Tag: UFC 285

Stipe Miocic can’t wait to fight UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones, ready to ‘beat that ass’

Stipe Miocic isn’t big on words, but his message after UFC 285 was clear: Bring it, Jon Jones.

[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] isn’t big on words, but his message after UFC 285 was clear: Bring it, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Jones, the former longtime light heavyweight champion, made quick work of Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant heavyweight title in Saturday night’s headliner in Las Vegas after a three-year layoff.

And what’s next is what was already being discussed prior to UFC 285: Jones  (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and former champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will fight each other, with UFC president Dana White saying afterward that it’s “definitely” happening.

July 8 to headline UFC 290 is a possibility, although White said “I don’t know when” when asked about a date. As far as Miocic is concerned, he “100 percent, no questions” wants to fight Jones in July after getting an up-close look at him from cageside at T-Mobile Arena.

“Nothing’s gonna change,” Miocic told ESPN reporter Megan Olivi of how he’ll prepare for Jones. ” I’m gonna train my ass off and beat that ass.”

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Not one to elaborate much, Miocic didn’t have too much to say about Jones’ performance in his first-round submission of Gane.

“Good for him. Hey, he won. I’ll see him in July,” Miocic said. “… “They’re all big boys at heavyweight. Not that much to say. It is what it is.”

Miocic, 40, held the UFC heavyweight title on two separate occasions, defending it four times total. He hasn’t competed since March 2021, when he lost the belt to Francis Ngannou by second-round knockout.

After his win, Jones addressed Miocic and called him “the greatest heavyweight of all time.”

“None of my past champions that I’ve beat were considered GOATs,” Jones said. “This is GOAT vs. GOAT.”

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

UFC 285 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jon Jones nets $32,000 in octagon return

Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane both received an equal $32,000 in UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for their UFC 285 title fight.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 285 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $282,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 285 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 285 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $6,000
def.[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,440,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $15,959,000

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

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 285 with Greta Van Fleet, Hozier and the lyrical gangster

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 285 event in Las Vegas.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC 285 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Jon Jones warns Stipe Miocic after UFC 285: ‘My whole world is going to be focused on him’

Following UFC 285, Jon Jones weighed in on his first heavyweight title defense, which seemingly will be against Stipe Miocic.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] sits atop the heavyweight throne in the UFC, and his next test might be the most prolific of his career.

Following UFC 285 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, UFC president Dana White said Jones will face all-time heavyweight great [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] in his first title defense as heavyweight champion.

Moving up a weight class after three years out of action, Jones (27-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) had been overlooked by some prior to quick dispatching of Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) by submission. Not many knew what to expect from a fighter making a transition after so much time away.

Even after the victory, Jones seemed to indicate he’s skeptical that he’s silenced all the doubters, including Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC), whom he sent a warning to.

“I believe in my next fight, I’ll go into it with a different level of confidence, an even higher level of confidence,” Jones told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC 285 post-fight news conference. “I believe that I’m going to look really great. I’m going to have even higher endurance than I had today, which is going to be hard to beat, because I’m in really great condition. … The next fight is going to be awesome.

“I say it respectfully to Stipe: I would take time off from being a firefighter right now. I mean that with all due respect. My whole world is going to be focused on him. This is the biggest opportunity in my life, to be the heavyweight GOAT, and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got – absolutely everything I’ve got. Stipe is talking about how he’s heavier than me right now. His head is already in the wrong spot if he thinks weightlifting is going to beat me. He’ll never be younger than he is right now. He’ll never be faster. I’m going to not only beat Stipe Miocic, I’m going to finish Stipe Miocic before the championship rounds.”

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Prior to Saturday, Jones, 37, hadn’t competed in MMA since February 2019 due to contract disputes and matchmaking delays while he moved from light heavyweight to heavyweight.

Miocic hasn’t competed since March 2021, when he lost the heavyweight title after being knocked out by Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.

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

Jon Jones makes veiled acknowledgment of alleged domestic violence after fiancee attends UFC 285

It wasn’t long ago new UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was charged with domestic violence in Las Vegas – a charge that later was dropped.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] became the UFC heavyweight champion Saturday night in Las Vegas with his fiancee, Jessie Moses, in attendance to support him.

Moses’ appearance likely came as a shock to MMA fans who follow Jones closely given the last time he publicly acknowledged her was in February 2022, when he announced on Twitter that she left him for good shortly after an alleged domestic violence incident at a Las Vegas resort. But there she was in a bright pink business suit kissing Jones before he stepped into the octagon at T-Mobile Arena.

In September 2021, Jones was arrested and booked into jail by Las Vegas police on charges of misdemeanor battery domestic violence and felony injuring and tampering with a vehicle hours after he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s fight wing. According to a police report, Jones left Moses bloodied after he allegedly assaulted her inside a room at Caesars Palace with their three children present. The domestic violence charge was later dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

After Jones’ first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in Saturday’s main event, Moses entered the octagon. Jones gave special thanks to her during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

“I want to thank my beautiful fiancee Jessie for being my biggest support,” Jones said. “I love you so much – my biggest supporter.”

Earlier in UFC 285 fight week, Jones declined to address the incident when asked about it at media day. He opened up some during the ESPN+ post-fight show after host Michael Eaves brought up “run-ins with police, including here in Las Vegas,” a reference to the alleged domestic violence against Moses, during a question about returning from a three-year layoff filled with hurdles.

“We all have our past, and thank God that he’s making me the man that I am today,” Jones said. “Me and my family are better than we ever have been. I just thank God so much for him using me to let other people see that none of us are perfect, and that despite your downfalls, the sky is the limit for those who don’t give up, for those who know how to get down on their knees and pray. And I thank God for this platform. It means the world to me.”

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

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can contact the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

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Disappointed Ciryl Gane reacts to UFC 285 defeat to Jon Jones: ‘This is the first real loss I have’

Following UFC 285, a bummed-out Ciryl Gane explained why he considers his UFC 285 fight vs. Jon Jones the first real loss of his career.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] hasn’t experienced a loss like this before.

Yes, he’s lost. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou defeated him by unanimous decision at UFC 270 in January 2021. But for Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), that pales in comparison to his two-minute submission defeat to Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) in the UFC 285 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

“This is a real loss,” Gane told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “This is the first real loss I have. When I think about the loss against Francis, it was not a big loss for me. I learned, but it was not too big. But this one is so painful. This one is a real loss. Now this is the past. I must go forward to see the future. I’m going to go straight back to the gym.”

Back to the drawing board Gane will go to reassess his game after his first defeat inside the distance. For all of the work he put in during his most recent training camp, Gane is frustrated he didn’t get to show his skills and improvement before the fight’s conclusion.

“I’m disappointed, of course,” Gane said. “The biggest feeling is really angry about myself. (I’m) really angry because, yes, we accepted this fight. It was not a short notice, but the time was not too longer. But man, we worked a lot. We worked a lot and we spent a lot of time with my team, with my sparring partners. I’m really angry at myself because I spent a lot of time with my partners and my coaches and my family. It didn’t have a good (reflection) during the fight. I’m really angry.”

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

‘I’m not a cheater’: Bo Nickal denies foul after Jamie Pickett’s manager reveals UFC 285 result appeal

Bo Nickal’s promotional debut Saturday at UFC 285 was swift, but his victory will be formally appealed by opponent Jamie Pickett’s team.

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s promotional debut Saturday at UFC 285 was swift, but his victory will be formally appealed by opponent [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]’s team.

Saturday, shortly after his fighter was submitted by Nickal in the first round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, MMA manager LaMont Chappell, of LCA Sports Management, informed MMA Junkie of a plan to file an appeal with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) to overturn the result to a no contest.

The basis of the appeal revolves around a knee to the midsection by Nickal against the fence that occurred moments before a takedown that led to the finish. Pickett and his team think the shot was to the groin, and illegal.

“It’s very important that like all other major sports (including collegiate sports) replays are necessary to manage fair play,” Chappell said in a written statement. “It seems these types of issues from judges and officials are becoming more and more common in MMA. At the end of the day they (officials) are human; however a fighter who trains his ass off should not be penalized for mistakes by individuals who are paid to make the best judgments for the integrity of the sport.”

MMA Junkie asked Nickal for his reaction at a UFC 285 post-fight news conference, to which the former Penn State University wrestling standout denied the strike was a foul and was puzzled by Pickett’s team’s appeal proclamation.

“I hit him in the leg, in the thigh,” Nickal said. “I had him in a bad position along the wall. He wanted to get off the wall and he wanted the ref to stop it. If I were to have actually hit him low, I would feel bad because I don’t want to win that way. I’m not a cheater. I’m not somebody who tries to take short cuts. If I did hit him low, I would’ve just relaxed probably or let the ref stop it. But I didn’t hit him low at all, so it’s a weird move, bro.”

While MMA result appeals are accepted by many regulatory bodies, overturns seldom occur. Often times, review processes and rulings for missed fouls are done behind closed doors.

NAC 467.770 states that a result can be overturned following a decision for one of three reasons, with only one relevant to the challenge at hand.

  1. The Commission determines that there was collusion affecting the result of the contest or exhibition
  2. The compilation of the scorecards of the judges discloses an error which shows that the decision was given to the wrong unarmed combatant; or
  3. As the result of an error in interpreting a provision of this chapter, the referee has rendered an incorrect decision.

Video replay is available in Nevada and could’ve been used by referee Keith Peterson. However, it was not utilized during or immediately after Saturday’s bout.

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

Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane at UFC 285: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jon Jones’ first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane to win the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ first-round submission win over [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] to win the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by The Associated Press and Getty Images)