Jon Jones favorite over Ciryl Gane in opening UFC 285 betting line

Former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones may be coming back from a long layoff, but right now, bettors like his chances against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

Jones is a slight favorite in the current betting line set by sportsbetting.ag, coming in at -130 against Gane, who is the underdog at +110. A wager of $100 for Jones on would return $76.92, while the same bet on Gane would return $110.

Interestingly, the current odds reflect a downgrade for Jones, who opened as a -200 favorite against the +170 Gane.

UFC 285 takes place March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was announced Saturday at UFC Vegas 67 after a photo of the matchup was posted on the digital billboard for T-Mobile Arena.

Jones and Gane fight for the heavyweight title left vacant by the departure of champ Francis Ngannou, who turned down a new contract offer by the UFC after fulfilling his previous one by defeating Gane at UFC 270.

Gane bounced back with a third-round knockout of Tai Tuivasa to up his UFC record to 8-1. He has fought six times in the time Jones has been benched in anticipation of a move to heavyweight and a new UFC deal.

Jones most recently fought in February 2020, when he defended the UFC light heavyweight title he has held three times before a contract dispute sidelined him. Undefeated but for a controversial disqualification loss, he is considered the best light heavyweight of all time and a pound-for-pound frontrunner.