Ranking UFC 285 fights: What's the No. 1 reason Jones vs. Gane is a can't-miss?

Jon Jones returns this weekend.

Allow me to repeat that with appropriate emphasis and enthusiasm: Jon Jones! Returns! This weekend!

I had to resist the urge to go all caps there, because this is BIG. Jones will be fighting for the first time in over three years when he steps into the Octagon for the main event of UFC 285 on Saturday night in Las Vegas (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m ET).

Jones' meeting with Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship is not just the biggest fight on this weekend's pay-per-view card at T-Mobile Arena, it's the biggest fight the sport has seen in years. This is the return of the consensus GOAT of MMA, and he's not simply coming back to reclaim what he left behind. The seemingly forever light heavyweight champ is stepping into a new domain, making his debut in the world of the big boys.

The importance of Jones being back in the cage is obvious to longtime mixed martial arts fans, but for those who weren't yet following the sport way back in the pre-pandemic days of February 2020, when «Jonny Bones» last competed, here's a primer:

Heavyweight contenders Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane will face off for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

Buy UFC 285 on ESPN+ PPV

UFC 285: Jones vs. GaneSat., Mar. 4, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas • Main card: 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV • Prelims: 8 p.m. on ESPNews/ESPN+ • Early Prelims: 5:30 p.m. on ESPN+

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Jones won the UFC light heavyweight title in March 2011 at age 23 by stopping Mauricio «Shogun» Rua, becoming the youngest champion in the fight company's history. He then proceeded to mow down a procession of ex-champions and future Hall of