UFC 285 pits Jon Jones against Ciryl Gane.
This weekend marks one of the most important MMA events in recent memory, with UFC 285 taking place at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena.
At the top of the card, UFC 285 features two title fights, including the main event, which pits Jon Jones against Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title.
With other intriguing bouts throughout the event, this could be one of the biggest shows of 2023 thus far.
The following are the predictions for UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane.
To say this is a big fight would be an understatement. Sure, not seeing Francis Ngannou defend his heavyweight title is disappointing, but the UFC must move on. In that regard, they've done quite well.
Ciryl Gane has no doubt that she belongs in this vacant title fight. 'Bon Gamin' has only ever lost to Ngannou in his octagon career and has easily defeated Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Tai Tuivasa.
The X-factor in this case, however, is Jon Jones.
The former light heavyweight champion has never fought as a heavyweight and has been out of the ring for more than three years. However, at his best, there haven't been many better fighters in the UFC.
For the majority of the time between 2011 and 2020, Jones ruled the light heavyweight division with an iron fist. He has also never truly lost an octagon fight.
Sure, his positive drug tests cast doubt on his claim to be the greatest fighter of all time, but on talent alone, he's easily among the top five.
Can he succeed at heavyweight against one of the most difficult matches for him on paper? It's a reasonable question.
Jones's success as a light heavyweight was built on several factors. For starters, at 6'4" and with an 84.5" reach, he had a significant range advantage over his opponents.
Second, his wrestling was so good that former Olympian Daniel Cormier couldn't compete with him in that department.
Third, Jones has always been underappreciated for his toughness and durability. No matter how hard or cleanly his opponents hit him, it seemed difficult for them to hurt him.
Despite this, Jones will have a slight range advantage over Gane. Despite being an inch taller than the Frenchman, 'Bones' has a longer reach.
But whether he can make the most of it is another matter entirely. Gane is a fantastic artist.
Jones, on the other hand, still has a fantastic wrestling game, and 'Bon Gamin' did not look good in that department against Ngannou.
Could he have gotten better at takedown defense in the year since that fight? Absolutely, but Jones has previously taken down far better wrestlers with ease, and it's difficult to imagine his takedowns failing against Gane.
Overall, a lot hinges on how well Jones looks after such a long absence and how well his body adjusts to a heavier weight. If he's physically fit, his wrestling should get him through this despite taking some heavy blows.
