Jon Jones Claims UFC Heavyweight Title With Emphatic First-round Win Over Ciryl Gane

At UFC 285, Jon Jones made his octagon comeback with a decisive first-round victory against Ciryl Gane to win the heavyweight championship. The American defeated Gane via guillotine choke in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday morning, competing in the promotion for the first time in more than three years. While Gane had held the interim title, Jones, a former long-time light heavyweight champion, was making his heavyweight debut. Jones' professional MMA record now stands at 27-1 thanks to the victory. Jones told Joe Rogan inside the octagon shortly afterward, "For all you prayer warriors out there, I felt you so strongly all week. "I want to thank every single one of you." who offered me prayers. "Dude, I'm so happy. I've been putting a lot of effort into this. Many people believed that I wouldn't return. It is something I read a lot. Yet I've remained committed to the aim and the objective. Although acknowledging that he "felt a bit funny on the feet," Jones praised his family and staff and said: "I had the strong feeling that if I could get him down to the ground, the battle would be in my area. I've been wrestling since I was 12 years old, and right now, especially on the ground, I feel stronger and more at ease than ever. When given the opportunity to compete in a match in July against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, Jones, 35, responded "Absolutely, baby. Do you want to watch me punch Stipe? I do know that the UFC provides the battles that their audience wants to witness. I'm hoping you're training, Stipe." In the other championship match on the night, flyweight champion Alexa Grasso shocked defending champion Valentina Shevchenko by submitting her in the fourth round. Shevchenko's nine-fight winning streak and seven-fight championship defence came to an end with the Mexican victory; it had been six years since the Kyrgyzstani athlete had suffered a loss.