There is so much buzz around the return of Jon Jones later tonight (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) at UFC 285 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, that even legendary NFL quarterback, Tom Brady, is reaching out to wish the former UFC champion good luck.
Jones will be making his first trip to the Octagon in over three years as he makes his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. Most look at Jones as the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA) history and have been waiting quite some time for the former UFC light heavyweight champion to make his return. Jones will be a slight betting favorite against Gane, but he still has a lot of questions to answer after such a long layoff and the fact that he’s entering an entirely new weight class.
Ahead of UFC 285, another G.O.A.T. has reached out to Jones to wish him good luck in his return. Brady, who officially retired from professional football this past season after winning a record-setting seven Super Bowl rings, took to social media to send Jones an ‘incredible’ message.
Check it out below courtesy of UFC:
From one goat to another! @TomBrady sends a message to @JonnyBones ahead of #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/mMBEUKjnGb
— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2023
“Hey, John,” began Brady. “I wanted to say welcome back to the main stage. It’s great to see the G.O.A.T. doing what he does best and doing what he’s meant to do. So I thought seven titles was a lot. You doubled it, man!
“I know tonight’s not going to be easy with Ciryl Gane standing on the other side of the Octagon. He’s a bad man. It’s going to be an incredible fight. Dana [White] knows how to put on a great show as always and I wouldn’t miss this one for the world. I’m going to be there watching. Good luck to both of you guys tonight.
“And John, congrats on an amazing career of greatness. Let’s f—king go.”
We’ll have to wait and see if Brady’s endorsement shines some good fortune on Jones, who may have been cursed yesterday after Drake bet $500K on him to finish Gane in the main event. Either way, tonight’s UFC 285 card is going to be an absolute banger and one that will attract eyes from all over the world.
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.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 285: “Jones vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 285 fight card and PPV lineup click here.