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Jon Jones will finally make his long-awaited return to the Octagon this evening (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Bones” debuts at heavyweight against Ciryl Gane. The two fighters will battle for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in the main event.
This is a massive moment in the illustrious career of Jones to say the least. Having been absent from competition for the past three years the former UFC light heavyweight champion has many questions to answer upon his return. Pair that with Jones’ revamped heavyweight physique and it creates a plethora of uncertainties even for the consensus greatest fighter of all time.
Luckily, everything is in line for Jones to put his body to the test against a serious contender in Gane. The French heavyweight is one of the best strikers the division has ever seen and has only lost to Francis Ngannou inside of the Octagon. Gane needs to answer a few questions of his own — most importantly his takedown defense — but he’s an exceptional challenger to welcome Jones back into the fold.
Fight fans all around the world will be tuning in to watch Jones’ long-awaited heavyweight debut and return to the cage, but when will he actually lock horns with Gane atop UFC 285’s main card?
With four other fights comprising UFC 285’s main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET, the Jones vs. Gane heavyweight main event is likely to begin around 12:15 a.m. ET (Sunday). Of course, this start time could change depending on the outcome of the fights before it. The first three fights on the ESPN+ PPV main card could end quickly, but a co-main event title fight between UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and top contender Alexa Grasso could easily go all five rounds.
If things run late (or early) Mania will be sure to provide an updated start time for tonight’s Jones vs. Gane main event.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 285 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
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