JON JONES will make his long-awaited return to the octagon in the main event of UFC 285 – after THREE YEARS on the sidelines.
And the former dominant light-heavyweight champion will FINALLY be making his long-anticipated heavyweight debut.
Jones, 35, will challenge French Muay Thai phenom Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.
The belt became up for grabs in January after former champion Francis Ngannou left the promotion after failing to agree a new contract.
Should Jones get his hands on the strap, he’ll become a two-division champion, and, in the eyes of many, cement his status as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
Elsewhere on the card, dominant women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against Alexa Grasso.
And welterweight sensation Shavkat Rakhmonov will look to prove he’s a legitimate contender with a statement victory over Geoff Neal.
When is UFC 285 – Jones vs Gane?
Jon Jones’ historic clash with Ciryl Gane will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 4.
Close to 20,000 fans will be in attendance to see Jones’s bid to become a two-weight world champion.
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What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
UFC 285 will be shown live on BT Sport 1 in the UK and Ireland.
The prelims will get underway at 11pm on UFC Fight Pass before switching to BT Sport 1 at 1am.
The stacked main card will get underway 3am.
Fans can live stream the action from the BT Sport app, which is available for download on your mobile or tablet device.
The mouthwatering main event is expected to get underway at around 5am UK time on Sunday, March 5.
UFC 285 Full Card
Main card
- Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane – heavyweight title fight
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs Alexa Grasso – women’s flyweight title fight
- Geoff Neal vs Shavkat Rakhmonov
- Jalin Turner vs TBD
- Bo Nickal vs Jamie Pickett
Prelims
- Derek Brunson vs Dricus du Plessis
- Ian Garry vs Son Kenan
- Viviane Araujo vs Amanda Ribas
- Julian Marquez vs Marc-Andre Barriault
- Jessica Penne vs Tabatha Ricci
- Da’Mon Blackshear vs Farid Basharat
- Kamuela Kirk vs Esteban Ribovics
What’s been said?
Jones said: “It’s kind of short time for me. I wish I had a little bit more time to prepare
“This idea of preparing for a new opponent in about six or seven weeks, I’ve done it before and I think it’s more than enough time.
“Yes, when you have a big guy that just wants to kill you with one punch, it’s more easier for a guy well-rounded and smart like Jon Jones to manage the situation.
“Me, also, I am not like that. I like to manage the situation. It’s going to be really good.”
