Jon Jones won the heavyweight championship at UFC 285 on Saturday night in Las Vegas with a first-round submission victory against Ciryl Gane, signifying his return to the top of his game in the MMA scene.
In the first minute of the fight, Jon Jones managed to knock the opponent down and quickly get into position for a guillotine choke. Two minutes and four seconds in, with Gane resting against the cage, the timer went off, according to ESPN.
Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) made his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane and captured the title vacated by Francis Ngannou, who became a free agent and left the UFC earlier this year.
This was Jones' first fight since his light heavyweight championship defense against Dominick Reyes on February 8, 2020.
In September, Ciryl Gane knocked out Tai Tuivasa in the third round.
Jon Jones, a two-weight light-heavyweight champion, returns to the ring after a three-year layoff to headline a packed bill at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Jones, an American, and Ciryl Gane, a Frenchman, and former interim champion, are fighting for the vacated heavyweight championship title.
The Best MMA Fighter Ever is Back
After his 2020 retirement as light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, widely regarded as the best light MMA heavyweight of all time, has spent the previous three years out of the octagon.
On the other hand, Ciryl Gane was not Jones' first or even second-choice return opponent. Once the UFC failed to re-sign Ngannou and Stipe Miocic was unavailable, the previous interim heavyweight champion received the call.
After his victory, Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic, the most decorated heavyweight in UFC history and a two-time champion.
Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) holds the UFC records for the longest undefeated run (19), most consecutive wins by a champion (15), and most successful defenses of a championship (4). (11, tied with Demetrious Johnson), per MMA Junkie.
The New Yorker fights out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he also trains, per US News. Jon Jones, now 35, won his first UFC belt at the age of 23 in 2011.
Grasso Stuns Shevchenko
Meanwhile, the world was stunned at UFC 285 when Alexa Grasso (16-3) submitted Valentina Shevchenko (23-4), the reigning flyweight champion and seven-time champion. She was a 6-to-1 outsider when she won, making her the third new Mexican champion of the year after Brandon Moreno at flyweight and Yair Rodriguez at interim featherweight.
After years at strawweight, Guadalajara's Grasso had her UFC flyweight debut five bouts ago in August 2020. Shevchenko was a worthy opponent, but she took advantage of a mistake by the defending champion that ultimately led to her victory and crowning as champion.
Shevchenko kicked Grasso in the back with a spinning back kick with less than a minute remaining in the fourth round. In anticipation of Shevchenko's next move, Grasso moved to protect her rear. As they were on the floor, Grasso put on a rear-naked choke. After some resistance, Shevchenko gave in to the choke.
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