Two Championships Change Hands at UFC 285
UFC 285 delivered an epic night of mixed martial arts, with not just one but two titles changing hands.
The highlight of the night was title challenger Alexa Grasso submitting reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko via a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. Though people knew this would be a tough fight for the champion, no one saw Grasso taking it to the undefeated Shevchenko.
Grasso capitalized on a mistake by Shevchenko in the fourth round, ultimately submitting her and becoming only the third Mexican fighter to hold a UFC championship title. with the other two being undisputed flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, Jon Jones made easy work of Gane as he dominated him throughout the fight. He took him down and submitted him in under three minutes, making it look effortless. Jones now sets his sights on a fight against the former heavyweight champion and some who called him the heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic at International Fight Week in July.
The UFC gave out three performance of the night bonuses to Jon Jones, Bo Nickal, and Alexa Grasso, who delivered memorable performances at UFC 285.
Bo Nickal’s Impressive Debut
Bo Nickal had an impressive UFC debut, earning him a performance of the night bonus. Though he came in as a 3-0 professional fighter, he manhandled and finished Jamie Pickett, making it look like he has been in the game for years.
With aspirations of becoming a world champion, Nickal’s future looks bright in the UFC.
Other Memorable Moments at UFC 285
The fight of the night bonus went to Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhomonov, a fight that many had expected would be a walk in the park for Rakhmonov, the boogeyman of the welterweight division. However, Neal fought tooth and nail and put up a tough fight against the undefeated Kazakh fighter.
While it ultimately ended in Rakhomonov’s victory via a standing rear-naked choke in the third round, it was the highlight of the night for many people in attendance. Dana White even gave Neal a bonus despite missing weight because it was that great of a fight.
