- Jon Jones has opened as the betting underdog against Cyril Gane at UFC 285.
- Jones will fight Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in the main event of the March 4th event.
- The title became vacant after Francis Ngannou was stripped of the belt following his release from his UFC contract.
Jon Jones has opened as the betting underdog in his long-awaited UFC heavyweight debut.
The former light heavyweight and no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC will finally make his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 when he takes on Cyril Gane for the just-vacated UFC heavyweight title.
Over the weekend, the UFC released Francis Ngannou from his contract and stripped him of the heavyweight title. UFC President Dana White then announced that Jones will fight for the belt against Gane, a former interim UFC heavyweight champion.
Francis Ngannou Stripped of Heavyweight Title
Heavyweight Francis Ngannou has been stripped of his UFC title and is now an unrestricted free agent, Dana White announced at the #UFCVegas67 post-fight press conference. pic.twitter.com/sNyrN8l6Y0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 15, 2023
Jones has been teasing a move to the heavyweight division for eons now. Most recently, he was linked to bouts against Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, and Curtis Blaydes. But with Ngannou failing to come to terms with the UFC on a contract extension, the Predator has been released from his contract, leaving the heavyweight title vacant.
Gane was the last fighter to challenge Ngannou for the belt and is the current no. 1 ranked contender. The 32-year-old became the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion when he knocked out Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 but failed to become the undisputed champion when he lost to Ngannou via unanimous decision at UFC 270. Gane came back to beat Tai Tuivasa via knockout at the main event of UFC Paris last September 3rd.
Meanwhile, Jones has not fought since February 2020 when he successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. He later vacated the title and announced his intention to move up to the heavyweight division. At that time, the 35-year-old Jones was also having issues with his UFC contract but that has been resolved as he has reportedly signed a new 8-fight deal with the UFC, beginning with his March 4th bout with Gane.
Jon Jones Underdog to Cyril Gane at UFC 285
Jon Jones is the 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗢𝗚 in his UFC Heavyweight Title Fight with Ciryl Gane:
Jon Jones +160 (8/5)
Ciryl Gane -185 (20/37)(odds via @betonline_ag) 🤯 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/cW2dEPZAI5
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) January 15, 2023,
According to the online sportsbook BetOnline, Jones is the +160 betting underdog to Gane, who is currently listed at -185 odds. The lines look different from when the fight between these two was first discussed. Jones opened a the -175 favorite to beat Gane who hit the betting boards at +150.
If the current line holds, then Jon Jones will be the betting underdog for the first time since closing with the plus money sign written next to his name during his first two UFC assignments. Bones closed as the +170 bottom dog against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87 in 2008 and was the +135 underdog when he fought the late Stephan Bonnar in 2009. After those two bouts, Jones’ longest odds was at UFC 182 when he closed at -190 against Daniel Cormier.
Meanwhile, Gane has opened as the betting favorite in all but one of his UFC assignments. The lone exception was when the Frenchman hit the betting boards at +165 when he lost to Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 last January 22, 2022. He, however, has never closed with the plus money sign written next to his name. Gane’s longest closing betting odds ever in the UFC was at -130 during his title unification bout with Ngannou.
