VIDEO: A year ago, Jon Jones ran over Ciryl Gane and became heavyweight champion at UFC 285

Jon Jones receiving the heavyweight title belt at UFC 285 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)

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A year ago, Jon Jones returned to the octagon in an apotheotic fashion, definitively placing his name at the top of the ranking of the greatest athletes in MMA history. On March 04, 2023, 'Bones' quickly submitted Frenchman Ciryl Gane , winning the heavyweight title (up to 120,2kg) and showing sports fans that he still had 'fire in his pants' as a professional fighter.

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After defeating Dominick Reyes in a controversial unanimous decision in February 2020, Jon Jones relinquished his light heavyweight title (up to 93kg) and revealed that he would begin his preparation to move up a weight class and migrate to heavyweight. What nobody, perhaps only Jones himself, knew is that this change would take more than three years to officially happen.

With Francis Ngannou 's turbulent departure from the UFC, the organization wasted no time and scheduled Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the then-vacant heavyweight title. The French star, Ngannou's last opponent, would be responsible for welcoming the biggest name in the sport's history back to the division.

On March 04, 2023, the octagon was set up at the T-Mobile Arena for a war between two of today's biggest heavyweights, but the fight was so uneven that it was embarrassing. Aware of Gane's deficiency in grappling, Jones took the Frenchman down in the first minute of the fight and landed a quick guillotine, forcing the former interim champion to tap out.

With the quick victory, Jones became heavyweight champion and joined the select list of fighters who have been UFC champions in more than one weight class. Currently, 'Bones' is recovering from two surgeries and a serious chest injury in order to defend his title for the first time, probably against veteran Stipe Miocic.

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