Can Jon Jones cement himself as the Greatest Of All Time at UFC 285?

Jon Jones has cemented himself as one of the greatest of all time. With wins over Vitor Belfort, Rampage Jackson, Daniel Cormier and many more high-level athletes who at their peak were the who’s who of the light heavyweight division.

Returning at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane, Jones’ 16th straight main event, we see the Frenchman open up as the favourite, which is the first time since fighting Stephan Bonner in 2009 that Jones has entered a fight as the underdog.

The Rise of Jones

Jon Jones first came to the UFC back in 2008 taking on Andre Gusmao at UFC 87, but it wasn’t until his second and third fights against Stephan Bonner and Jake O’Brien where people began to really take notice.

With impressive displays of elite grappling, striking with such a diverse skillset it didn’t take long for people to start touting him as a future world champion.

It wasn’t until the TUF Finale in December 2009 where ‘Bones’ would experience his first loss against Matt Hamill via DQ after landing illegal elbows in what was an extremely dominant yet unfortunate performance by the rising star.

Despite a delay in momentum, Jones was back against Brandon Vera, a Muay Thai disciplined fighter who Jones dispatched of with major ease in the very first round with elbows and punches. Jones would then go on to win his next two bouts both via KO vs Ryan Bader and Vladamir Matyushenko.

With the three-fight win streak in motion, Jones had his first opportunity to make history when he fought Shogun Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to become the youngest champion of all time. Jones did just that winning with vicious knees in the third round.

After becoming the youngest UFC Champion, Jon Jones would then go onto beat Rampage Jackson, Lyota Machida (which up until 2013 vs Alexander Gustafsson was the only fight he arguably lost a round but in my and many others’ opinion he didn’t.) and Rashad Evans. Becoming the first Light Heavyweight champion to defend the belt since Chuck Lidell.

Adversity & Career Impact

As Jon Jones rose to the peaks of his stardom he came face to face with a lot of adversity which forever changed the publics perception of the once great light heavyweight forever.

Jones would eventually be caught with traces of PEDs in his system by USADA prior to UFC 200 this would however be overturned after an investigation by the anti-doping agency showed that ‘Viagra Pills’ were to blame as they failed to list Hydroxy-Clomiphene and Letrozole. This earned Jones a one year suspension.

Though this wouldn’t be the last time Jones was tested positive for Steroids with his eventual clash and highly anticipated bout with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 which could’ve seen Jones carry out a four year suspension. However, the punishment from the UFC and USADA wasn’t this long in the end.

It is the two failed drug tests and questionable results one other drug test alongside other outside the cage antics that have seen Jones scrutinised and ultimately have his legacy tainted due to such matters.

The most recent judgment from fans has been his close bouts with Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes where Bones according to fans had lost those bouts, especially the Reyes fight back in 2020. Despite this many fans still declare Jones the goat of MMA and it’s extremely hard to disagree considering the ru he has had in the UFC.

What does a win do for his Legacy?

Jones as mentioned returns at UFC 285 vs french striking expert Ciryl Gane in a vacant UFC Heavyweight title bout. A win here could very easily cement Jon Jones as the official P4P Greatest of all time in MMA.

Gane’s last performance was a loss to former champion (due to not agreeing on a new contract with the UFC) Francis Ngannou where it was the improved wrestling of the African champion that saw him win the anticipated bout.

Which for me and other MMA fans begs the question, how will Gane handle the wrestling of potentially one of the best wrestlers in MMA history Jon Jones in their bout? It is hard to look past this element considering skillwise how much better Jones is as a grappler alongside a striking game that hangs with any fighter on the planet in any promotion.

With this being said, a win here will see Jones as the greatest of all time in my opinion, especially if he goes onto beat Stipe Miocic like Jones has planned.

UFC 285, March 4th. Jon Jones is back and ready!