UFC 285 saw Jon Jones defeat Ciryl Gane in an early submission, forcing him to tap out in just the first round of the clash after getting his opponent into the guillotine hold, something he couldn’t reverse.
After a cagey opening minute or so, Jones grappled and took his opponent to the canvas which was where he won the fight, leaving Gane with no answer to the dominance of the heavyweight debutant, who in turn, won the heavyweight title which was vacant.
It was vacant after Francis Ngannou walked away from the sport over disputes over his contract with the promotion, with the then champion opting to try and sell himself to another fighting promotion to maximise his earning potential.
Francis Ngannou reacts to Jon Jones’ victory
Understandably, almost everyone in the combat sports world had their eyes glued to the action, Jones, who is undeniably one of the greatest of all time, was making his debut in the heavyweight division, with a shot at the title.
It was a huge fight, and Ngannou himself couldn’t stay away. He tweeted immediately after the fight, sharing his thoughts by saying: “Good job Jonny Boy. Sincerely, The heavyweight king.”
In fairness to Ngannou, he didn’t lose the title by losing in the Octagon, he was forced to vacate it after deciding his combat future was away from the promotion that helped turn him into the heavyweight champion of the world. I’m sure he’ll have had plenty of offers from elsewhere and will continue to do so as he plans his next moves with his career.
Video: Francis Ngannou’s live reaction to Jon Jones beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285
It looks like Ngannou was all of us who had eagerly awaited the heavyweight debut of Jones. Fans across the globe were glued to the screens, as was Ngannou and now, we have the footage of his immediate reaction to Jones’ win.
He was loving what he was watching, just like fans across the globe, it was a masterclass from Jones who showed the world that regardless of the weight limit, he just is stupidly good in the Octagon and it will take a special performance to see him defeated.
Now he has his hands on the heavyweight title and Ngannou has decided to walk away from the UFC, the challengers for Jones are few and far between with it looking like he is clear in the division from fight one.
