Tag: UFC 285

Ian Garry vs. Song Kenan joins UFC 285 lineup on March 4

Ian Garry will compete on another big pay-per-view event when he takes on Song Kenan at UFC 285.

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] will compete on another big pay-per-view event.

Garry (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC 285 on March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Future” wanted Bryan Barberena, who defeated his Kill Cliff FC teammate Robbie Lawler at UFC 276, but wound up drawing Kenan instead.

“Everyone knows I want Barberena – I’m not getting him…Yet. I’m taking out Kennan Song first. Here’s real life footage of my conversation with Sean Shelby… See you March 4th.”

Unbeaten in his professional MMA career, Garry is 3-0 in the octagon. After a debut knockout win over Jordan Williams, Garry scored back-to-back decision wins over Darrian Weeks at UFC 273 and Gabriel Green at UFC 276.

Kenan will return from a two-year long layoff. The 32-year-old Chinese fighter hasn’t competed since a knockout loss to Max Griffin in March 2021. Prior to that, he had won four of five bouts – three by knockout.

With the addition, the UFC 285 lineup now includes:

  • Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane – for vacant heavyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso – for women’s flyweight title
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
  • Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. TBA
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Julian Marquez
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
  • Ian Garry vs. Song Kenan

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

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UFC 285 adds Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner

Lightweight contenders Dan Hooker and Jalin Turner wanted it, and now they’ll get it at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

Lightweight contenders [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] expressed interest in a fight against one another and now they have one.

Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) and Turner (13-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will square off March 4 at UFC 285, an event set for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Dan Hooker first announced the fight in an interview with The Mac Life. Turner subsequently confirmed the matchup on Instagram.

Hooker, 32, bounced back from two consecutive losses when he defeated Claudio Puelles by TKO at UFC 281 in November. The win came on the heels of defeats to Islam Makhachev and Arnold Allen.

Turner, 27, rides a five-fight winning streak into the matchup. At UFC 276 in July, he quickly defeated Hooker’s City Kickboxing teammate Brad Riddell by submission. Other victories on the streak include Jamie Mullarkey and Uros Medic among others.

With the addition, the UFC 285 lineup now includes:

  • Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane – for vacant heavyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso – for women’s flyweight title
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
  • Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Julio Arce vs. Cody Garbrandt
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Julian Marquez
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti

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

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Robert Whittaker: Best-in-history Jon Jones will finish Ciryl Gane on the ground at UFC 285

Former middlerweight champion Robert Whittaker thinks ex-light heavyweight champ Jon Jones will have his way with Ciryl Gane on the canvas.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] will have his way with [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] on the ground.

After heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou parted ways with the UFC, Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) will face Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant title in the UFC 285 main event March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Gane looked untouchable in his MMA career until he ran into Ngannou. Ngannou employed a grapple-heavy approach to stifle and defeat Gane, and Whittaker thinks Jones can do the same – and more.

“Jon Jones is going to take (Gane) down and lay on him and just finish him there,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia. “Jones’ wrestling is next-caliber. Nobody comes close to what Jon Jones can produce in the octagon, and this is my opinion.

“If you look at his statistics, he can take people down with ease. He can grapple them with ease. He can strike with the best of them. He’s got cardio and strength and power and height and physique. He has it all. And Jones probably has the highest IQ in the game. He can see a weakness and he’ll exploit it.”

Former middleweight champion Whittaker had high praise for ex-light heavyweight king Jones and said he’s the greatest fighter in history.

“Jon Jones is the best of all time – of all time, pound-for-pound greatest of all time,” Whittaker said. “What he did to his opponents, and to the division, and as a champion, nobody has come close to that level of supremacy and domination. He is a freak of nature.”

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

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Alexander Volkanovski curious how Jon Jones will do on feet with high-level striker Ciryl Gane

Alexander Volkanovski thinks Jon Jones is in for a unique challenge in his UFC 285 vacant heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is in for a unique challenge against [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag].

Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) returns from a three-year layoff to face Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant heavyweight title in the UFC 285 headliner on March 4.

Jones has faced the who’s who in MMA, but UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski thinks Gane’s striking is on another level from Jones’ past opponents.

“Obviously, even though Jon Jones is a light heavyweight, a natural light heavyweight, his wrestling is next level,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I think he outwrestles most of the guys in heavyweight.

“But Gane’s range and movement, I don’t know if Jon Jones has really dealt with that type of high-level striking. And now it’s at heavyweight. It’s a very very interesting fight, so be I’ll definitely tuning into that. I can’t wait for that.”

Jones’ matchup with Gane materialized after heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) failed to come to terms with the UFC on a new deal. Although Ngannou lost out on the biggest fight of his career, Volkanovski lauds him for taking a chance on himself.

“Respect to Francis for sticking to his guns and thinking, ‘You know what, I know my worth, I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that, I want to chase big things,’ which he’s obviously a big name and a big draw and a powerful dude,” Volkanovski said. “There’s probably a lot of money in other promotions or other sports.

“So you could even see him doing WWE, going to Japan and doing things like that over there. He’s chasing some big things. I think he could still come to the UFC, I think the UFC can definitely start the negotiations again and make something happen further down the track.”

Volkanovski will be chasing history himself when he moves up a weight class to challenge lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the UFC 284 headliner on Feb. 11 in Perth.

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Joe Rogan wonders how Jon Jones will prepare for Ciryl Gane’s striking: He does a lot of ‘sh*t that’s very unusual’

Longtime analyst Joe Rogan is in awe of the striking of Ciryl Gane, who meets Jon Jones for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285.

[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] is in awe of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s striking.

Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) meets the returning [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) for the vacant heavyweight title in the UFC 285 headliner March 4 in Las Vegas.

No one has been able to stand with the muay Thai striker, who only has one blemish on his MMA record to Francis Ngannou, who outgrappled him to win a decision.

“Ciryl Gane does a lot of sh*t that’s very unusual,” Rogan said on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “He stands totally sideways and does like a twisting kick with his front leg to throw a front kick – very weird. He stands totally sideways and twists his leg in – his movements, the fluidity of his combinations – and the guy moves like a middleweight, and he’s 240-plus pounds.

“He’s the most agile and probably the most technical of all the heavyweight strikers. Ciryl’s very well-rounded when it comes to his striking.”

Rogan wonders whom Jones has been training with in preparation for a striker like Gane. Jones recently sought help on Twitter, inviting southpaws to come train with him in Albuquerque, N.M. In October 2021, Jones was banned from his longtime Albuquerque gym, Jackson Wink MMA, after he was arrested on allegations of domestic violence. He has had regular training sessions with former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo in the past year.

“Right now I’m on the hunt for southpaw heavyweights and light heavyweights that are interested in training here in Albuquerque for the month of February. More than willing to compensate you for your time. Email me if you’re interested at info@jonnybones.com #AndNew.”

“If he’s going to fight a guy like Ciryl Gane, he really wants to get some movement, some really top-flight kickboxers,” Rogan said. “So who does he have that he could work with like that? Ciryl is so good at mixing up the kicks and the knees and the punches and the combinations, and he’s so light,  the way he stands on the outside. If you’re going to compete against a guy like that, you’ve got to get some similar looks. And how many similar looks are there out there for a guy that’s 245 pounds, that moves like Ciryl?”

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Frustrated Sean O’Malley wants interim title fight vs. Henry Cejudo at UFC 285

With UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling still not ready to fight, Sean O’Malley wants an interim title shot vs. a former champ.

With UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] still not ready to fight, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] wants an interim title shot.

Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) currently is healing from a bicep injury and doesn’t want to risk rushing for his likely title defense against former two-division champ [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]. Sterling even recently said on The MMA Hour he wouldn’t be mad if the UFC opted to book Cejudo against O’Malley for an interim belt.

Tired of waiting for the promotion to announce an official date for Sterling vs. Cejudo, O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) thinks the UFC 285 card could use a boost, and he’s ready to fight Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for the interim title March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Perfect: Me vs. Henry for the interim belt (at UFC 285),” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “Tell me that ain’t fire?”

UFC 285 is headlined by a vacant heavyweight title fight between the returning Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. But O’Malley says with Jones’ past mishaps, the UFC can’t bank on him to show and need a backup – which he thinks should be him vs. Cejudo.

“I texted (UFC chief business officer) Hunter (Campbell), texted (matchmaker) Sean Shelby,” O’Malley said. “I said, ‘Will you at least give me an idea? Will you at least say yes or no? Is Henry vs. Aljo happening?’ They just don’t know. … They’re kind of just trying to wait to see if (Sterling) can or what. I’m frustrated, but I’m OK because I’m just training.”

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Henry Cejudo: As good as Jon Jones is, he’s still getting better – ‘and that’s just scary’

Henry Cejudo is impressed with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ ability to keep getting better.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is impressed with [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ ability to keep growing his skills.

Former light heavyweight king Jones widely is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time and has just one blemish on his resume: a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009 in a fight he was dominating.

Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) recently has been working with former UFC dual-champion Cejudo in Arizona in preparation for his heavyweight debut, and Cejudo says he’s only getting better.

“(I’m) just reflecting on the last few days that I had with Jones. Jones is a student of the game,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “You can teach him one thing, (and) he comes back the next day and he almost becomes flawless. It’s crazy to see the potential of how great and how good Jones could still become. He’s a man who has the God-given ability, and when you teach a guy who has ability (and) technique that has discipline like himself and is willing to learn, I mean that’s what equals a straight GOAT status. That’s what puts Jon Jones in a league of his own.

“As good as Jon Jones is, he’s still getting better, and that’s just scary.”

After heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou parted ways with the UFC, Jones will face Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant title in the UFC 285 main event March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3328: Francis Ngannou speaks, UFC 283 talk, Diego Sanchez interview, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,328, the guys welcome in UFC Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez, discuss Francis Ngannou addressing his UFC exit, preview UFC 283, and more. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Jon Jones happy for Daniel Cormier’s success as commentator, has ‘nothing but respect’ for him

Jon Jones welcomes his longtime rival and two-time opponent Daniel Cormier as a commentator for his title fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] welcomes [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] as a commentator for his next fight.

After heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou parted ways with the UFC, Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) returns from a three-year long layoff to face Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant title in the UFC 285 headliner March 4.

Likely to be in the broadcast booth for his fight is his former foe and rival Cormier, whom Jones defeated twice, though his win at UFC 214 was ruled a no contest after Jones failed a drug test. Jones is looking to mirror Cormier’s success as a two-division champion, but the former light heavyweight king says their rivalry no longer plays a role in his career.

“I’m not competing against Daniel Cormier,” Jones said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “I’ve already beat him twice. I’m really happy for Daniel Cormier. I love what he’s done in his life with his wrestling and broadcasting. I think it’s awesome when a fighter can retire and use his voice and intelligence to do something that he loves, so I’ve got nothing but respect for Daniel Cormier.”

UFC 285 will not mark the first time Cormier is behind the desk for a Jones fight. Cormier commentated Jones’ win over Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197, but both were active fighters at the time. Jones, who flipped off Cormier on his way out of the octagon, already had beaten him once at that point and later ran things back with him at UFC 214.

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Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso title fight added to UFC 285

Along with the return of a former champion seeking another title, UFC 285 will have a second championship bout in March.

Along with the return of a former champion seeking another title, UFC 285 will have a second championship bout in March.

Women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) will put her title on the line against challenger [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at the March 4 event T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking after an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN.

Unless another title fight is added, Shevchenko-Grasso will be the co-feature to a main event vacant heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. UFC 285 will have a main card on pay-per-view following prelims expected for ESPN and ESPN+.

Shevchenko, 34, has been lamenting a lack of challengers at 125 pounds, but now she has one. She’ll be gunning for her 10th straight win overall and eighth straight flyweight title defense. She fought just once in 2022 and took a split decision from Taila Santos this past June in a fight many thought she lost. If nothing else, most agreed it was the least dominant she has looked as champion.

Shevchenko won the vacant belt in 2018 against former strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She defended it with wins over Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, Katlyn Chookagian, Jennifer Maia, Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy before her win over Santos. Andrade and Murphy fight each other this week.

Mexico’s Grasso, 29, gets her first crack at a title on the strength of four straight wins, all since she moved to flyweight from strawweight. After a loss to former strawweight champ Carla Esparza, Grasso moved up a division and has beaten Ji Yeon Kim, Maycee Barber, Joanne Wood and, most recently, Viviane Araujo this past October in her first UFC main event.

With the addition, the UFC 285 lineup now includes:

  • Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane – for vacant heavyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso – for women’s flyweight title
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
  • Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
  • Julio Arce vs. Cody Garbrandt
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Julian Marquez
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti

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

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