Jon Jones UFC Return Almost Finalized- Reports
Rumors regarding Jon Jones’ UFC return are flying around the MMA world. Tonight, Jones has discussed the topic, Ariel Helwani made a report, and T-Mobile Arena potentially leaked the bout. While nothing is official -yet- it looks like Jones will be making his UFC return at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane.
The most important rumor came straight from Jones. The former UFC light heavyweight champion said his first heavyweight bout would come against Ciryl Gane within a couple of weeks. Michael Wonsover, an MMA content creator that has broke UFC news in the past, released the video.
Ariel Helwani also released a video that addressed the online speculation.
Helwani gave us a bunch to unpack. Most importantly, he confirmed that Jones vs. Gane for UFC 285 is very real and could be announced at some point today. If the bout does come to fruition, it will be a title fight; however, it is not known if it will be for an undisputed or interim title. It appears Ngannou would be stripped of the title and Jones vs. Gane would be for a vacant title fight. That could obviously change between now and the time of the announcement.
To summarize the remainder of the information, Gane was the third choice for Jones’ return behind Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic. The Ngannou fight was not made because Ngannou is still injured and his contract situation remains unsolved. Meanwhile, Miocic allegedly declined the fight.
The final lead on Jones’ return came after T-Mobile Arena accidently posted an advertisement for the bout.
Needless to say, someone at T-Moblie Arena is going to be out of a job. But, hey, shoutout to them for starting these shenanigans.
Jones’ return will be legendary. The opportunity to win the UFC heavyweight championship could cement his legacy as the greatest UFC fighter of all time. UFC 285 has a chance to be special with Jones at the top of the card.
If Jones vs. Gane becomes official, it will certainly create a ripple affect across the UFC heavyweight division. Since the Ngannou can see free agency on the horizon, stripping him of the title may have serious consequences.
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Update:
Dana White announced at the UFC Vegas 67 press conference that the fight is official.
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