The UFC has had its fair share of stars over the years, and perhaps the biggest ever will be returning this weekend. UFC 285 will emanate from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night and fans will be treated to a very exciting main event and two title fights.
One of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport will return in a new weight class to challenge for a championship for the first time in years. Plus, one of the most dominant champions the sport has ever seen will look to add to her legacy against a very game opponent and a fast-rising welterweight will face off with a higher-ranked fighter.
Welterweight bout: Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Few fighters have been as dominant in the start of their UFC careers as Rakhmonov. The 28-year-old is 4-0 with three submissions and one knockout. That brings his pro record to an astounding 16-0 with eight knockouts and eight submissions. He is quickly rising up the welterweight ranks, currently sitting at number nine. A win here against the 7th-ranked contender would be a big statement and could vault him up into title contention. A matchup with Leon Edwards or Kamaru Usman could be in his future.
Standing in his way though, is a very tough opponent in Neal. With a 15-4 record, nine knockouts and two submissions, Neal has earned that number seven next to his name and a win over Rakhmonov would mean a lot to cement his ranking and possibly move into the top five. Neal is coming off of two straight wins, including an impressive knockout of Vicente Luque back in August. He’s going to need to put his impressive striking skills to work if he’s going to have a shot to win this one.
My pick: Rakhmonov via 2nd round submission
Women’s Flyweight Championship bout: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso
Does anything even need to be said about Shevchenko? I can tell you about how she’s cleaned out the women’s flyweight division. I can tell you how dominant she’s been in all of her title defenses. I can even tell you her only UFC losses came against Amanda Nunes, the unanimous pound for pound best of all time in any women’s division. But I’ve told you all of those things before. She’s as technically perfect as they come, so all of her fights are really just about what her opponents can bring to the table at this point
In this case, it’s a strong striking game and a lot of momentum. Grasso got off to a slow start in her UFC career, with just a 3-3 record after her first six fights. Since then though, she has won four in a row and has looked like one of the most talented strikers in the class. This will obviously be a huge step up in competition, because Shevchenko is a huge step up from anyone, but Grasso certainly has a puncher’s chance. If she can land one good shot and pounce on an opportunity, she could shock the world. I just wouldn’t bet on it.
My pick: Shevchenko via decision
Heavyweight Championship bout: Jon Jones vs. Cyril Gane
This is a very interesting main even for a number of reasons. The most obvious is the highly anticipated return of Jon Jones, whom many consider to be the greatest fighter of all time. Then there’s the vacated UFC Heavyweight Championship on the line. Whether we see former champ Francis Ngannou in the octagon again, remains to be seen. And then there’s the fact that Gane fought for this same championship just a year ago and came up short against Ngannou. It all adds up to a very interesting future for the heavyweight division.
Here’s a list of all the fighters who have defeated Jon Jones by anything other than a disqualification. Would you like me to repeat it? The lone blemish on Jones’ record came in 2009 when it was ruled he landed illegal elbows en route to a knockout. After the fight Matt Hamill, who was handed the victory, said himself that Jones won that contest. Jones is an otherworldly athlete who looks like he was built to compete in MMA. He uses his long limbs to his advantage in the striking game and his surprising strength to get fights to the ground where he can work submissions. Few fighters have ever been as dominant in the UFC and now Jones is going to look to prove that he is still at the top of his game, which is a scary concept for the rest of the heavyweight division.
With all of that being said though, if you were going to design an opponent to match up with Jones, he would look just like Gane. The top-ranked heavyweight is not going to be outmuscled and he has never seen an opponent more athletic than him. Gane brings a very well-rounded skillset and a calm and deliberate temperament into the octagon, which has added up to an impressive 11-record with five knockouts and three submissions. The lone loss came in the aforementioned title shot against Ngannou. I would expect Gane to look to get inside, nullify the reach of Jones, and try to grapple. Whether or not he will have the strength advantage remains to be seen though and if he is unable to get Jones to the ground or, at the very least, force him against the cage, it’s going to be a long night for Gane. Still, this is a very tough fight to pick and I expect it to be very close.
My pick: Jones via Decision
UFC 285 will be held Saturday, March 4 at 10 PM ET. Fight fans can order the pay per view through ESPN+ and receive a special offer: $124.98 for UFC 285 and an ESPN+ annual plan. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.