UFC 285 betting odds: Jones a small underdog

Is this really happening? Is Jon Jones actually going to fight at heavyweight? Well, we won’t know for sure until we actually see it, but the UFC’s former light heavyweight king is scheduled to make his long-awaited heavyweight debut against the promotion’s former interim champion, Ciryl Gane. Oh, with Francis N’Gannou being released, this contest will be for the undisputed heavyweight title. Now let’s go take a gander at the betting odds.

Believe it or not, Jon Jones is listed as a betting underdog to Ciryl Gane. Jones’ moneyline is sitting around +110, and a successful $100 wager on the light heavyweight G.O.A.T. would bring in a profit of $110. As for Gane, he is clocking in as a -130 favorite, and a $100 gamble his way could potentially enjoy a total payout of $176.92.

Have we seen Jon Jones take plenty of L’s outside of the Octagon? Sure, but inside of it we’ve never actually seen Jones lose. Yes, he technically lost to Matt Hamill by disqualification in what was a B.S. call. Yes, a lot of fans thought Thiago Santos beat him. Yes, a lot of fans thought Dominick Reyes defeated him, too. Through all of that, Jones still found a way to pull through with perfection still intact.

The same can’t be said for Gane, who was out-wrestled by Francis N’Gannou in their title unification match back at UFC 270 last January. If Francis was able to get his grind on, then does that mean Jones will be able to out-grapple Gane, too? I mean maybe.

There’s a lot of unknowns surrounding Jones. We don’t know what he’ll look like as a heavyweight, and against a true big man. On top of that, he hasn’t competed since February of 2020. While Jon was on the sidelines getting bigger, Gane fought SIX-TIMES during that span.

Ring rust is an urban legend of the MMA world, but it’s honestly hard to see something of the sort as a legitimate factor that will effect Jones. GSP came back after three years and won the middleweight title, and Jones has proven himself to be on that level of greatness. Jon as an underdog to any human on Earth is probably the livest dog that you’ll ever find.

Check out the betting odds for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane, courtesy of Sportsbetting.ag:

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