UFC 285 results: Jon Jones cements GOAT status by submitting Ciryl Gane for UFC heavyweight championship, Grasso stuns Shevchenko for flyweight crown

LAS VEGAS — Before Jon Jones stepped into the Octagon to challenge for the UFC heavyweight championship, he was arguably already the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. A few minutes later, the word “arguably” can be removed as Jon Jones made short work of Ciryl Gane to secure a first-round submission to become the UFC heavyweight champion in the main event of UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena.  

Jones hadn’t competed since 2019 when he beat Dominick Reyes by decision to retain the light heavyweight championship. But then he disappeared for three years as the UFC saw the likes of Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski and Khabib Nurmagomedov attempt to stake their claim as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. 

None could create enough distance to definitively stake their claim in the three years that went without a Jon Jones fight. When his return was announced in a new weight class, many wondered if the 35-year-old would still have it. That question was answered with an emphatic “yes” as Jones steamrolled Gane.

It wasn’t much of a fight as Jones struck with Gane for the opening minute before closing the distance and taking Gane to the mat. Jones aggressively improved position until he stacked Gane and sunk in a guillotine choke. Gane immediately tapped as he saw no escape and Jones reclaimed his status as the pound-for-pound king of the sport. 

Jones took little damage and immediately set his sights on former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who was seated cageside and set as the next challenger for the title. 

Could we see it this summer? It looks likely. As of right now, the king is back and that is undeniable.

In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso stunned Valentina Shevchenko by submitting her in the fourth round to become the new women’s flyweight champion. 

Few, if any, gave Grasso a chance to win but the Mexican’s confidence grew as each minute passed by and realized that maybe Shevchenko wasn’t as invincible as advertised. 

Shevchenko was superb when taking the fight to the mat but Grasso refused to stay down or allow her opponent to build momentum. Grasso was aware that she had a much better chance standing up. Surprisingly, Shevchenko attempted a spinning back kick and gave up her back. Grasso quickly took Shevchenko’s back and sunk in a rear naked choke to become the new champion.

Here’s how it all went down in Las Vegas.

UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane results, highlights

Round One: Jones opens with a leg kick and Gane hits him low immediately with a kick. They restart. Jones striking with Gane and lands a right hand. Gane with a lot of movement. Jones with a body lock and a takedown. Gane tries to get to his feet and Bones brings him back down. Jones stacks and slaps on a guillotine. Gane Taps It’s OVER!!!!

SN Unofficial Scorecard: —

12:25 a.m.: It’s time for the main event. Jon Jones makes his return to the Octagon after three years in a new weight class to face Ciryl Gane for the undisputed heavyweight championship. 

Alexa Grasso stuns Valentina Shevchenko with 4th round submission to claim flyweight title

12:23 a.m. ET: Perhaps one of the biggest upsets in recent memory as she continued to gain confidence throughout the fight. Eventually, Shevchenko made a terrible mistake by giving up her back on a missed spinning body kick. Grasso took full advantage and choked out the woman many thought was unbeatable. Wow.

Round Four: Grasso stuffs a takedown. Not a lot happening as both look for openings to strike. Shevchenko with a body kick after exiting a clinch. Grasso shoots for a takedown and gets stuffed. Grasso gets Shevchenko’s back and is looking for a choke! She sinks it in and Shevchenko taps! It’s OVER! 

SN Unofficial Scorecard: —

Round Three: Grasso aggressively trying to land but the champion picks her off with a pair of counters. Grasso is undeterred and advances. Big combination from Shevchenko. Right hand from Grasso lands. Another takedown by Shevchenko. Not where Grasso wants to be. Some punches land for Shevchenko from inside Grasso’s guard. The referee stands them up. Doesn’t matter. Shevchenko takes her down again and gets her back. Grasso escapes and applies a guillotine. Not a real threat as the round closes.

SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (29-28 Shevchenko)

Round Two: Shevchenko ducks under and gets a takedown. She’s aggressively looking to improve her position. Shevchenko shifts to side control and nearly has a crucifix. Grasso desperately tries to escape and she’s safe for now but the champion can’t keep her down. They are up to their feet again. Big moment for Grasso. Grasso trying to land but is way off the mark. Shevchenko ducks under a punch and secures another takedown. Not enough time to get a submission but enough to take the round. 

SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (19-19)

Round One: Grasso starts by pumping the jab and establishing a presence in the center of the Octagon but nearly gets her head torn off by a spinning back fist. Shevchenko barely misses a wheel kick. Grasso can’t find her target and Shevchenko is patient. A brief exchange with both landing. Big right hand from Grasso lands. That’s the confidence booster she needed. Shevchenko with a chopping right hand but she’s almost too patient in the first frame. Spinning back fist from Shevchenko lands but Grasso gets a takedown. Shevchenko pops up at the end of the round. 

SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Grasso

11:41 p.m.: ET: The co-main event is up next as Valentina Shevchenko defends her Women’s Flyweight title against Alexa Grasso. Can Shevchenko extend her UFC record of most title defenses by a woman in UFC history to eight or will Grasso pull off the massive upset? We’re going round-by-round updates from here on out!

Shavkat Rakhmonov stays perfect, submits Geoff Neal in final round

11:35 p.m. ET: What a fun fight! Neal refused to go away and nearly dropped Rakhmonov with a thudding combination. But Rakhmonov collected himself, landed a brutal right hand and went after it. Neal wouldn’t go down but soon found his Kazakh opponent behind him with and sinking in a standing rear-naked choke. Neal was forced to submit and Rakhmonov stays perfect with a 17-0 record and all of his wins coming by knockout or submission.

11:30 p.m. ET: Neal and Rakhmonov are entering the final round and it appears that Rakhmonov may end up going the distance for the first time in his career. But his varied approach to striking likely has him ahead. Neal isn’t out of it and has landed some hard punches. It may now be the frontrunner for “Fight of the Night.” 

11:03 p.m. ET: Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov is up next. Rakhmonov is 16-0 in his MMA career with all sixteen of his wins coming inside the distance. That’s absurd. Neal has been a spoiler before but he’s going to have to muster up all the powers of the upset gods to get the victory here. 

Mateusz Gamrot wrestles Jalin Turner to a split-decision win

11:00 p.m. ET: Gamrot’s wrestling was the difference-maker here tonight. It wasn’t terribly impressive but it was effective as he kept Turner from using his striking and controlled the majority of the fight. Gamrot taking the fight on short notice and getting the victory should help him advance in the rankings. 

10:53 p.m. ET: Entering the final round it hasn’t quite been a fight of the night contender but very intriguing throughout. Turner has been sharp with his standup but Gamrot has managed to drag the fight to the mat in both rounds. How will the judges see it? Does Turner need a knockout?

10:33 p.m. ET: What could be the fight of the night is up next as Jalin Turner faces Mateusz Gamrot. Turner has won five in a row with none of his opponents making it to the final bell while Gamrot has future title challenger written all over him but needs to bounce back after dropping a decision to Beneil Dariush back in October. 

Bo Nickal dominates in UFC debut, submits Jamie Pickett in the first round

10:24 p.m. ET: Bo Nickal wasted no time with Pickett in securing a first-round submission. Nickal immediately took Pickett to the mat, transitioned to his opponent’s back and smoothly moved to an arm triangle. Yeah, there was a pretty obvious knee to the groin that was ignored. Nevertheless, Pickett tried to survive but was forced to tap. He’s arrived. 

BO NICKAL IS HIM@NoBickal | #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/ZilUEt8CiM

— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023

10:10 p.m. ET: It’s time for the main card portion of UFC 285. Yes, we’re all here for the main event but this card is stacked. And we’re kicking it off with the future of the UFC as Bo Nickal makes his UFC debut. The 2019 Big Ten Athlete of the Year looks to make his mark in the opening bout against Jamie Pickett. 

10:00 p.m. ET: Well, that wasn’t the most impressive outing from Cody Garbrandt. Nevertheless, he’s back in the win column with a unanimous decision over Trevin Jones. Garbrandt was cautious but effective with his striking and wrestling but was clipped several times by Jones in the final round. It’s not beyond reason to think that Garbrandt is one loss away from fighting in BKFC. 

9:35 p.m. ET: Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt attempts to shake off a rough few years and get back into title contention when he faces Trevin Jones. Since beating Dominick Cruz to become the champion back in 2016, Garbrandt has gone 1-5 and has been stopped four times. If he can’t get the job done here, it may be time to call it a career. 

9:30 p.m. ET: Dricus du Plessis has announced his arrival to the upper crust of the middleweight division with a 2nd round stoppage over Derek Brunson. Brunson seemed to start off fast and rattle du Plessis with hard right hands in the first but the second round saw him sapped of all of his energy and the South African took advantage. Brunson essentially collapsed from a combination of exhaustion and punishment and his corner wasn’t interested in sending him out for the 3rd round and called it. Great fight. 

9:10 p.m. ET: Two fights down in the prelims as Marc-Andre Barriault fed Julian Marquez an alarming amount of defenseless strikes to earn a 2nd round TKO while Amanda Ribas overcame a tough first-round to win a decision over Viviane Araujo. Up next is one of the highlights of the night as Derek Brunson looks to end the run of Dricus du Plessis

8:20 p.m. ET: We are live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the late prelims. Julian Marquez and Marc-Andre Barriault are currently duking it out in middleweight action. Perhaps more interesting is that they are filming scenes for the upcoming remake of “Road House” starring Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal. Yes, “Road House” is now an MMA movie. 

When is UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane?

• Date: Saturday, March 4 | Sunday, March 5
• FIGHT PASS Prelims: 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. ET GMT | 10 a.m. AEDT
• Prelims: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT
• Main card: 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m. GMT | 2 p.m. AEDT 
• Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET | 5:15 a.m. GMT | 4:15 p.m. AEDT (approx.)

UFC 285 takes place on March 4. 

The early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. ET GMT | 10 a.m. AEDT, followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT. The UFC 285 main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m. GMT | 2 p.m. AEDT. 

Jones and Gane should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET | 5:15 a.m. GMT | 4:15 p.m. AEDT, depending on how long the undercard fights last. 

How to watch UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane?

The main card for UFC 285 is available in the U.S. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN+. 

MORE: Israel Adesanya backs Francis Ngannou’s decision to leave the UFC

In Canada, the main card pay-per-view is available on BELL, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.

In the United Kingdom, the main card will be available on BT Sport, with the prelims on UFC Fight Pass. 

In Australia, the main card will be on Main Event, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.

Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane PPV price: How much does UFC 285 cost? 

• $79.99 (current ESPN+ subscribers)
• $124.98 (new subscribers)

In the U.S., the UFC 285 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. The PPV price for UFC 285 is $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $124.98 for the UFC 285 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent.

MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 285 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+

UFC 285 results

Main card

• Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane via 1st round submission (guillotine choke) for the UFC heavyweight title (2:04)
• Alexa Grasso def. Valentina Shevchenko via 4th round submission (rear-naked choke) for UFC flyweight title (4:34)
• Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Geoff Neal via 3rd round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:17)
• Mateusz Gamrot def. Jalin Turner via split decision (29-28, 30-27 & 28-29)  
• Bo Nickal def. Jamie Pickett via 1st round submission (arm triangle) (2:54) 

Prelims

• Cody Garbrandt def. Trevin Jones via unanimous decision (29-8, 29-28 & 29-28)
• Dricus du Plessis def. Derek Brunson via 2nd round TKO (corner stoppage) (4:59) 
• Amanda Ribas def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26 & 30-27) 
• Marc-Andre Barriault def. Julian Marquez via 2nd round TKO (punches) (4:12)

FIGHT Pass Prelims

• Ian Garry def. Song Kenan via 3rd round TKO (punches) (4:22) 
• Tabatha Ricci def. Jessica Penne via 2nd round submission (armbar) (2:14)
• Cameron Saaiman def. Leomana Martinez via majority decision (29-26, 28-27 & 28-28)
• Farid Basharat def. Da’Mon Blackshear via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28) 
• Loik Radzhabov def. Esteban Ribovics via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)

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