Scroll down for a more detailed, side-by-side pic.
Jon Jones is officially a heavyweight.
The former 205-pound champion tipped the scale at 248 pounds during the early (and official) weigh ins on Friday morning, just one day ahead of his Ciryl Gane heavyweight title fight atop the UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) card, scheduled for this Sat. night (March 4, 2023) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gane weighed 247.5, which is a half pound over his previous weight against Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris last fall.
Get complete UFC 285 weigh ins results and video here.
The heavyweight version of Jones did not look much different from the light heavyweight build that preceded him, just a little thicker in most places. By his own account, “Bones” was training to be a 250-pound “engine” and not a bodybuilder, a response to the endless “fat jokes” fans were posting on social media. His official weight of 248 paid out to those gamblers who took the over in his official weigh ins betting line.
Here’s a closer look:
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Photos by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Jones hopes to succeed where some of his contemporaries have failed.
“I don’t think [Alexander Gustafsson] did it the right way,” Jones previously told ESPN. “Just because you gain some extra pounds doesn’t mean you’re ready to compete against these boys that were born that way. You’ve got to really take your time, find your body, find your feet, your new speed, your new rhythm. And then go up there and play the game.”
The proof will be in the heavyweight pudding tomorrow night in Las Vegas.
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 6:15 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.