Despite spending three years away from the octagon and making his heavyweight debut, Jon Jones' return left no questions about his place among the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Jones defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 and became the new heavyweight champion. Despite the French fans rooting for 'Bon Gamin' to become the first undisputed UFC champion from France, Jones made no apologies for his dominant performance.
Speaking in a post-fight press conference following UFC 285, 'Bones' stated:
"No, I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry to the French fans at all. This is combat, this is war, and there's no mercy."
Check out Jon Jones' comments below:
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Although French fans had been hoping that Ciryl Gane could become the first undisputed UFC champion from the country, he was quickly defeated by Jon Jones at UFC 285.
'Bones' needed just two minutes and four seconds to pick up a first-round victory via submission and become the eighth fighter in UFC history to win the belt in multiple weight classes. He labeled himself as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time after becoming the 18th undisputed heavyweight champion in the history of the promotion.
Jones has yet to announce his next opponent after defeating Gane at UFC 285, but there are speculations that he might face Stipe Miocic in his first heavyweight title defense. Meanwhile, Ciryl Gane will likely try to work on improving his wrestling skills as he seeks to get back into title contention.
What did Conor McGregor say about Jon Jones' return to the octagon?
Conor McGregor was in attendance for Jon Jones' triumphant return to the octagon at UFC 285. 'The Notorious' took to Twitter to congratulate 'Bones' on joining him on the exclusive list of fighters who have been multi-division champions, stating:
"That was incredible by Jon last night! Even better to see it live! The man should’ve had two belts presented to him. And both sparkling. He did it. F**king brilliant, @JonnyBones! Congrats!"
Check out Conor McGregor's tweet to Jon Jones below:
Jones had expressed admiration for McGregor in the days leading up to UFC 285, noting that he was excited about the former two-division champion's return. McGregor is set to make his own return to the octagon later this year, facing off against Michael Chandler after serving as a coach on the upcoming Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.