Considered by many to be one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, makes his long-awaited return to the octagon this Saturday at UFC 285. He is slated to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.
Gane, who has fought six times since Jones was last seen in an octagon, could be a sneaky pick at +133 (as of 2/27 on Unibet), with knockout power and good wrestling. Adding to this is the fact that in the last two bouts, Jones (-159) had looked uninspired and flat. Many felt that Jones had lost his killer instinct, and was instead content to coast to victory by avoiding damage, and taking safe shots.
The heavyweight title sits vacant after the UFC released Francis Ngannou in January. “We offered Ngannou a deal that would make him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time,” White said. “He turned it down. We’re going to release him from his contract. He can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants.”
The co-main event sees another goat return to the Octagon when women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (-625) takes on Alexa Grasso (+440). Shevchenko will look to continue her unbeaten streak with 9 victories in the women’s flyweight division. Grasso, meanwhile, enters having won her last four contests. This will be their first time meeting in the octagon.
There are several intriguing fights before UFC 285's two title fights. Bo Nickal, an up-and-coming college wrestling stud, makes his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett. Nickal had a perfect run in his debut MMA year in 2022, running through three opponents in a combined 147 seconds. Pickett will look to rebound after having lost his last two fights in 2022.
-MyWager Staff
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