UFC 285 blew the roof off T-Mobile Arena last Sat. night (March 4, 2023) in Las Vegas, Nevada, which left several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Valentina Shevchenko, who saw her dominant title rein as women’s Flyweight queen come to an end after Alexa Grasso forced her to tap in round four (highlights).
And Jamie Pickett, who may or may not have been clocked in the pills and choked out by Bo Nickal in the very first round (highlights here). But which fighter is suffering from the worst-post fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Ciryl Gane.
Coming into UFC 285, Gane had a huge opportunity to not only taste UFC gold — this time as undisputed champion — but to also become the first man to defeat Jon Jones while spoiling his debut as a Heavyweight. Instead, “Bon Gamin” threw up a dud.
In fact, the only strike he really landed was a low blow five seconds into the fight, catching Jones right in the cup with a low kick. From there, Gane didn’t throw anything effective because Jones was quick to take him down in their first grappling exchange. A few moments later, Gane was tapping for dear life after “Bones” sunk in a guillotine choke (see it here).
And just like that, Gane’s quest to become champion was over and Jones once again proved why he is the pound-for-pound best fighter the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has ever seen.
While it was a great performance by Jones, it was equally disappointing for Gane because most expected a more competitive showing from the hulking Frenchman.
Naturally, everyone is going to circle back to Gane’s comments prior to the fight in which he claimed that he doesn’t really train until a fight is announced, calling himself “lazy.” His head coach added to those remarks by saying that “Bon Gamin” didn’t have a lot of time to train for the Jones fight because he only had two months’ notice. All that said, Team Gane proclaimed prior to the fight that it would not be an issue.
Still, Gane has left himself open to criticism as a result of those comments and his subsequent performance. Now, his championship dreams are halted for the time being and if Jones has a lengthy reign like he did at Light Heavyweight, “Bon Gamin” is going to have to get several wins under his belt before he gets a rematch.
“This is a real loss,” Gane said at the post-fight press conference. “This is the first real loss I have. When I think about the loss against Francis, it was not a big loss for me. I learned, but it was not too big,” he added.
“But this one is so painful. This one is a real loss. Now this is the past. I must go forward to see the future. I’m going to go straight back to the gym.”
As for what could be next for the big man, a showdown against the loser of the upcoming fight between Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich could be in order. That’s because the winner will likely earn a shot at the title, so pitting the man that comes up short against the one who just lost in the title fight makes sense.
For complete UFC 285 results and highlights click HERE.