Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou does not get mentioned during the UFC 285 Countdown video | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The UFC had more than 47 minutes to talk about the lead up to their big heavywe…
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou does not get mentioned during the UFC 285 Countdown video | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The UFC had more than 47 minutes to talk about the lead up to their big heavyweight title fight this Saturday, and skated around the most interesting part of the drama the whole time.
The UFC 285 Countdown video opens with footage from the career of Jon Jones. Under the video are the voices of Max Kellerman, Dana White, Joe Rogan, Jon Anik, and Dominick Cruz among others, all signing the praises of the former UFC light heavyweight champion. The voiceover then mentions that on “March 4, Jones will compete for the vacant heavyweight crown.” The next 45 minutes of promo material for Saturday’s pay-per-view card goes in depth on all the ins, outs, ups and downs of this coming Saturday’s epic battle against Ciryl Gane.
Well, all except one. It never mentions why that title happens to be vacant.
It’s just the latest chapter for the UFC in a long history of petty erasure, as the promotion looks to constantly update and re-write its own history.
If Jones was facing someone other than Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, the absence of the former heavyweight champion—Francis Ngannou—from the video could almost be explained away with a shrug and a knowing grin. Given that Gane just lost to Ngannou in a heavyweight title unification bout in February 2022, however, erasing the ex-champ from the UFC 285 buildup required that much extra targeted skullduggery.
The UFC spent nearly two minutes speaking about—and showing—Gane’s interim title-winning victory over Derrick Lewis. They then spent a full 30 seconds reviewing his failure to unify those titles against Ngannou. Not once during any of even that brief section does the promotion mention the name of the man (Francis Ngannou) who retained his heavyweight title that night in Anaheim.
I understand the top brass might feel scorned after the ‘Predator’ left the promotion as a free agent when he and the Endeavor-owned organization couldn’t come to terms on a contract, but disagreements like that should be a standard part of doing business. That the UFC got all up in its feelings about him leaving to the point where they’d refuse to acknowledge any part of his legacy or that actually fairly interesting and dramatic story that plays into the reason this fight is even happening at all doesn’t make that fact go away. But, it makes the UFC look bitter and trifling.
Near the end of the promo for Saturday’s contest between Jones and Gane, the narrator mentions the fight is for the “undisputed” heavyweight title. Right now, no matter who ends up holding the belt aloft in the Octagon by the end of the night, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Jon Jones faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285 | Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
A win at UFC 285 won’t change much for Jon Jones – not with Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic around Jon Jones ret…
Jon Jones faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285 | Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
A win at UFC 285 won’t change much for Jon Jones – not with Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic around
Jon Jones returns to action on Saturday when he faces Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285. The fight’s winner will leave T-Mobile Arena with the (currently vacant) UFC heavyweight title. If Jones is the victor, he will become a two-division champion, which is a major accomplishment, especially since he hasn’t fought for over three years. However, as laudable as that achievement may be, it will not change his standing when it comes to the discussion as to where Jones lands among the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
Jones’ light heavyweight resume is impressive and his run at 205 pounds under the UFC banner puts him squarely in the GOAT conversation. Some fans and pundits wouldn’t hesitate to put him at the top of that discussion. For those who consider Jones the best MMA fighter of all time, a win over Gane will likely solidify his standing as the best ever.
However, for anyone who remains on the fence regarding where Jones stands in the pantheon of all-time greats, or for those who believe Jones is not the GOAT, a win over Gane will not move him to the top of that list. After all, there are better heavyweight fighters in MMA than Gane. If Gane were the best UFC heavyweight, he’d already have the UFC heavyweight title around his waist. He doesn’t. And the belt is not in his possession because of his loss to Francis Ngannou in their title unification bout in January 2022. The UFC, Jones and Gane can all act as if Ngannou doesn’t exist, but he does and he left the UFC as the champion. Indeed, he doesn’t technically hold the promotional title anymore, but one would be hard-pressed to find someone who could say, with a straight face, that Ngannou is not the best heavyweight in MMA right now.
Ngannou is one reason Jones won’t elevate himself to GOAT status with a win over Gane. The second reason is Stipe Miocic.
Miocic is the man who surrendered the title to Ngannou in March 2021 after Ngannou scored a knockout win over him. Miocic is also the man who is still under contract with the UFC and the only fighter who successfully defended the UFC heavyweight crown three times before losing the belt. That stretch includes a win over Ngannou.
In short, I won’t attempt to dissuade those who already have Jones installed as the MMA GOAT. After all, that argument can be made — and defended. But, on the other hand, elevating Jones to best-ever status in the aftermath of UFC 285 — if he wins — doesn’t make sense, not as long as Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic are active fighters.
UFC 285 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 4. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Tatiana Suarez locked in the first of its kind submission for 2023 at UFC Vegas 69 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
A running tally of important stats for all UFC events in 2023 Before UFC Vegas 70, ther…
Tatiana Suarez locked in the first of its kind submission for 2023 at UFC Vegas 69 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
A running tally of important stats for all UFC events in 2023
Before UFC Vegas 70, there had been 19 knockouts and 16 submissions during UFC action in 2023. That number did not include three specific types of finishes until Saturday night.
Jordan Leavitt was the first UFC fighter in 2023 to score a knockout via knees to the head in the clinch. Leavitt, who was coming off a submission loss to Paddy Pimblett in his previous outing, stopped Victor Martinez at the 2:27 mark of Round 1 of their lightweight contest.
The next fighter to score a first of 2023 was Mike Malott. Malott secured the first arm triangle from half guard submission of the year for the UFC. Malott is now 2-0 with the promotion after stopping Yohan Lainesse at the 4:15 mark of the first stanza.
Lastly, prior to Saturday’s fight card, no UFC fighter in 2023 had secured a guillotine choke after dropping to guard. However, Tatiana Suarez changed that when she used that technique to submit Montana De La Rosa 2:51 into the second round of their flyweight scrap.
The above fighters and the other UFC Vegas 70 competitors who secured stoppage wins, Brendan Allen, Trevor Peek and Joe Solecki, each received $50,000 Fight Night Bonus awards following the ESPN+ broadcast event, which took place at the UFC Apex.
Below, we look at all the significant UFC stats for 2023.
The next event on the UFC schedule is UFC 285. The main event of that card, which streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view, is a heavyweight fight for the vacant UFC heavyweight title between former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones and ex-interim UFC heavyweight champ, Ciryl Gane.
Shortest Three-Round Fight: Rinya Nakamura KOs Toshiomi Kazama at 0:33 of Round 1 via punch to head at distance at UFC Vegas 68.
Latest Finish in a Three-Round Fight: Brendan Allen submits Andre Muniz at 4:25 of Round 3 via rear-naked choke.
Most Takedowns Landed: Serghei Spivac lands six of eight takedown attempts on Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 68 and Jimmy Crute lands six of 12 takedown attempts on Alonzo Menifield.
Most Submission Attempts: HyunSung Park three submission attempts against SeungGuk Choi, Jimmy Crutethree submission attempts against Alonzo Menifield, Clayton Carpenter with three submission attempts vs. Juancamilo Ronderos and Joe Solecki with three submission attempts vs. Carl Deaton.
Most Knockdowns Landed: Rinya Nakamura scores two knockdown on Toshiomi Kazama , Alonzo Menifield scores two knockdown on Jimmy Crute and Trevor Peek with two knockdowns vs. Erick Gonzalez.
Most Significant Strikes Landed in a Three-Round Fight: Jessica Andrade lands 231 of 369 significant strike attempts in unanimous decision win over Lauren Murphy.
Shutouts: Serghei Spivac prevents Derrick Lewis from landing any strikes or takedowns during their UFC Vegas 68 main event fight.
Jamahal Hill lands 232 significant strikes in a UFC light heavyweight fight for a new UFC LHW single-fight record. Hill defeated Glover Teixeira to by unanimous decision to win the UFC light heavyweight title.
Jessica Andrade lands 231 significant strikes in a UFC women’s flyweight fight for a new UFC women’s flyweight record. Andrade defeated Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision.
Jessica Andrade tied Amanda Nunes for most wins in women’s UFC history with her 15th victory with the promotion.
Jim Miller participated in his 41st fight in the UFC. Andrei Arlovski is second to Miller with 39 UFC bouts.
With his one submission attempt vs. Alexander Hernandez, Jim Miller has the most submission attempts in UFC history with 47. Charles Oliveira is second with 40 submission attempts.
Jim Miller has 38 fights in the UFC lightweight division. Three other fighters: Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau and Joe Lauzon are tied for second with 27 fighters each.
Jim Miller has 6:18:59 of UFC lightweight fight time. Clay Guida is second with 5:10:50.
Jim Miller has 44 submission attempts in UFC lightweight fights. Joe Lauzon is second with 29.
Erin Blanchfield has a control time percentage of 55.4 percent in UFC flyweight fights. Taila Santos is second with 46.3 percent.
Erin Blanchfield has a top position percentage of 48.6 percent in UFC flyweight fights. Gillian Robertson is second at 41.9 percent.
Erin Blanchfield averages 1.57 submissions per 15 minutes of UFC women’s flyweight fight time. Taila Santos is second at 1.5.
Mayra Bueno Silva secures first kneebar submission in UFC women’s bantamweight history.
Tatiana Suarez returned to action after nearly four years away from the octagon at UFC Vegas 70 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
A deep dive into the statistics from UFC Vegas 70: Muniz vs. Allen Th…
Tatiana Suarez returned to action after nearly four years away from the octagon at UFC Vegas 70 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
A deep dive into the statistics from UFC Vegas 70: Muniz vs. Allen
There were three noteworthy takeaways from UFC Vegas 70. The first was Brendan Allen’s upset win over Andre Muniz in the evening’s makeshift main event. The second was the return of Tatiana Suarez to the octagon. Third was the initially scheduled main event falling apart.
Allen, who was unranked in the official UFC middleweight division before Saturday’s fight card, scored a late third-round submission win over Andre Muniz in Vegas. Muniz entered the bout as the favorite and the No. 11 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. With the stoppage victory, Allen extended his winning streak to four. He simultaneously ended Muniz’s run of five consecutive UFC wins.
Before Saturday, Suarez last fought in June 2019. At the time, Suarez was being looked at as, at the very least, a future 115-pound title challenger. Injuries kept Suarez on the sidelines until UFC Vegas 70. She returned to the octagon as a (temporary) flyweight to score a submission win over Montana De La Rosa. In securing the victory, Suarez moved her record to 9-0 and reinvigorated talk of a run at UFC gold.
As for the scheduled main event, the light heavyweight scrap between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann was scratched while the event was underway. UFC commentator Megan Olivi reported that Krylov was suffering from a food-related illness and unable to compete. As a result, the UFC is looking to rebook that fight.
Below, we take a deep dive into the stats from the UFC Vegas 70 fight card, which streamed on ESPN+.
Was a PPV Power Slap card ever in the plans? | Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The request for the March 11 Power Slap event does not specifically call for a PPV event In late January, a report sur…
Was a PPV Power Slap card ever in the plans? | Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The request for the March 11 Power Slap event does not specifically call for a PPV event
In late January, a report surfaced that at the conclusion of the eight-week TBS season of Power Slap: Road to the Title, there would be a Power Slap pay-per-view event staged at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. On Saturday, UFC president Dana White tweeted that the Power Slap event on that date would stream for free on Rumble.
This has left people speculating about why their plans seemingly changed from a pay-per-view to a free stream. Was PPV actually the plan though?
In researching the report of a potential Power Slap PPV event at the UFC Apex, Bloody Elbow went back and looked at the requests the UFC makes to the Nevada State Athletic Commission on looking for approval of a fight card. We also found the request that was made for the March 11 Power Slap event.
Here is the request Schiaffo LLC made for the Power Slap event according to the NSAC agenda for the February meeting:
“Request by Schiaffo LLC, for a program permit to promote a professional slap fighting event, to be held on March 11, 2023, at UFC Apex, in Las Vegas, NV, to be televised on multiple platforms (TBC), for possible action.”
Compare that with the UFC request for a pay-per-view event from the January NSAC meeting agenda:
“Request by Zuffa LLC, (UFC) for a program permit to promote a professional mixed martial arts event, to be held on March 4, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, NV, to be televised on ESPN Networks, and PPV, pending renewal of 2023 license, for possible action.”
Here is what the UFC request looks like, also from the January NSAC meeting agenda, for a non-PPV card:
“Request by Zuffa LLC, (UFC) for a program permit to promote a professional mixed martial arts event, to be held on March 11, 2023, at Virgin Hotel, in Las Vegas, NV, to be televised on ESPN Networks, pending renewal of 2023 license, for possible action.
While the TBC (to be confirmed) leaves the door open to the question of a possible Power Slap PPV card, without confirmation from the UFC or Schiaffo LLC, it is hard to say with 100 percent certainty that Schiaffo LLC ever planned a Power Slap PPV card for March 11.
Brendan Allen Defeats André Muniz in impromptu Main Event Slot at UFC Vegas 70 | Photo: Getty Images | Graphic: Bloody Elbow
The real winners and losers from UFC Vegas 70 Like many UFC events, UFC Vegas 70 had its fair s…
Brendan Allen Defeats André Muniz in impromptu Main Event Slot at UFC Vegas 70 | Photo: Getty Images | Graphic: Bloody Elbow
The real winners and losers from UFC Vegas 70
Like many UFC events, UFC Vegas 70 had its fair share of shuffling ahead of the event. But, unlike most events, Saturday’s fight card lost two bouts on weigh-in day. Then, with the ESPN+ event underway inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the promotion announced it had scratched the scheduled light heavyweight main event between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann after Krylov fell ill. Of course, losing a main event is never optimal, but losing the headlining bout on fight night? That’s less than ideal for any fight promotion.
Despite the circumstances, the makeshift main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 70 provided one of the middleweights in that contest the opportunity to shine. Brendan Allen, the fighter who stepped into that spotlight, scored a submission win over the favored Andre Muniz in that contest.
Also on the main card, Tatiana Suarez returned to action after a prolonged absence. Suarez, who had not fought in nearly four years, scored a second-round submission win over Montana De La Rosa. With the victory, Suarez kept her perfect record intact, moving to 9-0.
Read on for the winners and losers from UFC Vegas 70, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.
Winners
Brendan Allen: A member of the UFC since 2019, the former LFA champ extended his winning streak to four straight with an impressive submission win over the favored Andre Muniz in the impromptu main event of UFC Vegas 70. Allen, who was absent from the official UFC middleweight rankings ahead of Saturday’s event, should find himself in the top 15 after ending the nine-fight (five in the UFC) winning streak of Muniz, who entered the contest at No. 11 in the rankings mentioned above.
In this matchup, Allen excelled in the wrestling and grappling departments, showing patience and poise in securing his second consecutive rear-naked choke submission victory.
After having his hand raised, Allen said his wish was to run back one of his two UFC losses in his next outing (Chris Curtis or Sean Strickland). However, if neither of those bouts is an option, Allen wouldn’t mind scrapping with Dricus du Plessis, who faces Derek Brunson on next week’s UFC 285 fight card.
Tatiana Suarez: Tatiana Suarez smartly avoided a big weight cut in her first fight in nearly four years. For a fighter who was being touted as a potential champion before injuries cost her so much time, Suarez wisely saw this 125-pound matchup as a way to shake the rust off and get some octagon time. As expected, Suarez used her wrestling skills throughout the fight, eventually earning a second-round guillotine submission.
Expect Suarez to get back in the strawweight mix as soon as possible and pursue a title shot in that division.
Megan Olivi: While Dominick Cruz speculated why the scheduled main event between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann was off, Megan Olivi thought to ask why the fight was scrapped. She reported it was because Nikita Krylov was suffering from a food born illness. .
Mike Malott: Mike Malott picked up a knockout win over Mickey Gall at UFC 273. On Saturday, he moved to 2-0 in the UFC with a submission win over Yohan Lainesse. Malott is now 9-1-1 in his career with all his wins coming via first-round finish. Malott only has a few fights because he focused on coaching rather than competing. Now that his attention is on his UFC career, Malott looks ready to step up in competition.
Trevor Peek: In the lead-up to Trevor Peek’s fight against Erick Gonzalez, it was mentioned that his first martial art was “street fighting.” His striking style reflects that. Peek is heavy-handed and aggressive, but he needs to shore up the technical aspect of his striking in a big way if he wants to move up the lightweight ranks. However, even if Peek fails to do that, his all-out approach to throwing bungalows will make him a fan favorite.
Jasmine Jasudavicius: Once Jasmine Jasudavicius got Gabriella Fernandes to the ground, the difference between the two fighters was glaring. Jasudavicius went four for eight in takedowns, had 11:31 in control time and landed 149 of 215 total strikes. Jasudavicius was totally dominant in picking up the 30-26 x 3 win.
Jordan Leavitt: Jordan Leavitt bounced back from his July 2022 submission loss to Paddy Pimblett with his first career knockout win via strikes. Saturday’s first-round stoppage of Victor Martinez was a much-needed bounce-back win for Leavitt.
Ode’ Osbourne vs. Charles Johnson: The catchweight bout between Ode’ Osbourne and Charles Johnson was a good back-and-forth scrap with both fighters having their moments. Osbourne’s leg kicks gave him the advantage in the early going, but Johnson seemed to pull even thanks to his wrestling and clinch striking. As the fight continued, both men seemed to struggle with their cardio. By the time the contest ended, it appeared as if the fight could have gone either way. The judges were split on the victor, with Osbourne getting the nod (29-28) on two of the three cards for the victory. This was a good fight despite it coming together on short notice.
Joe Solecki: Joe Solecki did what he needed to do against Carl Deaton II, putting him away via submission. Solecki didn’t let the quality of his opponent change his approach to this lightweight fight. In other words, he did not fight down to the level of his competition, which is often a problem. Instead, Solecki was patient and persistent in his attack. Solecki was originally booked to face Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Vegas 69. That’s a fight that still makes sense for both men.
Nurullo Aliev: Nurullo Aliev scored three takedowns on four attempts and racked up 10:51 of control time in earning a win over Rafael Alves in the UFC Vegas 70 opener. Aliev’s ability to secure takedowns against the fence where his opponent had little room to work was laudable. When given an opening, he also showed that he was unafraid to employ ground strikes from top position. Besides being deducted a point for biting Alves’ finger, Aliev had a solid UFC debut.
UFC: With the majority of the UFC Vegas 70 fighters coming off Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC delivered an ESPN+ card that was, let’s call it cost effective, when it came to fighter payouts. Many DWCS contracts start fighters at $10,000 to show.
Losers
Dominick Cruz: Moments after it was announced the main event was off, UFC commentator Dominick Cruz speculated that a bad weight cut or improper rehydration was why the fight was off. That’s not what a professional does. It was what Cruz did.
Kerry Hatley: Referee Kerry Hatley could have and should have stopped the Trevor Peek vs. Erick Gonzalez fight a bit sooner than he did. I don’t know if he was waiting for the clock to run out on the round, but if that was why he didn’t step in sooner, that’s unacceptable.
Gabriella Fernandes: Gabriella Fernandes’ lack of defensive ground experience was glaring in her loss to Jasmine Jasudavicius, a disappointing performance from the former interim LFA flyweight champion.
Carl Deaton III: A late replacement, Deaton, who lost to Joe Solecki via submission, might be one and done with the UFC after Solecki limited Deaton to one significant strike landed.
Rafael Alves: Rafael Alves fell to 1-3 in the UFC with his loss to Nurullo Aliev. Alves did not look especially impressive as he focused on scoring a guillotine choke submission throughout the lightweight bout. If Alves remains with the UFC following UFC Vegas 70, he needs to add new wrinkles to his game or his career with the promotion will be short.
Nurullo Aliev: RefereeMark Smith docked Nurullo Aliev a point after he bit Rafael Alves’ finger. Man, you cannot bite your opponent.
UFC matchmakers: If the UFC wants to give fans a reason to tune into the promotions ESPN+ streaming cards, it needs to up the level of fights it puts together for these events. I understand fight fans need ESPN+ to get the UFC pay-per-view events and that is what keeps many subscribed to the service, but sooner or later, there could be a tipping point where those fans discover the monthly ESPN+ fee is not a cost they wish to absorb.
