Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou does not get mentioned during the UFC 285 Countdown video | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The UFC had more than 47 minutes to talk about the lead up to their big heavyweight title fight this Saturday, and skated around the most interesting part of the drama the whole time.
The UFC 285 Countdown video opens with footage from the career of Jon Jones. Under the video are the voices of Max Kellerman, Dana White, Joe Rogan, Jon Anik, and Dominick Cruz among others, all signing the praises of the former UFC light heavyweight champion. The voiceover then mentions that on “March 4, Jones will compete for the vacant heavyweight crown.” The next 45 minutes of promo material for Saturday’s pay-per-view card goes in depth on all the ins, outs, ups and downs of this coming Saturday’s epic battle against Ciryl Gane.
Well, all except one. It never mentions why that title happens to be vacant.
It’s just the latest chapter for the UFC in a long history of petty erasure, as the promotion looks to constantly update and re-write its own history.
If Jones was facing someone other than Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, the absence of the former heavyweight champion—Francis Ngannou—from the video could almost be explained away with a shrug and a knowing grin. Given that Gane just lost to Ngannou in a heavyweight title unification bout in February 2022, however, erasing the ex-champ from the UFC 285 buildup required that much extra targeted skullduggery.
The UFC spent nearly two minutes speaking about—and showing—Gane’s interim title-winning victory over Derrick Lewis. They then spent a full 30 seconds reviewing his failure to unify those titles against Ngannou. Not once during any of even that brief section does the promotion mention the name of the man (Francis Ngannou) who retained his heavyweight title that night in Anaheim.
I understand the top brass might feel scorned after the ‘Predator’ left the promotion as a free agent when he and the Endeavor-owned organization couldn’t come to terms on a contract, but disagreements like that should be a standard part of doing business. That the UFC got all up in its feelings about him leaving to the point where they’d refuse to acknowledge any part of his legacy or that actually fairly interesting and dramatic story that plays into the reason this fight is even happening at all doesn’t make that fact go away. But, it makes the UFC look bitter and trifling.
Near the end of the promo for Saturday’s contest between Jones and Gane, the narrator mentions the fight is for the “undisputed” heavyweight title. Right now, no matter who ends up holding the belt aloft in the Octagon by the end of the night, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Shavkat Rakhmonov punching Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 57 | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dig into the main card non-title fights, featuring welterweight heat seeker looking to continue his undefeated run against the always dangerous Geoff Neal.
No disrespect intended towards Justin Tafa and Parker Porter, but there’s no wasted space on the main card of UFC 285. Sure, there’s a fighter making his UFC debut on the card, but I’m hard-pressed to think of a more hyped prospect making their debut than Bo Nickal. Not even Alex Pereira – the current middleweight champion – seemed to have as much excitement around him as Nickal has. That’s saying something.
The other two non-title fights on the card have significant meaning in their divisions too. Many believe Shavkat Rakhmonov is a champion in waiting. He has yet to face an opponent as dangerous as Geoff Neal. Like Rakhmonov, many believe Jalin Turner will have gold strapped around his waist before long. He has yet to face someone with the experience and discipline of Mateusz Gamrot. Given how excited fans are about Nickal, it doesn’t matter who he’s facing. Fans just want to see him finally touch down in the UFC.
For the early prelims preview, click here. For the prelims preview, click here.
Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov, Welterweight
It’s amazing how quickly Neal became persona non grata. It wasn’t that long ago he was thought to be one of the rising stars of the UFC. Y’all remember him headlining a Fight Night with Stephen Thompson… and it was a pick ‘em contest? Neal’s performance against Thompson was lackluster, but his performance against Neil Magny was really lackluster. Add in that Neal had an interesting DUI situation immediately before his contest with Santiago Ponzinibbio and everyone opted to begin writing him off. Even though Neal has looked great since that incident, the stink has yet to completely wash off him.
It’s too bad, at least for Neal’s opponents. Neal seems to be at his best when everyone is doubting him. Well, at the very least, he’s been fighting with a mean streak since everyone has been jumping off his bandwagon. It isn’t changing as he’s never been a bigger underdog than he is against Rakhmonov. For many, Rakhmonov is the next big thing at welterweight
It isn’t hard to see why so many believe that. Rakhmonov has secured a finish over every one of his UFC opponents thus far. The Kazak fighter fights with the type of unshakable confidence that tends to shake the confidence of his opponents. Thus far, no one has been able to take him down and Rakhmonov has proven to have the type of power and dynamism that isn’t to be trifled with. Given the accuracy and precision in which he throws, no one has been willing to engage in a fire fight with Rakhmonov.
Granted, none of Rakhmonov’s opponents have been Neal. It’s hard to believe any of Rakhmonov’s opponents thus far have been able to match the power that Neal can produce. It’s only been in the last few fights that Neal has proven he can maintain his power late while pushing a pace. Perhaps most importantly, Neal proved he’s not just a one-dimensional boxer on the feet either. Not to say it wouldn’t hurt if he could diversify his attack some, but he caught many by surprise when he proved to be the more efficient clinch fighter against Vicente Luque. Given Rakhmonov’s willingness to fight in that area, it might be worth noting.
Then again, some will argue it doesn’t matter where Rakhmonov fights; he’s comfortable everywhere. While I agree Rakhmonov has been effective everywhere, it’s hard to believe he’ll want to mess with Neal’s power more than he has to. Where Rakhmonov appears to have the biggest advantage would be on the mat. It isn’t just that he’s proven to be a powerhouse on the mat with his grappling; he’s proven to be quite technical on the mat too. Just ask Magny how easy it is to get out from underneath the rising star. Plus, he may have one of the tightest guillotine squeezes on the roster.
However, the question is who effective Rakhmonov will be at getting the fight to the mat. While Rakhmonov had no problem getting Magny to the ground, he’s struggled with some of his other opponents. Neal hasn’t exactly proven himself to be a skilled grappler, but he has proven himself to be exceptionally difficult to take down. Even if he does have his back put on the mat, Neal tends to bounce back up to his feet quickly. It’ll be hard for Rakhmonov to submit Neal if he can’t take him down. Not impossible – just ask Alex Oliveira – but difficult.
While I understand the sentiment of Rakhmonov being the favorite, he shouldn’t be as heavy of a favorite as he is. Neal has legit fight ending power and he’s proven to be the busier fighter. If Rakhmonov has as many problems as I expect putting Neal on his back, that makes Neal more likely to secure a finish if it goes to decision. After all, it’s not like Rakhmonov has ever won a decision. That said, Rakhmonov tends to get a read for his opponents, identifying their weaknesses and exposing them. Neal is durable, he hasn’t faced someone with the level of discipline and power possessed by Rakhmonov. All the betting value is on Neal, but Rakhmonov is the most likely to leave with his hand raised. Rakhmonov via TKO of RD3
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Jalin Turner, Lightweight
Make no mistake, the size dichotomy between Gamrot and Turner is going to cut quite the visual. Turner is one of the largest — if not the largest – lightweight to step fight in the Octagon in its history. On the flip side, Gamrot has cut to 145 successfully in his career. He’s not the smallest lightweight, but you’ll be excused for thinking he is when he’s battling Turner.
Despite the size disparity, Gamrot enters the contest the favorite. The former KSW two-division champion is an intelligent fighter and an underrated athlete. Given he hasn’t scored too many highlight reel finishes in combination with his high volume of decision victories before coming to the UFC, his physical gifts tend to be overlooked. That he doesn’t necessarily excel at any one thing doesn’t exactly help his standard either. Regardless, he has the fundamentals down pat, exemplified by his jab, one of the best in the division. If you’ve watched his contest with Arman Tsarukyan, you have a pretty good idea of what a fantastic scrambler he is as well.
It’s more than likely we’re going to see the scrambly aspect of his game. For how technically sound his striking is, size does matter. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Turner isn’t exactly an expert at keeping opponents on the outside with his reach – his striking defense is an atrocious 44% — but he’s getting better. More importantly, it tends to make his opponents hesitant, allowing him to find the shots he’s looking for. It isn’t like he’s helpless should they get inside on him. Turner’s clinch is dangerous too. Think about the leverage he can get with his knees given his massive frame….
While we know Gamrot isn’t going to want to spend long periods of time striking, it’s hard to know how much success he’ll find on the mat. Turner isn’t necessarily impossible to take down, but he tends to make his opponent work hard to complete the takedown. Plus, while the threat of a guillotine isn’t generally sound defense to prevent takedowns, Turner’s physical gifts add a level of danger that isn’t there for most. And while there’s no doubt Gamrot is the more technical grappler, Turner has surprised plenty of opponents with his own scrambling ability. The thing he’s mastered the most with his long limbs is the ability to wrap up his opposition.
I’ve had a very difficult time figuring out this contest. Turner has looked unstoppable in his last few contests, but he hasn’t faced someone with the combination of smarts, skill, and versatility Gamrot possesses. Plus, the one time Turner faced an opponent who was primarily a wrestler in the UFC, he ended up with the only loss at 155 he has suffered in the organization. I question Turner’s ability to consistently get up off his back too. Then again, part of the reason Gamrot has so many takedowns in his UFC run is due to his inability to keep his opponents down. What I expect is Gamrot will take the fight right at Turner, force the massive lightweight to expend a lot of energy, and see what he has down the stretch. It’s hard to believe Turner has a deep gas tank given what he has to cut to make weight. Despite that, Turner has some of the best finishing instincts on the roster. Gamrot may not get the chance to see what Turner has deep into a fight. Even if he does, a knockdown or two from Turner could put Gamrot impossibly behind on the scorecards. I’ll say the durable Gamrot goes for takedown after takedown, wearing down the up-and-comer, before finding a late finish. Gamrot via submission of RD3
For wrestling purists, Bo Nickal’sUFC debut is the main event. One of the best freestyle wrestlers on the planet, Nickal has bowled over his opposition on his way to the UFC… all three of them. It’s rare the UFC fast tracks someone of the level of Nickal, but Nickal appears to be a worthy exception. While there are plenty of credentialed wrestlers who have floundered under the MMA spotlight – Steve Mocco and Ed Ruth come to mind – Nickal has completely embraced being the center of attention. Plus, while he only made his MMA debut last year, he has been prepping for his post-Olympic career for a while. Perhaps most importantly, Nickal doesn’t show the fear of getting hit in the face that has held many wrestlers back from matching their accomplishments in the collegiate ranks. He’d better be prepared as Jamie Pickett is a HUGE step up from what Nickal has faced before. That said, Nickal is a stylistic nightmare for Pickett. Pickett has a big reach and some good power, but he hasn’t mastered using his length on the counter. In fact, Pickett tends to wilt under pressure. Pressure is all he’s going to get from Nickal. Plus, while Pickett is a good clinch fighter, fighting in that range allows Nickal to get his mitts on him, the last thing Pickett wants. This may be MMA, but Pickett’s MMA wrestling hasn’t been anything to indicate he can stop Nickal from doing whatever he wants. Nickal via submission of RD1
Ex-UFC champ Luke Rockhold has nothing but good things to say about BKFC, while taking an indirect jab at his former employers.
On Wednesday, Bare-Knuckle FC announced the signing of two former UFC champions into their roster. Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez are expected to make their bare-knuckle boxing debuts on April 21. Rockhold goes up against Mike Perry, while Alvarez faces former title challenger Chad Mendes.
The ex-middleweight champ appeared on The MMA Hour this week to discuss his signing, which he couldn’t be happier about.
“It’s an offer I couldn’t refuse. And, I’m still a free agent. That’s the beauty of life. That’s the beauty of where we’re at and where we’re gonna keep it. BKFC, I’m loyal to them, for sure, if we stay in that space,” he told Ariel Helwani.
What seemed to delight Rockhold the most is the newfound freedom he’s getting with BKFC, which includes apparel sponsorships akin to the old UFC days.
“It’s amazing the freedom that they give. You can actually do your own f—ng thing, live your own life. Not be a f—ng slave. I’m done being a f—ng slave, and I’m excited to be partnered with bare-knuckle and do this thing right.
“It brings out the best in a fighter, too, when you’re not enslaved into that shit. That you’re fighting for yourself in your own worth, and what you can be worth.”
Rockhold, who turns 39 this year, has nothing but good things to say about BKFC and the treatment he’s getting so far.
“They take care of the fighters, man. They take care of the people, and they give you what you’re worth. And I’m happy to go in there. I’m happy to train, I’m happy to take my training camp with me.
“Given the opponent, the payday, and the stage, I think this was the best opportunity, for sure. There’s still other opportunities still on the table right now, in the mix, but this is exciting, and this is new, and this is what intrigues me the most.”
Rockhold (16-6 in MMA) last saw action in August at UFC 278 against Paulo Costa. He lost via unanimous decision and announced his retirement right after. But as it’s customary in prizefighting, he began teasing a comeback months later.
About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)
Check out the second episode of Embedded for UFC 285.
UFC 285 is almost here, and as usual, Embedded is here as well. The show that gives you an inside look at the marquee contestants on PPVs has issued the second episode for this weekend’s big show in Vegas, and it serves as a brief introduction to the fighters at the top of the card.
We start off in the Red Rock canyon with Ciryl Gane and his team. His brother says they came out there for some fresh air. Ciryl is a nature, outdoorsy kind of guy.
Jon Jones is studying tape of Gane fights. He doesn’t understand why people don’t study their opponents more going into fights. He thinks a Gane fight equates to a chess match because they’re both thinkers.
Geoff Neal gets his first Embedded look. He equates his 285 fight with his pre-UFC regional fights where he had to win to pay his rent. He’s just going to beat his opponent up. No more words are necessary.
Over at the PI in Vegas, Valentina Shevchenko is preparing. Her coach talks about her journey on the way to her showdown with Alexa Grasso. He thinks Shevchenko is very well-rounded, which is how it should be in today’s MMA world. It’s all pretty standard MMA talk, and neither her or her coach actually mention her opponent once in what made the cut for the episode.
Back to Gane at home, playing FIFA and clowning around with his teammates. Then immediately back to ABQ, where Jones is at the pool again with Walt Harris and other teammates. He talks about his love for Albuquerque and the people there. Jones does come off a little different than he previously did. More mature, if that’s a thing. It’s still hard to tell how legit it is though. Oddly, he’s still doing the sauna suffering thing even though he doesn’t need to cut weight anymore. He says it’s a mental thing. Sure, okay.
And that’s it! UFC 285 goes down this Saturday night in T-Mobile Arena.
Chris Weidman wants to know if Logan Paul will put his money where his mouth is. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Logan Paul recently signed a multi-million dollar deal with the UFC.
Recently social media star Logan Paul signed a deal with to make his sports drink PRIME (which he co-owns with KSI) the official sports drink of the UFC. Part of that deal is the renaming of the Octagon’s fighter corners as the blue and red PRIME hydration zones.
In the build-up to his younger brother’s fight with Tommy Fury this past weekend, Paul said he would bet his equity in PRIME on Jake Paul winning. Jake Paul would go on to lose that fight by split decision.
Paul then took to Twitter to ask “who wants it?” in reference to his earlier bet.
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has reacted to this and explained why he thought Paul should forward his PRIME pay-cheques to fighters.
Here’s what he said on his Won’t Back Down Radio show.
“Logan Paul, who by the way, sounded like a complete buffoon when he got the mic in the fight, he went on Twitter and said he’d bet his equity in PRIME, the hydration energy drink,” said Weidman (ht bjpenn). “We now have hydration corners, the red and blue hydration corners. He said he’d bet his equity in that to anyone who wanted it, that Jake Paul would win this fight.”
“After the fight, he said, ‘Who wants it’. I’m sure he’s just messing around but either way, I know his brother Jake Paul is about MMA fighters being taken care of,” continued Weidman. “He would approve of this: Take your equity and give it to all the UFC fighters, split it all up. Let’s not forget back in the day we had sponsors on our shorts, they took everything away.”
“…Years go by, and there are multiple sponsors in the cage… There’s nobody talking anymore about fighters getting a piece of that pie. As an old-time guy myself, I don’t forget.”
UFC fighters have been frozen out of having independent in-cage sponsors since 2013 and they receive zero share of the majority of sponsorship deals the UFC signs.
About the author: Tim Bissell is a writer, editor and deputy site manager for Bloody Elbow. He has covered combat sports since 2015. Tim covers news and events and has also written longform and investigative pieces. (full bio)
Jon Jones fights Ciryl Gane this weekend. | Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
A detailed breakdown of the position-by-position statistics to watch out for in Saturday’s UFC 285 fight card from Las Vegas.
Saturday’s UFC 285 will bring the first promotional PPV event of 2023 to U.S. soil with a fun main card and a poster solely focused on a single matchup: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. Jones, the arguable MMA GOAT, has completed his transition up to the heavyweight division and will throw down against former-interim champion Gane for the now-undisputed heavyweight strap since Francis Ngannou exercised his contractual right to take his talents… somewhere yet to be determined.
While Jones had a long string of statistically-dominant light heavyweight performances from the days of Matt Hamill in 2009 to Glover Teixeira in 2014 (Lyoto Machida and Alexander Gustafsson were the only two opponents in that range where Jones had less than 86% dominance), he won his two most recent outings via decision with an extremely low 38% dominance measure against Thiago Santos and an even smaller 34% showing in his most recent fight versus Dominick Reyes, adding to the intrigue of Saturday night.
So let’s jump on into the numbers.
Remember, what you’re about to read are not official UFC statistics. They’re alternative stats generated from official statistics and designed to (1) give more weight to the recent present than the distant past and (2) minimize the effects of one huge or horrible performance more quickly as time goes by. See the notes at the bottom for definitions of certain statistics.
Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane
Keep in mind that all of Jones statistics are from his tenure as a UFC light heavyweight. How well they’ll translate over to heavyweight is yet to be seen, but we’ve got no other option when working with MMA data. Take all of Jones’ stats with a grain of salt.
While Jones has certainly shown an ability to dictate the position of his fights, he ends up spending the majority of his bout time operating in space at distance (3:44 of every five minutes). Gane spends even more time at distance (4:08), but he’s much more likely to be spending time there out of necessity. Gane isn’t much of a takedown artist (1-of-8 at distance and 24% success from the clinch), he only spends 26 seconds of every round clinched up, and he’s been on his back for 75% of his ground time.
That being said, Gane is an incredibly efficient fighter during the four minutes of each round he spends in his preferred position. He lands head jabs with 44% accuracy while opponents only manage to land 17% back. With power strikes to the head, body, and legs, Gane successfully connects 44%, 71%, and 96% of the time while his opponents can only muster connect rates of 22%, 56%, and 72% back at him. So in the game of hit-and-don’t-get-hit, Gane’s been an exceptional distance operator. In the head jab department alone, he’s landed 133 strikes and only absorbed 19.
While efficiency isn’t the end-all-be-all of striking, Gane’s also been able to mesh his efforts with higher volume than his opponents for head jabs and power strikes to the body and legs. The only area Gane’s opponents out-work him is power shots to the head. But even in this situation, while Gane’s opponents throw four more attempts per five minutes in the position (p5m), they still end up getting out-struck by two strikes p5m. Basically when it comes to power to the head, Gane’s opponents throw while he lands.
While we don’t yet know how Jones’ skills will translate in his new heavyweight home, one thing we know for sure is Jones is the arguable MMA GOAT for a reason.
The man shows no glaring statistical weakness.
While he doesn’t overwhelm opponents with volume, he still ends up with positive striking differentials to all three target areas of the head, body, and legs at distance. And boy does he mix things up well with his power, landing and almost perfectly evenly distributed 4.1, 4.2, and 4.2 shots to the head, body, and legs respectively p5m.
Then throw in the fact that Jones has never been knocked down, has only been taken down twice (and got back up with a standup rate over 10x the heavyweight average), tends to be the controlling fighter in the clinch (63% of the time), is almost always the top fighter on the ground (99% of the time), has never been submitted, and has only faced one serious submission attempt in his UFC career, and Gane has definitely got his hands full with the heavyweight neophyte.
If the fight ends up an almost entirely distance affair, the striking battle should be incredibly interesting to see how Jones’ abilities translate against an extremely talented opponent.
But if Jones is able to find success with his statistically average distance takedown abilities (28% versus 26% heavyweight average) and clinch takedowns (39% versus 50% average, but with solid volume for Jones), the fight would move into a world where Jones tends to have control (99%), Gane tends to be controlled (75%), and Gane struggles to get back to his feet with a 37% worse standup rate than a typical heavyweight. Jones’ 30.1 power strikes landed p5m of ground control (20.7 heavyweight average) and 50% submission success would come into play and could easily spell serious trouble for Gane.
But there’s a reason they lock the cage doors and let us revel in the regulated violence – to see how this all plays out. Saturday can’t come fast enough.
Bring on the glorious fights!
Statistical Notes: Strike attempts are per an entire five minute round in each position (p5m) and are categorized as jab or power. A jab is just a non-power strike. Strikes are documented based on where they land or are targeted (head, body, legs), not the type that is thrown (punch, elbow, kick, knee). Clinch control is having the opponent pressed against the cage. Ground control is having top position or the opponent’s back.
About the author: Paul writes about MMA analytics and officiating at Bloody Elbow and MMA business at Forbes Sports. He was also formerly licensed as a referee and judge. Follow him @MMAanalytics. Fight data provided by FightMetric. (full bio)
“I think we all know that Jon Jones has multiple personalities.”
Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones is becoming one of the biggest ‘what-could’ve-beens’ in recent UFC history. As “Bones” was finally making his heavyweight move official, “The Predator” was on his way out of the organization due to long-standing disagreements with the powers that be.
Now set for his heavyweight debut in a vacant title fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, Jones was asked about the supposed Ngannou bout. He essentially absolved himself from any shortcomings, stating most of the blame falls on the former heavyweight champion.
“I don’t think I deserve any criticism. I’m here. Francis had the opportunity to face me, and he opted out on the opportunity,” Jones told RMC Sport.
“If anyone should be criticized, it’s Francis Ngannou. If I’m correct, he was offered the biggest contract in heavyweight history. He had the opportunity to be a guy that dethroned me, and he didn’t believe in himself.
“Francis didn’t believe in himself. He wasn’t willing to gamble on himself. I feel bad for the fans. I know that that would’ve been a massive fight for the fans. People from all around the world would’ve loved to see that.”
Ngannou got the chance to respond to Jones in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.
“Personally, I don’t have any problem with Jon Jones. I think we all know that Jon Jones has multiple personalities, and sometimes it’s even hard for him to figure out who he really is – and I don’t have nothing to do with that.
“… I think in this fight we could have been on the same side, instead of, like, fighting against each other, which is exactly what the system wants. You know, to divide the most, to conquer.
“So, I’m not really into that game. I see clearly what’s happening, I understand very well what’s happening, and I wish them all the best, you know?”
While nothing is set in stone yet, Ngannou’s name is currently linked to possible boxing matches against either Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. As for Jones, he faces Gane this Saturday in Las Vegas.
About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)
Larissa Pacheco after PFL 10 in 2022. | Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
A pair of 2022 PFL champions are on tap for the second 2023 event.
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is preparing for its 2023 Regular Season.
The promotion announced on Monday the official line-up for PFL 2, the upcoming event scheduled for April 7 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
2022 heavyweight champion Ante Delija faces promotional newcomer Yorgan De Castro in the headliner. The Croatian went 4-0 in 2022, finishing three of his past four opponents inside two rounds. Following his departure from the UFC, De Castro competed in various promotions, including CES and Eagle FC, rattling off three consecutive wins over Danyelle Williams, Shaun Asher and former UFC champion Junior dos Santos.
OFFICIAL: #2023PFL2 is set!
[ #2023PFL2 | Sat, April 7th | 9pm ET | ️https://t.co/hxZi2fDDKB ] pic.twitter.com/OxVoXCKKmh
— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 27, 2023
In the co-headliner, Larissa Pacheco returns after her stunning upset of Kayla Harrison for the 2022 lightweight championship. The Brazilian earned first-round finishes of Zamzagul Fayzallanova, Genah Fabian and Olena Kolesnyk before rematching Harrison, who previously defeated her twice. After her first win in PFL — a unanimous decision against Kaitlin Young — Budd has dropped her past two.
The ‘Jewel’ came up short against the aforementioned Fabian and Aspen Ladd at PFL 3 and PFL 10, respectively.
Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen tie up during their UFC 159 bout in 2013. | Photo by David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images
Nevermind that Sonnen was fighting up a weight class against an opponent three inches taller, he sounds fairly sure that he was battling other, pharmaceutical factors, inside the cage as well.
If ever there’s been a man who knows a thing or two about doping in sports it’s Chael Sonnen. The former multiple time UFC title contender and Bellator heavyweight Grand Prix tournament competitor has been nothing if not entirely open about his own history of PED use during his time as a professional athlete.
“I get asked by people, ‘Did you ever take anything that was an enhancer?’” Sonnen recalled in a 2016 interview with ESPN. “I never took anything that wasn’t an enhancer. That’s the only reason I would take something, is if I thought it would enhance me.”
Sonnen has, at various times, debated the exact nature of—and reason for—the substances he took during his competitive MMA career (explaining that he was largely taking testosterone to combat a hypogonadism diagnosis, rather than using other synthetic steroids). But then he’s not shy about leaning into more nebulous lingo when the moment requires. Like his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, where the ‘American Gangster’ not only admitted that he “had more juice than Tropicana” for his light heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones, but that he believes Jones was doping at the time as well.
“No. Heavens no,” Sonnen exclaimed, when asked if he thought Jones was clean for their fight. “Oh my god. Oh my GOD! Oh, Ariel, we know our own. Yes. Yes, I could tell, very easily, yes.”
Chael: I had more juice than Tropicana and he pushed me around like a Mack truck…#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/9SxBMNQEZ6
“Sure, it would be the body,” he continued. “I mean, it would start with your delts, it would go to your nipples, then it would be the upper abs—are the three big tells. But, yes, of course. I had more juice than Tropicana, and he pushed me around like a Mack truck vs. a Volvo. As soon as we locked up with each other I thought, ‘Ooh, I know your—” as he’s pushing me backwards. Before he caught me with his big spinning elbow I remember thinking, ‘I know your secret! Because I got the same one!’
“Yes, they tested. But back then it was an IQ test, not a drug test. We didn’t have USADA, so they had to tell us when they would come in and test.”
Funny enough, the Tropicana/Mack truck line is one Sonnen repeated almost word-for-word to Helwani back in 2017.
The longtime Team Quest talent has talked in the past about how he would game the classic ‘in competition’ drug testing measures used by commissions, noting that he’d test himself out of competition and wouldn’t accept a fight until his results came back clean. It was only with the advent of more stringent, randomized testing that he started getting caught.
Outside of Sonnen’s allegations, Jones has had his own lengthy history with drug test failures and the resulting clouded legacy that comes with them. Jones first tested positive for clomiphene and letrozole (two substances commonly used for steroid cycle recovery) in 2016. Although that test was traced to a contaminated dose of sexual-enhancement medication, Jones was suspended from competition for 1-year.
Jones was flagged again in 2017, this time for trace amounts of the Turinabol M3 metabolite, an anabolic steroid. That result prompted his UFC 214 victory over Daniel Cormier to be overturned, and for Jones to be stripped of the light heavyweight title for the third time in his career. He continued to ‘pulse’ positive for a low level of the substance for more than a year after the positive test, however USADA reduced his suspension from 4-years down to just 18-months following “substantial assistance” provided by Jones to the drug testing agency, and their determination that the fighter “was not intentionally cheating.”
Back in 2019, USADA adjusted the threshold for a positive Turinabol drug test failure—setting the bar at 0.1 ng/ml for the M3 metabolite among other levels established for Clomiphene, Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and GW-1516 metabolites (all substances that have caused failed drug tests for UFC talent). As a result, Jones recently stated that he believes “officially cleared” and that “there will be no asterick [sic] next to any of my performances.”
“It’s good the rest of the world can see what I’ve known this whole time,” he wrote in a post to his Twitter page. “My only advantage over my competition has been pure Hard work.”
About the author: Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. Host of the MMA Vivisection and 6th Round, he has covered MMA and the UFC since 2013.(full bio)
Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier doing commentary at UFC 277. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The UFC has announced their broadcast team for UFC 285.
Daniel Cormier is joining the broadcast for Jon Jones’ return.
Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie reports that Jones’ former foe will provide play-by-play commentary alongside Jon Anik and Joe Rogan, who returns to the booth after sitting out on the two previous pay-per-view events, UFC 283 and UFC 284, respectively.
The Octagon announcer is Bruce Buffer, who fires up the audience with his fighter introductions. And the roving reporter is Megan Olivi, the promotion staple who provides extra coverage such as pre- and post-fight interviews.
Rounding out the broadcast team are two more of Jones’ former foes in Anthony Smith and Rashad Evans, who are expected to serve as desk analysts throughout the night.
For his first Octagon appearance in three years, Jones moves up from light heavyweight to heavyweight against Ciryl Gane for the vacant championship in the headliner of UFC 285. Prior to his hiatus, ‘Bones’ successfully defended the 205-pound title with a unanimous decision over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in Feb. 2020. After suffering his first professional loss to Francis Ngannou, Gane recently returned to the win column with a third-round TKO of Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris this past September.
In the co-headliner, reigning flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko goes for her eighth defense against No. 6 ranked contender Alexa Grasso.
When is UFC 285?
UFC 285 goes down on Sat., March 4, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The early preliminary portion of the event begins at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m PT on ESPN+, followed by the ESPN prelims at 8:00 p.m ET/5:00 p.m. PT. The ESPN+ PPV portion starts at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all your fight coverage this week.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
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