UFC referee Marc Goddard will oversee the proceedings at the much-awaited return of Jon Jones at UFC 285. The American fighter will fulfill his decade-long promise on March 4, as he eyes celebrating his return with UFC gold. ‘Bones’ enters the T-Mobile Arena facility against Ciryl Gane after coming off a three-year-long hiatus. While the upcoming fight is only a couple of weeks far from materializing, the Nevada Athletic Commission zeroed in on the officials for the upcoming UFC PPV. The Brit who has a long officiating career of almost 18 years will call shots at critical moments of the fight.
Notably, the recent announcement also details the list of judges scoring the fight. However, the promotion came under heavy criticism after the recently concluded UFC 284 results divided the fans in two. Earlier, the promotion faced a similar situation when a decision propelled Sean O’Malley to the #1 contender at UFC 280 against Petr Yan.
Marc Goddard to officiate the comeback fight of Jon Jones at UFC 285
The NSAC in a meeting held on February 15 picked the noted UFC referee, who witnessed peculiar incidents unfold before his eyes during his long career. Markedly, one of his iconic moments involves the UFC star Conor McGregor, whom he escorted outside the steel cage at Bellator 187.
via Imago
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 06: Jon Jones enters the octagon in his UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 239 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC)
Thus, reporting the particulars, a tweet read, “Marc Goddard has been selected as the referee for the #UFC285 title fight between Jon Jones and Cyril Gane at this morning’s NSAC meeting.”
Additionally, the tweet mentions, “Mike Bell, Sal D’Amato and Ron McCarthy will serve as judges.”
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Marc Goddard has been selected as the referee for the #UFC285 title fight between Jon Jones and Cyril Gane at this morning's NSAC meeting.
Mike Bell, Sal D'Amato and Ron McCarthy will serve as judges.
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) February 15, 2023
Apart from the headliner, the fight card features the women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defending her crown against Alexa Grasso.
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The UFC 285 fight card
Another attraction on the card includes the UFC debut of the fighter, Bo Nickal against Jamie Pickett. Notably, both earlier were expected to meet in the Octagon at UFC 282.
The #7 and #10 welterweight fighters, Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov will occupy another slot in the main card.
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However, the card went through a modification as UFC star Dan Hooker withdrew due to his hand injury. Subsequently, Mateusz Gamrot took his reserved slot as he will now face Jalin Turner.
What do you think of this official appointment for the UFC 285 that features the UFC star, Jon Jones? Do you believe Jon Jones will celebrate his return with a championship victory? Let us know in the comments below.
