Saturday’s UFC 285 event is in the books, and now that the dust has settled in Las Vegas, it’s time to go to the scorecard to see who the big winners were at T-Mobile Arena.
1. Jon Jones
The GOAT is back, and he’s the heavyweight champion of the world. I don’t know how many people thought they’d be saying that on the Monday morning after UFC 285, but Jon Jones has been defying expectations since the first time he entered the octagon with a style meshed together from plenty of YouTube videos, and last Saturday night was no exception. Yes, Ciryl Gane‘s own style was tailor-made for a grappling-heavy attack, but Jones executed flawlessly, showed no signs of ring rust, and seemingly adjusted to his new weight class with no issues. History made, another notch in the belt that separates him further from the GOAT pack, and seriously, now the real fun begins, as I can’t wait to see Jones in there with the likes of Stipe Miocic, Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes, three fighters who may be the ones to truly test him in the heavyweight ranks.
2. Alexa Grasso
I could have seen Jones’ win over Gane coming – remember, styles make fights. What I didn’t see coming was Alexa Grasso finishing Valentina Shevchenko and taking her flyweight title. That was a shocker that didn’t wear off until long after Jones-Gane, but in looking back, Grasso fought the perfect, patient fight, and it was that patience that brought a third UFC title back to Mexico last weekend. Grasso started strong, but even though she fell behind on the scorecards heading into the fourth round, she didn’t stray from her gameplan, and this led Shevchenko to get uncharacteristically impatient, and when she got too aggressive, Grasso pounced and finished the fight. It was a great win not just for Grasso, but for a fighting culture that is building momentum and a legacy in a place long revered for its legendary boxers.
3. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Shavkat Rakhmonov is a scary fighter. What makes him even scarier is that he looks like he’s enjoying fighting and the whole commotion around it more than anything in the world. No fear of the spotlight, no thoughts of being intimidated by opponents, just a smile and the fighting ability that may take him to a welterweight title one day. And right now, that day looks like it could be approaching sooner rather than later after a UFC 285 win over Geoff Neal that showed how good he is. A top-5 opponent next? I’m in. The question is, will someone in that top 5 agree to face him?
4. Bo Nickal
Not too many fighters make their UFC debut on a pay-per-view main card with only three pro bouts to their name, but Bo Nickal is proving to be unlike his peers, whether at 185 pounds or in any weight class. Yes, he was expected to beat Jamie Pickett at T-Mobile Arena, but the question was always going to be how he handled the hype of fight week and how he would win. Well, he won in the style we’re getting accustomed to – engage, grapple, finish in less than a round. Let’s be honest, there’s no turning back now, so how will he fare as the tests get tougher? It should be fun finding out.
5. Dricus Du Plessis
Speaking of a fun fighter to watch, Dricus Du Plessis is that guy. Simply put, he’s always in a compelling fight because even though he’s won all five trips to the octagon, there’s usually that moment or two where he’s either in trouble or there’s the potential for trouble. So far, he’s eluded the danger that will cause him to lose, and that’s why he beat Derek Brunson on Saturday and why he’s moving rapidly up the middleweight ranks. And we’ll be watching the South African every step of the way.
This story first published at UFC.com.
