Jon Jones (26-1) and Ciryl Gane (11-1) fight for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285.
Jon Jones (26-1) and Ciryl Gane (11-1) fight for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285.
The pre-fight narrative: It's been three long years since Jones was last in the octagon and the former light heavyweight champion will have his hands full with Gane, who's coming off an electric knockout win in September.
Check out our Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane odds for the March 4 bout.
Check out the latest odds for Jones vs. Gane.
| Fighter | Odds to win (Jan. 22) | Bet now |
| Jon Jones | -130 | Add to betslip |
| Ciryl Gane | +105 | Add to betslip |
Odds as of 2:45 p.m ET on 01/22/2023.
Few people can turn heads in the MMA community like Jones.
He's never been beaten by an opponent — his only loss came via disqualification for illegal elbows — and many consider him to be the greatest fighter of all time. That said, the 35-year-old has constantly been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Jones failed multiple drug tests throughout his career, leading to several suspensions. And that's not even getting into his legal troubles.
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But he returns to the UFC in March and will immediately have a title shot against Gane. Jones dominated the light-heavyweight division for over a decade and will now move up to heavyweight where Gane has a stellar 11-1 record.
It's worth noting that this fight is only happening because Francis Ngannou was stripped of his UFC heavyweight belt after leaving the promotion amid a contract dispute.
Jones is a -130 favourite and for good reason. He's a one-man wrecking crew that has waltzed through every opponent put his way.
He holds the UFC's light heavyweight records for the most wins (20), title fight wins (14), total strikes landed (1,835) and takedown defence (95%).
Jones' 13 light heavyweight finishes rank third all-time while his 57.9% significant strike accuracy ranks second among light heavyweights. He's beaten the likes of Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen, Glover Teixeira and Rashad Evans — just to name a few.
If you put the controversy surrounding his fights aside, Jones has produced a career unlike any other.
But there are detractors to his case at UFC 285.
A three-year hiatus is massive, and we've also never seen Jones fight in the heavyweight division. Those factors have given fodder to skeptics and reasonably so.
Jones is the main draw in this card but Gane shouldn't be overlooked.
The 32-year-old Frenchman has a nearly perfect MMA record with his only loss coming to the aforementioned Ngannou. He's an established heavyweight that has fought five times in the past two years while Jones has been out of the sport entirely.
Gane recently dispatched rising star Tai Tuivasa last September via a third-round knockout. It was his fifth knockout victory and eighth finish in 11 fights.
IT'S ALL OVER!!
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 3, 2022
CIRYL GANE KOs TAI TUIVASA AT HOME! 🇫🇷 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/5JNAeUEPTq
He also has never been knocked out. Gane's only loss came via decision and he also has a 13-0 record as a professional Muay Thai fighter. His average fight length of 16:07 is the second-longest among all UFC heavyweights.
That's mainly because Gane is an extremely proficient striker. His 62.8% significant strike defence ranks third all-time among UFC heavyweights while his 2.86 significant striking differential ranks fifth.