Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently dropped its official poster for the upcoming UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) event on ESPN+, headlined by the Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight title bout on Sat., March 4, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the first fight for the former light heavyweight “Bones” in over three years.
The strap was left vacant when Francis Ngannou set sail for greener pastures.
Jones, 35, spent the better part of three years sitting on the sidelines following a bitter contract dispute. “Bones” — who hasn’t seen action since squeaking by Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 — recently re-upped for another eight fights inside the Octagon.
Gane, 32, rebounded from a decision loss to Ngannou by planishing heavyweight hurter Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris last fall, improving his record to 11-1 with eight finishes. “Bon Gamin” looks to become the first fighter to stop “Bones” under the UFC banner.
The winner of Jones vs. Gane is expected to fight former champion Stipe Miocic at some point later this year, unless top contender Curtis Blaydes — already in the conversation before last month’s surprise announcement — can convince matchmakers he’s next in line for the heavyweight strap.
For the rest of the UFC 285 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
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UFC