UFC 285 is set to be one of the biggest events of the year, with two title fights and several intriguing matchups on the main card. On Thursday, the fighters faced off for the first time at the pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas.
The main event will see former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones make his long-awaited heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane, who is currently ranked as the top contender in the division. Jones and Gane had a tense staredown, with both men looking confident and ready for war.
The co-main event will feature flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defending her belt against Alexa Grasso, who has won all four of her last fights. Shevchenko and Grasso showed respect to each other in their faceoff, but also displayed their determination to win.
Other notable faceoffs included Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov, a welterweight clash between two finishers; Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett, a middleweight bout featuring a former NCAA wrestling champion making his UFC debut; and Dricus Du Plessis vs. Derek Brunson, a pivotal fight in the 185-pound division.
UFC 285 will take place on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card will start at 10 p.m. ET and will be available on pay-per-view via ESPN+. The prelims will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and ESPN2.