The UFC returned to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas tonight for one of the biggest returns in the history of the sport. It was a huge night headlined by two championship fights and some shocking results, adding up to a night that won’t soon be forgotten.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the night and break down the three fights we looked at in our UFC 285 preview.
Prelim Highlights
One of the top up-and-coming prospects in the sport, Ian Machado Garry, found himself on one of the early fights of this stacked card against a very game opponent in Song Kenan. It was all Garry in the early going as he showcased his world-class striking. He got caught late in the first round though by a big right hand for Kenan that dropped him. Kenan pounced and looked for the finish but Garry managed to survive to the horn. Garry then came out in the second and got right back to dominating, taking a slightly more cautious approach. Late in the third, Garry saw an opening and pounced, lighting Kenan up with combinations that scored him a big TKO finish. It was another huge win for Garry but he did very briefly look vulnerable. It will be interesting to see who he gets next.
It was a big middleweight showdown between fifth-ranked Derek Brunson and 10th-ranked Dricus du Plessis. The first round saw some stiff strikes from du Plessis but Brunson caught a kick and was able to score a takedown. Showing his dominance in the grappling game, and winning some wild scrambles, Brunson clearly took a lot out of du Plessis, who was visibly tired. However, late in the first, du Plessis landed a shot that seemed to hurt Brunson and that was enough to turn the tides early in the second. Du Plessis some more good shots, including a very hard leg kick, and wore down Brunson. With both men exhausted, it was du Plessis who got the better of some wild exchanges and forced Brunson’s corner to throw in the towel at the very end of the round. It was a huge with for the fast-rising middleweight who is sure to get a big fight his next time out.
In the final fight before the pay-per-view, former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt returned after more than a year off against Trevin Jones. Garbrandt looked great early, showing a clear speed advantage and some effortless kicks. In the second round, he scored a perfectly timed takedown that served as the highlight of the fight. However, after dominating the first two, Garbrandt eased off a bit in the third and Jones clipped him with a right hand. Having suffered several knockout losses recently, it was a scary moment for Garbrandt, who scrambled to survive to the final horn. Garbrandt won a unanimous decision, but it was a slightly disappointing performance because of that third round. Still, it was nice to see the former champ get back in the win column and now we can look forward to seeing him back in the octagon soon.
Main Card Highlights
Very few fighters make their UFC debut on pay-per-view. Even fewer do so with as much hype as there was surrounding Bo Nickal. In just his fourth professional fight, Nickal faced off with Jamie Pickett to kick off the main card and he lived up to that hype. It took Nickal only a few seconds to look for a takedown and only a few more to actually secure one. Once on the ground, Nickal moved in a way that not many can as he immediately began working submissions and advancing his position. He very quickly locked in an arm triangle choke and, while Pickett survived for a long time, he eventually forced the tap and got the win in his UFC debut. The middleweight division will certainly take notice of this newcomer and he is going to be set for a big fight very soon.
In a top 10 lightweight matchup, Mateusz Gamrot faced off with Jalin Turner in a very interesting stylistic matchup. The smothering grappler took on the long striker and both guys had their moments. After a very close first round, Turner hurt Gamrot early in the second with a punch and had him reeling. Gamrot survived though and scored a takedown, securing a dominant position before the end of the round. He then smothered Turner with his grappling in the third en route to a split decision victory.
Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Geoff Neal
The wind was taken out of the sails a bit for this matchup when Neal missed weight on Friday, but man did these two guys put on a show to make up for it. Neal’s world class boxing was on display as he landed big shots again and again. However, in the early going, Rakhmonov was able to simply walk through them and land huge shots of his own. The best comparison for Rakhmonov might be the killer in a slasher movie. He walks through a dozens things you would think would put him down and just keeps coming at you. Neal finally did manage to hurt him in the third round and he was in the fight to the very end. Rakhmonov survived the late pressure though and landed a big shot of his own that spelled the beginning of the end for Neal. With his opponent hurt, Rakhmonov locked up a standing choke and forced the tap late in the final round. It was a great showing from Neal but Rakhmonov was just too tough. He’s going to be looking at a very big fight his next time out, perhaps even a title shot. And with his skill combined with the granite chin he displayed in this fight, he’s going to be a very tough out.
My pick: Rakhmonov via 2nd round submission
Result: Rakhmonov via 3rd round submission
Alexa Grasso def. Valentina Shevchenko
On December 11, 2021, Julianna Pena shocked the world when she defeated the most dominant female fighter in the history of MMA in Amanda Nunes. Tonight, Alexa Grasso accomplished nearly that same feat when she defeated Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso, a dangerous striker, landed a good combination in the first that stunned the champ and likely won her the round. Then the champ reminded us what makes her so great. She scored takedowns in both the second and third rounds and maintained control to put herself back up on the scorecards. Then Grasso turned the tides in the fourth when she stuffed a takedown attempt and started landing some punches again. Shevchenko began to scramble for an answer and threw an ill-advised spinning kick. Grasso sidestepped the kick and immediately pounced on the champ’s back, securing a choke very quickly. It looked momentarily as though the champ would survive to the end of the round but Grasso squeezed just enough to force the tap out and capture the Women’s Flyweight championship. It was one of those moments fans will remember for a very long time. An immediate rematch is very likely, but regardless of the result, Grasso has secured a place in UFC history for herself.
My pick: Shevchenko via decision
Result: Grasso via 4th round submission
Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane has looked like an other worldly heavyweight. He’s a freak athlete with the ability to out strike and out grapple any opponent short of Francis Ngannou. Jon Jones is just different. After three years off and a jump up in weight, Jones stepped back into the octagon and made quick work of Gane. He managed to score a takedown after about two minutes in and forced Gane against the cage. He then sunk in a guillotine choke and, though it didn’t initially look all that tight, Gane was forced to tap rather quickly. The replay showed that Jones did in fact have a very strong choke locked in. We knew Jones was great. We knew he was the best of all time already. What we didn’t know was he could dominate in a new weight class, after three years off, against one of the best fighters in that class. It was a shocking outcome and an incredibly dominant performance. Jones called out former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic for his next fight, which should be an interesting matchup. After this performance though, it’s hard to believe anyone can take this belt away from Jon Jones.
My pick: Jones via Decision
Result: Jones via 1st round submission
The UFC will return to ESPN+ on Saturday, March 11th for UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili. Be sure to check back for a preview of the event.