UFC 290, 3 other best fight cards of 2023

UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane

UFC 285 also featured two title fights and was hands down the best event of the year which brought us many viral moments.

UFC 285 took place at T-Mobile Arena and featured the return of Jon Jones who was challenging for the heavyweight title against former interim champion Ciryl Gane, and women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko going for her eighth straight title defense against Alexa Grasso. Plus the debut of Bo Nickal.

Jones, who had been out of action for over three years, faced the former interim champ for the heavyweight title after Francis Ngannou left the UFC. Jones had been teasing a move up in weight for years and made quick work of Gane, further solidifying his GOAT status.

Grasso shocked the world with her performance and subsequent finish of flyweight queen Shevchenko, making her the first-ever Mexican woman's champion.

Nickal made his much-awaited debut against veteran Jamie Pickett and lived up to the hype with a first-round submission finish. Ranked lightweights Mateusz Gamrot and Jalin Turner fought to a tough split decision with Gamrot edging it out. Shavkat Rakhmonov continued his domiance with a nasty submission of Geoff Neal.

The prelims had Amanda Ribas get back in the win column after a return to the flyweight division against Viviane Araujo. Dricus du Plessis started to make his case for a middleweight title shot with a win over Derek Brunson. This would be Brunson's last fight with the organization as he chose to sign with the PFL after his contract had finished. Cody Garbrandt broke a two-fight losing streak with a decision win over Trevin Jones.

The early preliminary card featured three debutants including successful debuts of Loik Radzhabov and Dana White's Contender Series standout Farid Basharat. Ian Machado Garry, former Cage Warriors champion who made the jump to the UFC in 2021, stayed undefeated at 11-0 with a knockout win over Song Kenan.