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Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane has been made official, and according to Ariel Helwani, a clause was placed in the Frenchman's contract by the UFC that gave him extra incentive to accept the fight against the former light heavyweight champion.
In the aftermath of Francis Ngannou's departure from the promotion, 'Bones' was booked to make his long-awaited heavyweight debut against the tricky striker, which is arguably a tougher matchup for him. The Hall-of-Famer is also keen on welcoming Stipe Miocic back into the octagon should he win in his next outing.
According to Ariel Helwani, added into Ciryl Gane's new UFC contract was a clause that grants the athlete a financial boost should he accept a fight against Jones, which he took with open arms.
"He has a deal, let's say it's like a six-fight deal, but in the contract, it states if you fight Jon Jones, much like in many contracts it states [that] if you fight for the belt, you'll get paid X. In his contract, he has something that states if you fight Jon Jones, you'll get paid X... This is something they wanted, [something that they're] pushing for [and] hoping for, and it suggests that he's getting more to fight Jon Jones, which is great."
The addition of this clause somewhat explains how much they value Jones and his future at heavyweight, now that their former champion Francis Ngannou has exited the company. In this time of uncertainty, it is likely that the UFC will want arguably the greatest of all time to carry their heavy-hitting division forward.
Check out what Ariel Helwani had to say about Ciryl Gane's contract stipulation in the video below.
When is Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane?
In the main event of UFC 285, Jones will make a return to the octagon as he steps in to face the dangerous Gane for the coveted and recently vacated heavyweight strap.
This will be the 35-year-old's first mixed martial arts appearance since his razor-thin decision victory against Dominick Reyes almost three years ago on February 8, 2020.
The event, which will also feature Valentina Shevchenko's title defense against Alexa Grasso, the surging Shavkat Rakhmonov facing off against Geoff Neal, and the anticipated debut of wrestling sensation Bo Nickal, will commence on March 4.
