The most decorated light heavyweight champion in UFC history, Jon Jones, is set to return to action to take on Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title on 4th March at UFC 285.
Dana White confirmed the bout on Saturday at the UFC Vegas 67 post-fight press conference, with the pair set to headline UFC 285 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The upcoming bout also served to confirm UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has vacated his title and is now a free agent as he battles an ongoing knee injury.
Ngannou defended his crown 12 months ago with a hard-fought decision over Gane but it's the Frenchman who will now get a crack at the returning, vastly-experienced Jones.
What | Jon Jones v Ciryl Gane, UFC 285 |
Where | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
When | From 22:00 Saturday 4th March 2023 |
How to watch | BT Sport |
Odds | Jon Jones 1/1, Ciryl Gane 4/5 |
The fight, which is set to headline UFC 285, is scheduled to take place on Saturday 4th March and into the early hours of Sunday 5th March.
The preliminary card, which has yet to be announced, is likely to get underway at 22:00 and the main card could start at around midnight.
The main Jones versus Gane bout has yet to be given an official start time but is likely to be in the early hours.
The eagerly-awaited Jones v Gane showdown will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The six-and-a-half-year-old venue, which holds 20,000 fans for MMA events, is the regular home of the Vegas Golden Knights ice-hockey team, who compete in the NHL.
It's situated on the famous Las Vegas Strip near the New York-New York and Park MGM casino hotels and has hosted various high-profile sports and entertainment events, including concerts and award ceremonies.
UFC is well used to staging fights there, with a long-term tenancy agreement in place with the arena since 2017. The terms of that contract include a deal to host at least four MMA events per-year at the T-Mobile Arena until 2024.
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Yes. Both the preliminary card and the main card are set to be shown live on BT Sport in the UK.
Yes. The UFC heavyweight title will be up for grabs.
28 fights, 26 wins (10 KOs), one defeat, one NC.
Jones has a fantastic overall UFC record with just one defeat, coming against Matt Hammill way back in December 2009.
Jones is a former two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, holding that belt between March 2011 and April 2015 and then also from December 2018 to August 2020.
The 35-year-old also held the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in 2016 and was ranked #13 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings in November of last year.
The New York-born star became the youngest champion in UFC history when he beat Mauricio Rua aged 23 in 2011 and he holds several UFC lightweight division records, including the most title defenses, most wins, and longest winning streak.
Some of his most memorable victories have come against the likes of Daniel Cormier, Glover Teixeira, Maurício Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort.
Nine fights, eight wins (five KOs), one defeat.
A former kick-boxer, Gane is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion and has been a professional fighter since 2014.
Gane has also formerly competed for TKO Major League MMA, where he was the Heavyweight Champion.
He has lost just once in UFC, when going down to Ngannou last January, and has wins over the likes of Tanner Boser, Junior Dos Santos and, most recently, Tai Tuivasa, on his impressive CV.
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