A new month is underway for our MMASucka staff picks.
Kicking off a highly-anticipated March sees UFC 285 set for action later tonight from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stacked it will be with 14 total bouts beginning at 5:30pm ET (2:30pm PT) on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. Regular prelims start at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) on ESPN and ESPN+ with the main card at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) on pay-per-view (available to purchase through ESPN+).
UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane live results will be available here at MMASucka.
The Fights
In the night’s main event, Jon Jones makes his arrival to the heavyweight division against Ciryl Gane for the UFC’s vacant promotional championship. The absence of a weight class title holder comes after Francis Ngannou was stripped and subsequently released due to both parties being unable to reach terms on a new contract.
Former two-time light heavyweight champion Jones looks to make the most in his move up a weight class returning to combat action for the first time in over three years. Regarded by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, the crafty 35-year-old out of Albuquerque, New Mexico hopes to further his legacy with a 27th win in his 29th appearance. Jones’s opponent, Gane, looks for the biggest win of his career in what will be his tenth octagon walk. The Muay Thai specialist and former interim champion has faced defeat once professionally in his January of 2022 unification fight to the aforementioned Ngannou, now targeting a new string of victories after knocking out Tai Tuivasa last September.
Current women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will look to defend her 125-pound championship in the co-main event against challenger Alexa Grasso. “The Bullet” Shevchenko aims for her eighth title defense since December of 2018 and her ninth straight win in the UFC. Mexico’s Grasso rides a respectable win streak of her own at four with two in 2022 alone over Joanna Wood and Viviane Araujo.
Despite Geoff Neal missing the welterweight mark yesterday at weigh-ins, his fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov will continue as planned at a catchweight of of 175 pounds. Neal has been fined 30% of his purse.
Two additional fights compose the main card as former two-divisional KSW lightweight champion Mateusz Gamrot battles 100%-winning finisher Jalin Turner and world class wrestler Bo Nickal makes his octagon debut against three-time Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jamie Pickett. Find our MMASucka staff picks for of UFC 285 further below.
A HEAVYWEIGHT KING WILL BE CROWNED! 👑@JonnyBones is BACK against @Ciryl_Gane in tomorrow’s #UFC285 main event!
[ Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/twBcYMJ3ve ] pic.twitter.com/paLLuZkb6K
— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2023
2023 Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). UFC and Bellator events feature picks from only main cards. PFL will feature select fights from the main and preliminary card while DWCS sees all fights counted from the event. ONE Championship returns to picks for the first time since 2020 and will feature only mixed martial arts (MMA) fights selected from cards with a minimum three matchups.
The WINNER of staff picks at the end of 2023, who picked the most victorious fighters, will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2022 was won by Wesley Riddle with a record of 264-135.
See below for our UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane staff picks.
2023 Staff Records after UFC Vegas 70:
1T. Nate Freeman: 30-12
1T. Ben Jamieson: 30-12
3. Tim Wheaton: 28-14
4. Jeremy Brand: 27-15
5T. Michael DeSantis: 26-16
5T. Frazer Krohn: 26-16
5T. Jack Goodwillie: 26-16
8. Wesley Riddle: 25-17
9. Roemello Reyes: 24-15
10. Julio Monteros Jr.: 23-11
11. Brian Knight: 21-17
12. Andrew Benjamin: 18-19
13. Brandon Joint: 12-9
14T. Andrew Benjamin: 7-5
14T. Joshua Yule: 7-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Bo Nickal (3-0), -1800
vs.
Jamie Pickett (13-8), +1000
Middleweight Division
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Nickal via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Nickal via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Nickal via Round 1 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Nickal via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Ben Jamieson: Nickal via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Harbaugh: Nickal via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Nickal: 12
Staff picking Pickett: 0
Mateusz Gamrot (21-2), -210
vs.
Jalin Turner (13-5), +180
Lightweight Division
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Gamrot via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Gamrot via Round 3 SUB
Brian Knight: Gamrot via Round 2 SUB
Jack Goodwillie: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Gamrot via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Gamrot via Round 2 SUB
Andrew Harbaugh: Turner via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Gamrot: 11
Staff picking Turner: 1
Geoff Neal (15-4), +370
vs.
Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0), -460
Catchweight Fight
– 175 LBS. ~ 79.4 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Rakhmonov via Round 3 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Rakhmonov via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Rakhmonov via Round 2 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Rakhmonov via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Rakhmonov via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Rakhmonov via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Rakhmonov via Round 1 TKO
Brian Knight: Rakhmonov via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Rakhmonov via Round 3 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Rakhmonov via Round 2 SUB
Ben Jamieson: Rakhmonov via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Harbaugh: Rakhmonov via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Neal: 0
Staff picking Rakhmonov: 12
Valentina Shevchenko (23-3), -800
vs.
Alexa Grasso (15-3), +575
Women’s Flyweight Divisional Championship
Co-Main Event
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Shevchenko via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Shevchenko via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Shevchenko via Round 4 TKO
Nate Freeman: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Shevchenko via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Shevchenko via Round 3 SUB
Andrew Harbaugh: Shevchenko via Round 4 TKO
Staff picking Shevchenko: 12
Staff picking Grasso: 0
Jon Jones (26-1), -175
vs.
Ciryl Gane (11-1), +150
Heavyweight Divisional Championship
Main Event
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Jones via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Jones via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Gane via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Gane via Round 4 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Jones via Round 4 TKO
Nate Freeman: Jones via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Gane via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Jones via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Jones via Split Decision
Roemello Reyes: Jones via Round 4 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Jones via Split Decision
Andrew Harbaugh: Jones via Round 3 SUB
Staff picking Jones: 9
Staff picking Gane: 3
