UFC 285 Preview

Welcome ladies and gentleman, we are in for another epic night of fights on Saturday, March 4. UFC 285 will be taking place in the fight capital of the world, Viva Las Vegas, at the T-Mobile Center. The main card features two title fights as the arguable GOAT Jon "Bones" Jones (26-1) makes his heavyweight debut against one of the best strikers to ever grace the Heavyweight division Ciryl Gane (11-1) for the Vacant Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, followed by Valentina "The Bullet" Shevchenko (23-3) defending her Flyweight Championship for the eighth time against Alexa Grasso (15-3) in the co-main event. Before we witness this iconic card of fights on October 22, I wanted to share my thoughts and predictions on each of these fights.

Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane

Jon "Bones" Jones, arguably the greatest fighter of all time, is returning to the cage after a three-year hiatus to make history once again against Ciryl Gane. Jon Jones has truly done it all, from becoming the youngest fighter in UFC history to win a championship to having the most title defenses of any fighter in UFC history. Now, he is moving up to Heavyweight to try to become the eighth fighter to win a championship in multiple divisions. I know fans were originally expecting Jones to fight Francis Ngannou, but as we all know life doesn't always go as expected. In steps Ciryl Gane, the feared striker from France, who contains some of the most dynamic movement on the feet of any fighter on the UFC roster. This fight comes down to whichever fighter is able to implement their respective gameplans. Jones is a complete mixed martial artists with an all-around excellent skillset. He can strike, he can wrestle, has great jiu-jitsu, and a ton of experience. He has been in there with the best of them and put on dominant performances. Jones will definitely be looking to implement his wrestling in this fight because he knows that Gane's weakest area in his skillset. Jones will be looking to drag Gane into deep waters and potentially submit him in the later rounds. Gane on the other hand, definitely wants to keep this fight on the feet and pick apart Jones from the outside. As mentioned above, Gane possesses some of the best striking in the division's history and has unique movement that makes him extremely hard to hit. He has excellent skills, but he does have a weakness in the wrestling department as Ngannou was able to hold him down for 5 rounds. He must address his wrestling woes is he wants to win this fight. With that being said, this fight has all of the ingredients of an instant classic and also answers a ton of questions: Will Jon Jones be able to withstand the ring rust? Will Jon Jones be able implement his wrestling against guys who are bigger than him? Will Ciryl Gane be able to defend the takedowns and use his striking? We shall find out Saturday night!

Prediction: Jon Jones via 4th-Round TKO

Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso

I am extremely excited for this fight, being that Alexa Grasso is one of my favorite fighters and I'm excited to see her fight for a belt. Now, let's get to the breakdown of this fight. Valentina Shevchenko is already one of the best fighters in UFC history and has a strong case for the GWOAT in MMA history. Valentina Shevchenko is excellent everywhere and has beat some of the best fighters on the planet at both Flyweight and Bantamweight. She has great striking, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and experience. Valentina is looking to defend her title for the eighth time and is looking to mistake a statement. After her last fight against Thaila Santos, many fans questioned her abilities on the ground due to Santos being able to control her on the ground for some time during their fight, so she is definitely looking to silence the doubters. Grasso on the other hand, has some of the best hands in the Flyweight Division and can strike with the best of them. Make no mistake about it, Grasso will be coming in there to knock Valentina's head off of her shoulders. If Alexa, had any weakness I would say it is her wrestling. Hopefully, she's honed in on the wrestling doing this training camp because I'm sure Valentina will be looking to test her on the ground. As with every fight, this fight boils down to whichever fighter is able to follow their gameplan. Shevchenko wants to close the distance and use her wrestling to control Grasso. Grasso will be looking to keep the fight standing and use her boxing to pick Valentina apart. Will Shevchenko continue her reign at the top and make her eighth successful title defense? Will Grasso be able to make history and become the first Mexican woman to ever win a UFC championship? We shall find out Saturday night!

Prediction: Alexa Grasso via 3rd Round Knockout