UFC 285 Betting Preview: Take Jon Jones in his UFC Return

• Jon Jones’ takedown domination makes the legendary UFC fighter the best bet over Ciryl Gane in the UFC Main Event with -165 odds.
• Parlaying Jon Jones with Valentina Shevchenko and Bo Nickal gives bettors -107 odds on a parlay for UFC 285 that is likely to hit.

LAS VEGAS – Jon “Bones” Jones returns to the octagon for the first time in over three years on Saturday, with legal UFC betting sites making Jones a -165 favorite in his Heavyweight Title Fight debut over Ciryl Gane.

Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane Odds at UFC 285

• Jon Jones -165
• Ciryl Gane +135

Betting on Jon Jones

Jon Jones is a legend in the MMA world, with UFC betting sites rarely offering odds on Bones anywhere near even.

Consider Jones’ odds in his past five fights:

• UFC 239 vs Thiago Santos: Jon Jones -670
• UFC 235 vs Anthony Smith: Jon Jones -800
• UFC 232 vs Alexander Gustafsson: Jon Jones -333
• UFC 197 vs Ovince St. Preux: Jon Jones -750
• UFC 182 vs Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones -205

Legal sports betting sites seemingly forgot about Jones’ greatness, as they originally opened this fight with Jones a +140 underdog to Gane (-166).

This appears to be one of those moments where the betting public is right to pick Jones, as comparing some of the significant UFC stats of each fighter shows that Jon Jones is a more well-rounded fighter than Ciryl Gane.

Striking Stats of Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane

• Significant Strikes Landed per Minute – Jon Jones: 4.30 vs. Ciryl Gane: 5.11
• Significant Striking Accuracy – Jon Jones: 57% vs. Ciryl Gane: 59%
• Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute – Jon Jones: 2.22 vs. Ciryl Gane: 2.25
• Significant Strike Defense – Jon Jones: 64% vs. Ciryl Gane: 62%

Takedown/Submission Stats of Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane

• Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes – Jon Jones: 1.85 vs. Ciryl Gane: 0.62
• Takedown Accuracy – Jon Jones: 44% vs. Ciryl Gane: 21%
• Takedown Defense – Jon Jones: 95% vs. Ciryl Gane: 55%

Jones is a better defender against significant strikes than Gane while the opposite is true regarding strikes landed statistics, meaning striking statistics suggest both fighters are even in that regard.

When it comes to takedown statistics, it is no competition. Jones dominates Gane in nearly every aspect of the ground game.

Betting on that trend to lead Jones to victory on the moneyline with -165 odds is a great bet for the main event of UFC 285.

Increasing Payouts on Jon Jones

For bettors at Bovada looking to increase payouts on Jon Jones with minimal risk, one option for UFC would be to combine some of the bigger favorites on the UFC 285 main card into a parlay.

One preferred option may be a three-leg parlay with -107 odds that make it a near 1:1 payout:

• Bo Nickal (-2000) over Jamie Pickett: Nickal is going into his fourth career MMA match, never having a fight last longer than 62 seconds. Look for an early submission in Nickal’s favor.
• Valentina Shevchenko (-675) over Alexa Grasso: Shevchenko has won her last nine fights, with eight coming in championship bouts. Grasso is on a four-fight win streak, with no wins near Shevchenko’s level. Grasso is ranked sixth in the Women’s Flyweight Division, likely fighting above her skill level.
• Jon Jones (-165) over Ciryl Gane: Jones is arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history and bettors have the chance to get him at -165.

News tags: Bo Nickal | Bovada | Ciryl Gane | Jon Jones | UFC | UFC 285 | Valentina Shevchenko