It was inevitable that Jon Jones would become heavyweight champion. When Jones strangled Cyril Gain in just two minutes and four seconds in Las Vegas on Saturday to win the vacant UFC belt, it fulfilled a prophecy - yes. Long ago, it was foreshadowed that Jones would be too big for the light heavyweight division to handle.
Jones' size was evident when he first stepped into the octagon nearly 15 years ago and began toying with his fellow 205-pounders, including former champions and Hall of Famers. Jones is taller than most of his opponents, and when he spreads his wings, they are an inescapable length. Jones' fights often looked like matchups between athletes of different weight classes.
At UFC 285, however, Jones faced an athlete his own size, or close to it. Jones weighed in at 248 pounds the day before, 1.5 pounds heavier than Gane, who has spent his career at heavyweight. In other words, Jones, returning to the cage for the first time in three years, was 43 pounds heavier than he weighed before his record 11 title defenses at 205 pounds. He had evolved like a different person.
UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane
If you purchased the pay-per-view, you can watch the entire UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane on ESPN+.
- Cyril Gane vs. Jon Jones
- Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso
- Shakhkat Rakhmonov vs. Jeff Neal
- Matheus Gamrot vs. Jalyn Turner
- Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Trevin Jones
- Derek Brunson vs. Drix du Plessis
- Vivian Araujo vs. Amanda Rivas
- Julian Marquez vs. Marc-André Barrieau
- Ian Garry vs. Son Kenan
- Mana Martinez vs. Cameron Siaman
- Jessica Penne vs. Tabitha Rich
- Damon Blackshear vs. Farid Basharat
- Esteban Ljubovic vs. Loïc Rajabov
The full card is available on ESPN+ PPV.
One thing that hasn't changed about Jones, however, is that his massive 205-pound frame is by no means limited to his size. He has always been more emphatic about it in the metaphorical sense of capturing the big moments and how he thrives in them. Jones' swagger was, and still is, huge enough to swallow the entire sport. And in his return this weekend, he did not falter in his latest momentous occasion.
Jones delivered a remarkable performance, both in its sheer intensity and brevity, and to the enthusiastic welcome of the crowd at T-Mobile Arena, Jones had time to soak in the moment, hugging his father, brother, and fiancée cageside. Then, for the first time in 1,121 days, he entered the cage, spinning across the center just as he had in the past. When Bruce Buffer introduced Jones as "the one and only," he proved that statement to be no exaggeration.
Less than a minute into the match, Jones had Gane wrapped up and under control, and within another half hour, he had the Frenchman sitting on the canvas. Jones then straddled and incapacitated Gane as he sat on the cage and scored a guillotine choke to make "Johnny Bones" the champion again.
Jones jumped on top of the cage to celebrate, then got down, picked his father up, and with a big smile on his face said, "I'm so proud of you. 'I've worked for this for a long time. A lot of people thought I would never come back. I kept reading, 'This guy's not coming back. But I stayed true to my goals."
Jon Jones beat Cyril Gane in just two minutes to win the UFC heavyweight title. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Becoming a champion at heavyweight after a long run at light heavyweight will reinvigorate the case for Jones being considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. While many already consider Jones the GOAT, some observers, myself included, have a different view because of Jones' multiple performance enhancing drug violations. However, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has moved the goalposts on acceptable levels of some substances, and the results of Jones' drug tests have come to the point where he would not be banned in today's regulatory environment. With this in mind, in addition to winning the sport's leading weight class, it is certainly difficult to leave Jones out of the GOAT conversation.
Along with the debate over who is the best ever, there is also the question of who is the best now. With his win over Gane on Saturday, Jones will be the UFC heavyweight champion and will generally have the moniker "The Worst Man on Earth."
But in this case, it's complicated. Editor's Picks.
UFC 285: Who's next for Jon Jones, Alexa Grasso, Bo Nickal and others?
6h Brett Okamoto and Mark Raimondi.
A look at Jon Jones' long-awaited return and his quest for heavyweight glory.
3dMarc Raimondi
Francis Ngannou, who recently vacated his UFC belt and left the company due to contractual issues, also seems to have a strong argument based on his long track record of knockouts, including the Steep Miocic fight that made "The Predator" the champ. However, Nannoo's last octagon appearance was a five-round decision over Gane, which Jones finished in two minutes. Jones is the winner in this comparison, but we may soon have one more thing to judge against Ngannou, as the UFC has announced that Jones' first defense will be against Miocic, and it will be interesting to see how the new champion performs against the old champion.
All we can say now is that Jones, 35, is bursting with upside.
Of course, there are downsides. Jones has always been able to take our breath away, but he has also been able to make us hold our breath in anticipation of his next bad move. He has been stripped of his UFC title three times. He was suspended three times for doping violations and once more in connection with his arrest in a hit-and-run accident that injured a pregnant woman. Jones has been arrested several times for domestic violence and twice on suspicion of driving under the influence. Throughout his career, Jones has proven himself to be a master of self-inflicted career sabotage.
At this time, the arena sound staff should set aside the UFC's usual "Bubba O'Reilly" kickoff once Jones' headlining fight card begins. As a public service to the fans who continue to be fooled by Jones' repeated "I'm a newer, better, grown man this time around," the show should open with another Who song, "Won't Get Fooled Again."
But this is not the time to be too pessimistic about a future that could be tainted by Jones' downfall. Even if his shadowy past suggests that it is as inevitable as his rise to the top of the heavyweight division this past weekend. Instead, we should be in awe of Jones' comeback on this night, and his ability to not just pick up where he left off, but to elevate his game. Who would have imagined such a thing was possible?
Jones has re-established himself as a champion among champions. And as long as he can keep his balance at the top of the hill in the spotlight, the sport of MMA will be richer for his presence.