Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane official for UFC 285.
Rumors began swirling when several photos of a fight poster featuring Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane headlining UFC 285 was seen hanging from Las Vegas, NV’s T-Mobile arena. The image raised some questions of validity but then the UFC president Dana White confirmed the news during the UFC Vegas 67 post-fight presser.
Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane, #UFC285, pour le titre heavyweight it’s on 👑 pic.twitter.com/GLTFdhFA8Q
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) January 14, 2023
The fight will be for the official heavyweight title.
The bout will be Jones’ return to the Octagon for the first time since he defeated Dominick Reyes in February 2020. Jones spent time off making a move to heavyweight and stepping in to face the former interim UFC heavyweight champion and the current No. 1 ranked UFC heavyweight, Gane.
Jon Jones will make his long-awaited heavyweight debut in March
This coincides with Gane’s tweet calling out Jones earlier this week.
https://twitter.com/ciryl_gane/status/1613628816231907328
Gane is coming off a stunning win over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris which earned him the Fight of the Night honors. His only loss comes to Francis Ngannou, the reigning champion, who has been sidelined due to contract negotiations.
Jones confirmed the news shortly before the UFC announcement.
Just spoke with Jon Jones after a training session with @HenryCejudo in Phoenix. He confirms the upcoming heavyweight title fight with Cyril Gane, and also says he plans to have Cejudo in his corner if their schedules align. #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/3ItpnKY4ni
— Michael Wonsover (@mwonsover) January 14, 2023
Jones will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and subsequently got into a domestic violence situation with his fiance and the mother of his children in a Las Vegas hotel.