Jon Jones underlined his status as the greatest MMA fighter in history by slicing through Ciryl Gane like a hot knife through butter at UFC 285. The controversial American had not fought for more than three years since vacating his title at light-heavyweight to bulk up and have a crack at the division above.
But there were no signs of rust as he secured the first takedown he attempted, dragging Gane to the ground and making the Frenchman who has had an immensely impressive young career look amateurish.
Three years of pay rows, false dawns and delays eventually culminated in him arriving back for an immediate shot at the heavyweight title, which was vacated by Francis Ngannou when he failed to agree terms on a new deal with the UFC. It was an ignominious start, with Jones stopped from entering the octagon by an eagle-eyed official, who was unhappy with the way his toes were taped.
There were so many questions surrounding Jones and real uncertainty about the kind of shape he’d show up in. His final handful of performances at light-heavyweight were lacklustre by his own high standards and some believed him to be on a downward trajectory.
After they had sliced the tape between two of them, Jones was allowed to go on but the start of the fight itself was less than ideal as well. But Jones bunched up his man and wrapped his long arms around the neck in a guillotine. At first it was unclear why Gane had tapped so quickly but it then became apparent that the submission was in deep and he had no way out.
In the first real exchange, Gane landed a kick to the groin, causing a temporary delay before ‘Bones’ shook it off and carried on. Perhaps Gane had unwisely riled Jones up and from there, Jones landed a couple of leg kicks before attempting his first takedown. Gane put up little resistance and crawled his way towards what he felt was the sanctuary of the fence.
‘Ohh yeah baby, you all want to see me beat up Stipe? One thing I know about the UFC is that we give the fans what they want to see,’ he told Joe Rogan. ‘Stipe, I hope you’ve been training my guy, you’re the greatest heavyweight of all time and that’s what I want, I want you real bad.’
He had seemed calm and assured all week, insisting the fight was a massive mismatch and even calling Gane the most incomplete UFC heavyweight in the top five. But Jones will expect more of a challenge later this year. He called out Stipe Miocic, who was in attendance at the packed T-Mobile Arena to watch.
He added: ‘I’m so excited, I’ve been working on this for a long time. A lot of people thought I wouldn’t come back, I read that all the time. I’ve been faithful to the goal and the mission. ‘I had the strong conviction that if I was to get him down to the ground, the fight would be in my area.’
In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso stunned long-time women’s strawweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso became the first woman from Mexico to win the belt, submitting the Kyrgystani with a rear-naked choke, leaping on her back in a split second after a spinning kick attempt. Shevchenko called for an immediate rematch, which she is likely to be granted given her remarkable run as champion.
Perhaps Gane is simply too green for this level of grappling and Miocic will offer far stiffer resistance, if that bout is made for July as expected. Or it could simply be that Jones is on another level. He is only 35, the age many heavyweights enter their prime and this could be a reign that lasts some time, just as it did at light-heavyweight.
