Jon Jones’ highly anticipated octagon return is set to take place at UFC 285 in March, where he will take on Ciryl Gane for the now-vacant UFC heavyweight title. The fight announcement was accompanied by the news that Jones had also signed a new eight-fight deal with the UFC.
ESPN MMA broke the news of Jones’ new deal on Twitter by posting:
“Jon Jones has signed a new 8-fight deal with the UFC ahead of his upcoming heavyweight title bout at UFC 285, Dana White announced on Saturday.”
See the post below:
Jones teased MMA fans about a move to heavyweight for over a decade, and now that his transition has materialized, ‘Bones’ will face arguably the best striker in the division.
The fantasy matchup between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou doesn’t appear likely following Dana White’s statement that the UFC had released Ngannou from his UFC contract. ‘The Predator’ last fought Gane at UFC 270 and defeated the French native due to Ngannou’s decision to grapple instead of strike with his opponent.
The then-UFC heavyweight champion entered the fight with a torn ACL and required surgery following the bout. ‘The Predator’ was forced to the sidelines for the next 9-12 months, and many assumed his comeback fight would be against Jones. However, with Ngannou’s release from the UFC, a number of contenders, including Sergei Pavlovich, former champion Stipe Miocic and a fully-fit Tom Aspinall, will all be eyeing a fight for the belt.
Henry Cejudo announces he is helping Jon Jones prepare for UFC 285
Jon Jones will be fighting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March for the vacant UFC heavyweight title and will be training with Henry Cejudo in preparation for the bout.
‘Triple C’ has worked with other MMA stars, such as Zhang Weili and Deiveson Figueiredo, at Fight Ready MMA & Fitness since he retired from the sport. During a recent interview on Cejudo’s YouTube channel, Jones disclosed that he has already been training with Cejudo for over a year.
‘Triple C’ took to Twitter to announce that he and Jones would be working together and said the following:
“Always an honor to work with @JonnyBones the greatest fighter in MMA history. Now it’s time for him to add to that legacy with his first UFC heavyweight title. Can’t wait for Jones v Gane! #UFC285”
See the tweet below: