Jon Jones is your new UFC Heavyweight Champion and helps make him the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history. Jones put a guillotine choke on Ciryl Gane in the opening round of their main event fight at UFC 285 to force the tap and win the title.
“I was true to the goal. I was true to the mission,” Jones told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight. “There were days when I didn’t want to be there.”
Jones only absorbed one punch in the entire fight and it was an illegal kick in the groin. Jones didn’t miss a beat despite a three-year absence from the sport. Experts proclaimed that Jones’s clearest path was to wrestle his opponent, and the champion agreed. Jones cornered Gane, securing an early takedown and locking a guillotine choke against the fence. It was a short, flawless, and somewhat anticlimactic performance, lasting just two minutes and four seconds.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the martial arts world from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat starring Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and detailed news including an instant analysis of UFC 285 at the end of the PPV event.
Jones then called out former UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic, adding to Miocic’s statement earlier this week that he would fight the winner on July 8 at UFC 290 for UFC International Fight Week.
“Oh yes baby! Want to see me beat Stipe?” Jones asked the crowd. “The only thing I know about the UFC is that we give the fans what they want to see. Stipe Miocic, I hope you train, my man. You are the greatest heavyweight of all time. That’s what I want. I want you, really bad.”
“Good for him,” Miocic told UFC broadcaster Megan Olivia backstage. “Yeah, he won. I will see him in July. Nothing has changed.
Many of the questions surrounding Jones’ return – how well would he shrug off ring rust and would the extra weight hamper his movement – largely remain. For Gane, there were concerns about the quality of his defensive wrestling after being repeatedly defeated by Francis Ngannou in their fight last year. Ultimately, Jones exceeded expectations and Gane proved the critics right in the worst possible way.
“This is the first real loss I have. Losing to Francis wasn’t a big loss for me. This one is so painful,” Gane told reporters at the UFC 285 post-fight press conference. “So that’s the past now and I have to move forward to see the future. I will go straight back to the gym.”
Jones joins an exclusive list of fighters aiming to win UFC titles in two divisions alongside Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
Meanwhile, Alexa Grasso shocked the world by submitting Valentina Shevchenko in Round 4 to capture the women’s flyweight title. The win ended the longest active title reign in the promotion and sent shockwaves through the 125-pound division. Grasso joined Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez as the third Mexican champion in promotion history.
CBS Sports was with you all the way Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from UFC 285 below.
UFC 285 Map and Results
- Jon Jones (c) defeated. Ciryl Gane on first round submission (guillotine choke)
- Defeated Alexa Grasso. Valentina Shevchenko (c) on fourth-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Shavkat Rakhmonov defeated. Geoff Neal on third round submission (standing bulldog choke)
- Defeated Matuesz Gamrot. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Bo defeated Nickal. Jamie Pickett on First Round Submission (Head and Arm Choke)
- Defeated Cody Garbrandt. Trevin Jones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Defeated Dricus du Plessis. Derek Brunson via TKO in the second round (punches)
- Defeated Amanda Ribas. Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
- Defeated Marc Andre Barriault. Julian Marquez via TKO in the second round (punches)
- Ian Garry defeated. Song Kenan via third round TKO (punches)
- Cameron defeated Saaiman. Mana Martinez by majority vote (29-26, 29-27, 28-28)
- Defeated Tabatha Ricci. Jessica Penne on second round submission (Armbar)
- Farid defeated Basharat. Da’mon Blackshear by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Loik Radzhabov defeated. Esteban Ribovics by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)