- Dana White said the UFC 285 main event will have a backup fighter but he’s not gonna reveal who
- The UFC boss is optimistic UFC 285 will also generate huge numbers in terms of sales
UFC president Dana White provided some interesting news about the upcoming UFC 285 event happening next weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. White confirmed that the main event, the title fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane will have a backup fighter and thus far, the UFC 285 numbers have been remarkably incredible.
A mystery fighter
Due to uncertainties taking place, especially during weigh-ins, the UFC has made it quite a staple to bring in a backup fighter along with them during events. According to White, UFC 285 is no exception but he is not gonna reveal who the backup fighter is for Jones vs. Gane.
“Yes. we always have backups for those kind of fights. I’m not gonna say it but yeah, we got we gotta backup,” White told reporters during his UFC Vegas 70 press conference.
A massive event
White was also pleased to inform fight fans that the UFC has been doing tremendously great in terms of ticket sales and pay-per-view buys since last year. The UFC boss assured everybody that this year is no different, having started the year with a bang at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.
Based on White’s assessment, UFC 285’s numbers are already showing some potential of reaching that of the promotion’s sales when they host an event at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s big,” White said of UFC 285. “… Last year we had a sellout every single event. Right now, Perth. The Jon Jones fight in Miami are all trending to be MSG-type gates so, it’s a really good start to the beginning of the year.”
As for who will be the next title challenger in the heavyweight division after UFC 285, White said he has no idea as of the moment.
Indeed, UFC 285 has evidently become one of the biggest events of the promotion this year for various reasons. For one, it will mark the long-awaited UFC return and heavyweight debut of former longtime light heavyweight champion, Jones, who hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since 2020.
Atop that, it will also determine who will be the new UFC heavyweight champion.
