Jon Jones fights for heavyweight title with Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, Francis Ngannou fired

On Sunday morning, January 15, Vietnam time, the first UFC event in 2023 - Fight Night 217 with a series of attractive results could not become the focus with two news on the sidelines of heavyweight.

During Fight Night 217, the tournament announced the heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones at the UFC 285 event in March in Las Vegas, USA. However, the information released has not mentioned whether this is an official title match or not.

Just a few hours later, in a press conference in front of the media, president Dana White confirmed that the competition will choose the official champion of heavyweight.

At the same time, he also announced the complete release of the contract with champion Francis Ngannou when he could not reach a successful agreement.

"We had a deal with Francis for two years, including the idea of ​​facing Jon Jones in his title defense. Jones is ready to go up to the ring to fight anyone."

"We offered Francis the biggest number in history, more than any other heavyweight. I said, 'If you want to leave, so be it.' I assumed he didn't want to. It's easier to take risks and fight fighters. Now he's free to do that, we're releasing Francis, he can go anywhere."

Earlier, it was reported that Francis Ngannou could return to UFC 285 after a year off due to a knee injury. However, the agreement was ultimately unsuccessful.

Jon Jones (26-1 MMA) is considered the best boxer in history when he competed in the welterweight division. The American boxer has left the ring since his victory over Dominick Reyes in February 2020 and announced that he would move to heavyweight competition.

Currently, Jon Jones is aiming for the championship title in the second weight division with the help of Henry Cejudo - Olympic gold medalist, a former two-weight champion of the tournament after the time they both worked together at the gym. .

Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA) used to hold the interim belt in heavyweight before receiving his first defeat to Francis Ngannou at UFC 270. The French boxer is known for his technical ability to stand up not inferior to any other martial arts. who is in the UFC right now.

UFC 285 will take place on March 4 in Las Vegas, USA (ie March 5 in Vietnam time). Besides the match between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, the event also saw many boxers signed to the ring including Shavkat Rakhmonov, Geoff Neal, Derek Brunson, Cody Garbrandt, Bo Nickal...