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UFC 285 Fight Card Preview

Date: March 4, 2023

By: Chris Kiely

Jon Jones with his championship belt.

Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

There are good fighters, there are great fighters, and then there is Jon Jones. Over his 15-year career, Jon “Bones” Jones represents a story that is as old as sports itself.

On one side, there is extraordinary talent, potential, and youth. This includes his undefeated record and the 14 title fight wins. On the other, there are all the demons and dark places that an athlete can find themselves in.

These include the many failed drug tests, the domestic violence arrest, the eye poking, and the oblique kicks. Disgraced or not, the greatest pound for pound fighter has seen it all.

In his most recent fight, Jon defended his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship as he eked out a close contest against undefeated prospect Dominick Reyes. There is, however, a curious fact about that fight: It was three years ago in February of 2020!

After vacating his title in August 2020, Jon announced his plans of moving up to the heavyweight division. Now, after three years, one of the biggest heavyweight collisions is on the cusp of happening. When a Francis Ngannou mega-fight with Jon Jones could not be arranged, former interim-champion Ciryl Gane, instead, threw himself into the deep end of the pool.

Now, with an opportunity to put all GOAT questions to rest, Jon can become the eighth UFC fighter to become the “champ champ” and win belts in multiple weight classes. At the same time, his opponent Gane is the first fighter to open as a favorite against Jon in over a decade.

With his return to Las Vegas, the city that has shaped his legacy, in and out of the octagon, Jon is the main event for a card that is completely loaded with two title fights and a plethora of title contenders. On top of all that, this month of March is packed with must-watch fights and two PPVs. That being said, here is your UFC 285 preview.

 

Early-Prelim Card

The early preliminaries for UFC 285 consist of two significant fighters to watch. The first scheduled fight to watch will be Ian Machado Garry versus “The Assassin” Kenan Song.

Ever since his first-round KO opener for UFC 268, Garry has been pumping himself to be a successor ambassador to Conor McGregor for Ireland MMA. While he is 3-0 in his UFC stint, his competition is just a combined 3-8 in the UFC and are all cut from the UFC roster.

Facing Song, who is 4-2 in the UFC, he will encounter a more challenging opponent. With his talent, though, and impressive lightning-quick punching on his feet, Garry should keep that gravy train of his flowing.

However, if he wishes to eventually climb into the exclusive ranking of top 15 welterweights, he needs to have at least two more completed fights by the end of this year.

The second fighter to focus on is Farid Bashrat from Afghanistan, who will be making his official UFC debut against Da’Mon Blackshear. While the Afghani is not the main prospect from last year’s Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) that is on this card, he is very talented and worthy of being a greater-than 4-1 favorite.

His explosive combination of punching and pushing his opponents against the side of the cage are reasons why I think he is a bantamweight to keep your eye on. I expect him to win by a comfortable decision in his debut at UFC 285.

 

Prelim Card

Derek Brunson at the weigh in.

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

In the prelims, there is one fight that every single person is eager to watch. That, of course, is Derek Brunson versus Dricus Du Plessis at middleweight. At 38 years old, Brunson was a win away from finally having his title shot opportunity last year.

But that came to an abrupt halt as he was KO’ed by Jared Cannonier in the title elimination fight in February 2022. Now, a year older at 39, Brunson may very likely soon start to slip in the Middleweight rankings.

His opponent is just the opposite. Dricus Du Plessis is a fighter whose name-recognition has been soaring, in addition to his name climbing to the top 15 at middleweight. Most recently, he faced and submitted fan-favorite Darren Till.

His ability to overwhelm the beloved “Gorilla” gave him the victory and the respect from the fans that he needs to help his ascendancy. Possessing a record of 4-0 in the UFC and currently sitting at tenth, Du Plessis, with a win, could significantly raise his stock and likelihood of fighting in a title elimination fight.

Assuming that Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira finish their potential UFC trilogy by the end of this year, Du Plessis could have a shot at the title next year, if he keeps all his ducks in a row.

For that reason, I expect the South African to win by stoppage and call out Robert Whittaker for a chance to fight one another at the UFC grand opening card of UFC Africa.

 

Main Card

This main card has first-rate star power. Even if you separate the two title fights, the other three undercard events include two men that are quickly becoming some of the most avoided fighters on the roaster.

It begins with Bo Nickal, who is making his official UFC debut. Last year, he and Raul Rosas Jr. were the most adored winners from DWCS. Coming to the UFC from Penn State, where he won three NCAA wrestling championships and earned a record of 120-3, Nickal made himself known with his two definitive wins in DWCS.

He also earned many people’s respect rather quickly by holding the highest betting line for a favorite in UFC history, -3500. Facing Jamie Pickett, who is 2-4 in the UFC, Nickal should get an easy highlight win in the first round and replicate the energy his compadre, Rosas, created in the same arena last December.

The second intimidating fighter is Shavkat Rakhmanov, coming from Kokshetau, Kazakhstan. With just four fights, but four definitive victories in the UFC, the nomad has quickly climbed to the peak of one of the most brutal divisions in the sport.

Sitting at number ten, he will face number seven Geoff Neal. While Neal is higher rated and more experienced, those were the exact same advantages that Neil Magny had when Shavkat faced him. But it ended with Magny being submitted just before the second round ended.

With his incredible fighter IQ and “mountain man” wrestling endurance, I expect Shavkat to have another Performance of the Night. A win here and we might see the dream scenario where he and fellow undefeated welterweight Khamzat Chiamaev face each other in a fight of the year.

 

CValentina Shevchenko vs. 6Alexa Grasso

Alexa Grasso in the octagon.

Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

The co-main features Champion Valentina Shevchenko, who looks to make her eighth title defense, against Alexa Grasso. Over the past four years, Shevchenko has been a fighter that has owned the second-to-last fight on fight cards.

 Since she dethroned Joanna Jedrzejczyk in December of 2018, she has owned the UFC women’s flyweight division. She dominated Jennifer Maia. She elbowed Jessica Andrade to being nearly unconscious. She grounded and pounded Lauren Murphy into a TKO.

And then there was her latest fight; most recently fighting in Singapore last May, the champion faced little known Talia Santos. As a heavy favorite, Shevchenko and fans were caught completely off guard as she was pushed to her limits. Even when she heard “. . .and still . . .” there were many respectable MMA commentators who believed she had lost the fight.

Even though she is expected to win this fight, many are looking ahead to her having a rematch with Santos or facing rising star Erin Blanchfield.

As for Alexa Grasso, it is hard to see her as a fighter that will dethrone Shevchenko. Upon examination, her three most recent victories were not impressive. First, she defeated Maycee Barber, who is nowhere close to a title shot.

Then, she beat Joanne Wood, who has consistently been defeated in the first round. Lastly, she defeated Viviane Araujo, who is not that worthy of a title shot. The most worrisome part of this matchup for Grasso is that she does not do anything that is outstanding and that would give her an advantage over the champion.

Therefore, unless Shevchenko is actually in decline based on her last fight, which I would rather cite as a bad night at the office, she will win by stoppage. It will set up for next defense, which will undoubtedly be against either of the previously two mentioned contenders.

 

Jon Jones vs. 1Ciryl Gane

When Jon Jones vacated his UFC Light-Heavyweight title, people thought that a rise to heavyweight would eventually come. As previously said, it was believed and hoped by fans that he and Champion Ngannou would clash in the UFC’s heavyweight fight of the century. Instead, he faces Ciryl Gane.

When compared to Ngannou, what Gane lacks in the gifted knockout power, he makes up for in quickness and movement that is unseen in the division. In his most recent fight, Gane knocked out the hottest fighter at the heavyweight division. More importantly, he showed heart.

By being able to respond after getting cracked by Tai Tuivasa and winning in his home country of France, Gane showed the quality that fighters cannot buy or acquire by practice.

In a comparison with Jon, Gane is of equal height, something a lot of Jon’s opponents usually cannot say. Even though Jon has the advantage in reach, Gane is a much better striker, which is another quality that Jon has had a history of struggling against.

The advantages for Gane stop there. Jon is superior in wrestling and will likely try to exploit this flaw of Gane, the same flaw that Ngannou used to defeat Gane last January at UFC 270. Jon also presumably has much more endurance, or so we think.

The biggest unknown in assessing Jon is not knowing if he is still the same fighter. At 35 years old and a supposed “50 pounds heavier,” Jon’s speed that he relied on for years can be a question to many. Will he be fresh or rusty?

My prediction is that Jon will win by decision and start a second prime run. Yes, I could see Jon doing something that is usually wish casting in combat sports. The reason why is because he is Jon freaking Jones, a man that can out-box boxers and out-wrestle wrestlers.

On March 4th, Jon Jones will show that he is truly the baddest man in the sport.

Chris Kiely can be reached at christopher.kiely@student.shu.edu.

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