flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285?
Reagdless of what happens, [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] will make history Saturday night.
The UFC women’s flyweight contender is set to challenge champion Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event of UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s her first title fight with the UFC, which for any fighter is undoubtedly an important career moment. But beyond the personal milestone, Grasso (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will become the first Mexico-born woman to challenge for a UFC championship belt.
And for the Lobo Gym product out of Guadalajara, that’s something she’s beyond proud of.
“It’s beautiful,” Grasso told MMA Junkie in Spanish when asked about the historic significance of her title fight. “The truth is that it’s so cool. I always put it as a goal to do things well, do things right, and that’s what we’re doing.
“For me, it’s really important to be able to open the door for all the Mexican women who are coming up behind us. It’s beautiful. I can’t deny that I’m very excited, happy to be a pioneer for my country and do important things along with my partners. I just want to do things well and win that title.”
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Just two months in, and 2023 already has been a special and historic year for Mexican MMA.
Now Grasso will get a chance this Saturday to bring a third title to her country when she faces Shevchenko (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC). She’s excited about the opportunity plus keep Mexican MMA on the up.
“Yeah, it’s funny. A lot of people would ask me in interviews, ‘What is Mexico missing so that the athletes can get ranked and be fighting for titles? What does Mexico need for the sport to grow?'” Grasso said. “I always told them it was a matter of time because the sport was basically new here in the country.
“But now you look at the ones who are in the UFC and everyone is giving their best and training very hard, leaving their hearts each time they fight in the octagon, and you can notice it.
“It makes me very happy to see my countrymen achieve their goals, show that it is possible. Yes, it’s hard and tough, but that’s anything you want to achieve in life. As long as you set goals, you stay disciplined, trust yourself, you can achieve anything.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at Jon Jones as UFC 285 fight week kicks off.
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.
The first 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:
Ciryl Gane stretches his jet lag away. Jon Jones trains for deep waters and recounts his previous wins. Both former champions have their sights set on heavyweight gold. UFC 285 is on Saturday, March 4.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.
Sergei Pavlovich could land a shot at the UFC heavyweight title against Jon Jones or Ciryl Gane.
[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] could find himself fighting for the UFC heavyweight championship this weekend.
Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has been designated as the official backup for the headlining title fight between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] this Saturday at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.
The news was first reported by UFC broadcast partner ESPN on Monday, citing Pavlovich’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz. This past Saturday, UFC president Dana White announced that a backup had been tabbed but did not specify whom.
Dana White says a backup fighter is in place for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane at #UFC285 – but won't reveal who. 🧐
Pavlovich will have to make weight Friday morning at the official weigh-ins and be below the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds. Only then will he be officially eligible to replace either Jones or Gane should he be needed.
Pavlovich, 30, is coming off five consecutive first round finishes. Since losing his UFC debut against Alistair Overeem in 2018, Pavlovich has run through Marcelo Holm, Maurice Greene, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Derrick Lewis, and most recently Tai Tuivasa.
Julian Marquez thinks he was put on UFC 285 for a reason: Because fans want to be entertained.
[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] thinks he was put on UFC 285 for a reason.
Saturday’s event is headlined by Jon Jones, who takes on Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Marquez (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will open up the televised prelims against Marc-Andre Barriault (14-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC), and promises fans they’re in for an exciting battle.
“They need entertainment,” Marquez told MMA Junkie Radio. “We have such a spectacular card on (Saturday) with Jon Jones coming back and Ciryl Gane going there – it’s a huge card and they want to make sure people are entertained, so they put Julian Marquez on that card and they want people to watch it.
“That’s why they put me on the prelims and people are going to tune in. They’re going to know that Marc and I are going to bring it, they’re going to know it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be a bloodbath and it’s going to be ending with a highlight reel with Julian Marquez on top.”
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Marquez’s entry to the UFC came through one of the most devastating finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series – a head kick knockout of Phil Hawes. In five octagon appearances, Marquez has earned three post-fight bonuses.
“Any time I’m in front of the fans, they always love ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ out there,” Marquez said. “I give everybody what they want to see. I’m always entertaining and I speak very well when it comes to mic time. People love to hate me, but they still talk about me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 285 event in Las Vegas.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 285 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 285 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. 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+.
Arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones finally returns at UFC 285 and brings a special resume back to the octagon.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] returns Saturday after more than three years off to make his long-awaited, highly anticipated heavyweight debut.
Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) has been through a lot in his career and his longest layoff to date, but he’ll have the chance to further enhance his legacy when he meets Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship in the pay-per-view headliner from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Prelims air on ESPNews following early prelims on ESPN+.
That footnote in history is something Jones has been pursuing for quite some time, but he’ll have to get through Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) to make it happen. Is he capable? Jones’ record below shows the depth of his accomplishments so far ahead of his comeback fight.
