The opponent for Jon Jones' debut in the heavyweight has been announced

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On February 8, 2020, we witnessed the last time Jon Jones stepped into the cage - at least for now. A fighter considered one of the greatest in MMA history, Jones defeated Dominick Reyes in a controversial decision and successfully defended his light heavyweight title for the 11th time.

After this victory, Jones relinquished his light heavyweight title and announced his intention to move up to the heavyweight division. He had previously expressed his desire to do so in 2013, but many felt it was better late than never.

It was anticipated that Jones would take up to a year to gain a few pounds of muscle mass, yet as of January 15, 2023, we are still waiting for his debut in the heavyweight division.

Jon Jones Set to Make Official Debut

Rumors of Jones' return to the octagon had been circulating, including potential matches against Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic, but it appears that all the speculation has come to an end and Jones is set to make his official debut in the heavyweight division.

Last night, developments regarding this move came to light. To start, the advertising team at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas were in high gear as an advertisement for the UFC 285 event scheduled for March 4th was spotted, featuring Jones and Cyril Gane as the main event.

There were signs that Jones had a match scheduled, and MMA journalist Ariel Helwani confirmed that Jones was initially supposed to debut on December 10th, but the UFC decided to wait for a potential match against Francis Ngannou in March.

However, negotiations with Ngannou and his new contract did not pan out, leading the organization to consider Stipe Miocic as the next option. Unfortunately, the UFC and Miocic were unable to come to an agreement, and that's when Cyril Gane entered the picture.

Helwani noted that this information is not yet 100% confirmed, but shortly after the UFC Fight Night 217 event, confirmation was received from the UFC.