Dana White said there is no denying Jon Jones is the greatest UFC athlete of all-time after the American marked his return to the octagon with a stunning victory to become heavyweight champion.
Competing for the first in more than three years, Jones submitted No 1-ranked contender Ciryl Gane in the first round of the headline bout at UFC 285 on Sunday morning to claim the vacant belt.
The former long-time light heavyweight champion, last in action in February 2020, needed only two minutes and four seconds to see off Gane by guillotine choke, sending the sell-out crowd at T-Mobile Arena wild.
In winning on heavyweight debut, Jones became only the eighth UFC athlete in history to secure belts in two different divisions. His professional record stands now at 27-1.
Speaking to reporters after the event, UFC president White said: “Anyone deny this guy is the 'Goat' [Greatest Of All Time] anymore? I don’t think anybody would deny it. Not only is he the greatest light heavyweight ever, he looks like the greatest heavyweight ever too.
“There were a couple of interviews leading up to this fight where he was saying, ‘I’m going to make this look easy.’ And I thought that was a silly thing to say. The guy is unbelievable, man. He really is.”
White has a long and colourful history with Jones, with the UFC's youngest champion in history involved in a pay dispute with the promotion for some time. It was one of the reasons that delayed Jones' comeback; his most recent outing before Sunday was his contentious victory against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247.
“Let’s just put it this way, there’s no doubt that Jon Jones is special,” White said. “He’s the greatest of all time; he’s undefeated; he’s never lost a fight ever in the UFC; he’s fought all the best competition out there.
“But dealing with him is like dealing with an artist, is the best way to explain it. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out. I’m just happy we got to see what we saw tonight."
White added: “I’m a big believer in ring rust and what it does to you. We didn’t even get to see any ring rust. Who knows if there was any ring rust tonight?
"He just went in there and literally made it look like nothing, like it was the easiest thing in the world for him to do. He’s a total freak of nature. And he’s the best ever.”
Jones, 35, said immediately afterwards that he wants to defend his title against two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Miocic, who has not competed since losing the belt to Francis Ngannou in March 2021, has already said he is targeting Jones for a clash during International Fight Week in Las Vegas this summer. That event is expected to be UFC 290 on July 8.
“I don’t know when, but he’s definitely fighting Stipe.” White said.
Meanwhile, White joked that he was concerned how Jones would celebrate his win. The Albuquerque, New Mexico native is known also for a series of transgressions outside the octagon.
When informed Jones had an afterparty booked in Las Vegas, White said: “It does worry me a little bit.
“I told [UFC chief business officer] Hunter [Campbell], ‘Charter a jet and send him right back to New Mexico right now. Let’s get him home, safe and sound’.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
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