Jon Jones Beats Ciryl Gane to Become New UFC Heavyweight Champion

After a three year hiatus, Jon Jones is officially back, defeating Ciryl Gane just two minutes into the first round to claim the vacant UFC Heavyweight belt and cement his legacy of being the greatest pound-for-pound fighter to ever compete in the promotion.

Leading up to his highly-anticipated return for UFC 285, Jon Jones has accused Ciryl Gane of taking this opportunity too lightly, and when it came time to perform, Jones made it look easy, applying pressure from the jump and forcing Gane to tap after squeezing in a successful guillotine off his first takedown.

Jones was in good spirits for the post-fight interview as he thanked God, the “prayer warriors,” his family, team, and fans. He also gave some insight into his strategy, saying he aimed to get Gane on the ground, and once he did he felt comfortable. Stipe Miocic, who’s widely considered the greatest Heavyweight in the UFC, was in attendance that evening and Jones made sure to call him out, saying to the crowd, “Y’all want to see me beat up Stipe?” Before walking off, Jones ended the interview with a goat-like “baa.”

For the co-main event, Alex Grasso took the Flyweight title away from Valentina Shevchenko via fourth round submission to become Mexico’s first-ever female UFC Champion.

Take a look at some of the highlights below.

The sweetest sound you’ll hear all weekend 🔊 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/n2MOjU1b4Y

— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023

Stipe next!? 👀@JonnyBones already has his sights set on his first heavyweight title defense #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/DUATmTO99u

— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023

A LIVING LEGEND! @JonnyBones just proved he’s the greatest of all time ☠️ #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/39miHeDyP6

— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023

Elsewhere in sports, Kylian Mbappé becomes PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer.