In mixed martial arts, Jon Jones and then everyone else has been around for over a decade. After gaining weight and going away for three years, absolutely nothing has changed.
Jones defeated Cyril Gane with a guillotine choke at 2 minutes, 4 seconds of the first round on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 285 at the T-Mobile Arena. After years of ruling the light heavyweight division, Jones is now the UFC Heavyweight Champion. He was already considered the greatest MMA fighter of all time, and this win left zero debate.
“I’ve been working for this a long time,” Jones said in his post-war interview. “A lot of people thought I wasn’t coming back. I’ve been loyal to my goal. I’ve been loyal to the mission. There were days I didn’t want to train, and I was always there.”
Frankly, Jones made the whole thing look easy. He took Gann down, backed him up against the cage, and locked in a chokehold. It was unorthodox; Gane seemed safe. But Jones pressed on and Gane had to tap.
The submission was the third fastest in a UFC heavyweight title bout. Andrei Arlovski submitted Tim Sylvia in 47 seconds at UFC 51 and Frank Mir submitted Sylvia in 50 seconds at UFC 48.
“I’ve been wrestling since I was 12,” Jones said. “I feel stronger and more comfortable on the ground than ever. … Once I put my hands on it, I know I’m most comfortable and in control.”
Jones had not fought since February 2020. He relinquished the light heavyweight belt in August 2020, preparing to move up to heavyweight. Jones wanted time to move in the right direction — and he got it. He packed on more than 25 pounds of muscle, weighing in at 248 pounds on Friday after being a 205-pound fighter his entire career.
UFC President Dana White said that Jones went into the Octagon and treated Gane “like he was just a little kid.”
“I’m a big believer in Ring Rust,” White said. “We didn’t see any ring rust. Who knows if there was ring rust or not? He just went in there, and it was nothing, like the easiest thing in the world to do. He’s a freak of nature.”
Jones had talked about moving up to heavyweight by 2012. He was never actually defeated in the cage, his only defeat coming in a controversial disqualification in a bout he dominated. Jones is now the third fighter to win UFC titles at heavyweight and light heavyweight, joining Randy Couture and Daniel Cormier, and the eighth fighter to hold titles in the two divisions.
The UFC heavyweight title was vacated by former champion Francis Ngannou, who left the UFC as a free agent earlier this year.
Jones’ victory sets up a bout with Stipe Miocic, the most successful heavyweight fighter in UFC history and a two-time former champion.
“Do you want to see me kill Stipe?” Jones said in his Octagon interview. “One thing I know about UFC is we give the fans what they want to see. Stipe Miocic, I hope you’re training, my boy. You’re the greatest heavyweight ever. That’s what I I want you. I want you.” Real bad.”
Jones (27-1, 1 NC) owns the UFC records for longest unbeaten streak (19), wins in title fights (15) and title defenses (11, tied with Demetrious Johnson). The New York native, who lives and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico, posted a victory over Dominic Reyes in his last fight in a 205-pound title defense.
Jones, 35, was also the youngest fighter to win a UFC title in 2011 at the age of 23.
It was Jones’ first finish since 2018 and first submission win since 2012.
“I’ve been familiar with the high praise for a while,” Jones said. “I know that pride comes before a fall. … I know that grounding myself will be more important than ever.”
The 32-year-old Gane (11-2) was coming off a third-round knockout of Tai Tuivasa in September. The only other loss of his MMA career came in a unanimous decision loss to Ngannou for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 270 in January 2022.
The French fighter said he was “angry” with himself for the defeat.
“It’s very painful,” Gane said. “It’s a real loss. Now, it’s the past. I must look forward to the future. And I’ll go straight to the gym.”