The UFC’s return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is headlined by the long awaited returned of the former UFC light-heavyweight champion and one of the all time greats Jon “Bones” Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1-1 UFC) looking to claim the vacant heavyweight championship against Paris’s own and former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Majority of hardcore and causal fans are focused on the return of Jon Jones after 3 years; however, the undercard is filled to the brim with high level talent. Ranging from major prospects looking to make a big splash on a massive pay-per-view to ranked fighters looking to surge up the ranks to reach a shot a gold, take a look at five fights on this massive card.
Five Fights to Watch at UFC 285
Cody Garbrandt VS. Trevin Jones
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After Julio Arce withdrew due to an injury, Trevin “5 Star” Jones (13-9 MMA, 1-3-1 UFC) looks to earn the biggest win of his career against the former UFC bantamweight champion Cody “No Love” Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC). With retirement possibly in the air for Garbrandt after suffering 5 losses in his last 6 fights, we may see a new and improved Cody after switching camps after to Xtreme Couture with Eric Nicksick. With his losses coming to only the upper echelon of the UFC’s bantamweight division and one stint at flyweight, he may have his hands full with Jones’s tricky southpaw attack.
Jones has not had the easiest run in the UFC, facing nothing but the best outside of the top-15 in the shark tank that is the UFC’s bantamweight division. With a creative stand-up attack from the southpaw stance, he offers a challenge that Garbrandt has not seen before during his tenure with the promotion. Stepping in on 4 weeks’ notice against an opponent with the stopping power and the name recognition like Garbrandt is a tough ask but with the heart and the toughness he has shown in his five appearances with the promotion, Jones can earn himself a victory worthy of five stars in a fight that fight fans should not miss.
Derek Brunson VS. Dricus Du Plessis
A battle before two top-10 middleweights pit long time Strikeforce and UFC veteran and #5 ranked Derek Brunson (23-8 MMA, 14-6 UFC) against former EFC middleweight champion and KSW welterweight champion #10 ranked Dricus “Stillknocks” Du Plessis (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC). Off the back of a 4-fight win streak with three coming by way of finish, South Africa’s own Du Plessis is looking to make it five in a row and a potential claim for a shot at gold.
Brunson has been fighting inside the UFC Octagon for over a decade and fought a who’s who in the 185-lb. division and at age 39 is looking to make one last push towards a taste of gold. Everyone always says that styles make fights and with this matchup, both men throw strikes on the feet with reckless abandonment. The X-factor in this bout is if Du Plessis can handle and defend the offensive wrestling gameplan from Brunson. With a combined thirty-three finishes between the two, there is no way this fight reaches the judges’ scorecards and possibly earn fight of the night honors.
Mateusz Gamrot VS. Jalin Turner
Short notice? No problem 😤@Gamer_MMA takes the call to face @JalinTurner next Saturday at #UFC285!
[ Sat. Mar 4 | 📍 @TMobileArena ] pic.twitter.com/slQIVbf9hJ
— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2023
With a new king in the lightweight division, new blood inside the UFCS’s lightweight division is always desired. The winner of this top-15 matchup between former KSW lightweight champion and Poland wrestling standout Mateusz “Gamer” Gamrot (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and RVCA standout Jalin “The Tarantula” Turner (13-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC).
After a 2022 fight of the year candidate and a win over Arman Tsarukyan, Gamrot fell short in what was believed to be a title eliminator against Beneil Dariush at UFC 280. Looking to get back to the winning ways, Gamrot’s skill set matches up well against Turner with his superb wrestling ability and finishing ability on the feet and on the mat. However, Turner has rattled off five straight victories all by way of finish and has developed his game leaps and bounds from just being a kickboxer to a well rounded mixed martial artist. With two men with high level skill sets, this will be a high stakes chess match to watch wherever the fight takes place inside the Octagon.
Geoff Neal VS. Shavkat Rakhmonov
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With the UFC’s welterweight division being a difficult puzzle to solve without a clear next challenger after the rematch between the champion Leon Edwards and the former long reigning champion Kamaru Usman, the surging finisher and #10 ranked Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) looks to break into the title picture with a win over Dana White’s Contender Series standout and #7 ranked Geoff “Hands Of Steel” Neal (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
Rakhmonov has raged into the UFC picture with four finishes in his first four fights with the promotion. A win over an established top-10 fighter in Neal would put him into reaches of a title, but no one can easily cruise past Hands of Steel. A standout training out of Fortis MMA under Sayif Saud, Neal is coming off the best win of his career, finishing the ultra-durable Vincente Luque and earning himself an extra $50 thousand in the process. Two surging welterweights looking to put a stamp on a claim to the belt with a matchup you do not want to miss.
Jamie Pickett VS. Bo Nickal
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Possibly the best and most decorated collegiate wrestler to ever come through Dana White’s Contender Series looks to take the UFC by storm in the opening fight on the main card as Bo Nickal (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) looks to start his UFC run with a win over 3x Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Jamie “The Night Wolf” Pickett (13-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC). The 3x Division 1 national champion at Penn State and the 2019 Hodge Trophy winner transitioned to MMA only last year and already potentially a massive threat to the top-15 in the UFC’s 185-lb. division.
Pickett is always game with six UFC fights under his belt and serves to be the toughest battle yet in Nickal’s young MMA career. The one take away from his career so far is that he has not fought a high enough level of competition to see his true level of skill. Pickett serves as a litmus test to where Bo stands within the UFC. The HitPit Martial Arts fighters looks to play spoiler and earn the biggest win of his career with a stamp in a match up fight fans do not want to miss.
