Page 16 - aruba-today-20230303

A16 sports
Friday 3 March 2023
Jon Jones hopes to end any doubts about best ever at UFC 285

By Mark Anderson Jan. 22, 2022.
AP Sports Writer "I just don't see myself losing
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jon to a guy like Ciryl Gane,"
Jones has spent the past Jones said.
three years at his home in Should Gane, a plus-138
Albuquerque, New Mexi- underdog according to
co, focusing on being with FanDuel Sportsbook, pull
family, hunting and getting off the victory, it would set
ready for his big come- him up for a potentially
back. big year. Not only would
He hired a team to help he claim the heavyweight
him get ready for Saturday belt, a win probably would
night when he will take a put him in line for a meeting
step up to the heavyweight with second-ranked Stipe
division and attempt to end Miocic.
any doubt — if any remains "This is going to put my re-
— that he is the greatest sume at the high level for
fighter in UFC history. sure," said Gane, 32.
He made that case as Even a victory, however,
a light heavyweight by wouldn't put his resume on
winning a record 14 title the same level as Jones.
fights and is on a UFC-best Jon Jones goes through his pre-fight routine in the ring before a light heavyweight mixed martial But it's not all about what
18-match unbeaten streak, arts bout against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in Houston. happens in the octagon
giving him a 26-1 record Associated Press with Jones. He was sus-
with one no-contest. Next pended for a year in 2016
up is France's Ciryl Gane, dercard match, women's Dominick Reyes by unani- fered a word of caution. for a failed drug test and
who at 11-1 is the top- flyweight champion Val- mous decision on Feb. 8, "Three years is a very long had his 2017 victory over
ranked heavyweight. entina Shevchenko (23-3) 2020. He said he has be- time," Du Plessis said. "I Daniel Cormier turned into
A victory also could put of Kyrgyzstan faces sixth- come stronger than ever, don't think he's a guy that's a no-contest after another
Jones, 35, back in the con- ranked Alexa Grasso (15-3) even if his body isn't as going to struggle with ring drug test came up positive.
versation for top pound- of Mexico. toned. But Jones said that's rust. I just think the game The United States Anti-Dop-
for-pound fighter, a spot Just about all eyes will be because of the added changes and it changes ing Agency changed the
currently held by feath- on Jones, who not only weight to fight in the high- fast, especially these past criteria for what constitutes
erweight Alexander Vol- must prove that he can est class. two years. The game waits a positive test in 2019, and
kanovski. be just as successful is the Middleweight Dricus Du for no man." Jones let it be known he
"I'm fighting to be the great- heavyweight division as Plessis, who will face Derek Jones, for his part, is confi- would have passed under
est fighter ever, not to be he was one level down, Brunson in a preliminary dent this fight will end like the revised standards.
the best pound-for-pound but also that the long lay- bout, said he believes Jones so many others. "People considered me a
right now," Jones said. off won't negatively affect will win and that he has the He questioned Gane's will- cheater," Jones said. "Now
His fight against Gane for him. mental and physical ability ingness to fight, saying it if that same rule would
the vacant heavyweight Jones said he hasn't been to overcome such a long didn't show up when he have applied back then,
title is the headline event idle even if he hasn't fought time away from competi- lost to Francis Ngannou it would have never even
of UFC 285. In the top un- in the UFC since defeating tion. But Du Plessis also of- by unanimous decision on made the media. q

Lakers say LeBron James has tendon injury, out 3 weeks

saying it was a tendon is- what's left for the Lakers on has appeared.
sue and that he will be "re- the schedule. Only seven If the timetable does not
evaluated in approximate- of their final 19 games are significantly change, this
ly three weeks." If James against teams that current- would be only the third
misses three more weeks, ly have records over .500 — time in James' 20-year ca-
starting with Thursday, that with several games against reer that he misses at least
would keep him out for at other teams jostling for po- 10 consecutive games. He
least 10 of the Lakers' final sition in the West postsea- missed a 20-game stretch
19 games. son chase. The Lakers start late in the 2020-21 season
James was hurt in the Lak- a five-game homestand with an ankle sprain, and
ers' win at Dallas on Sun- Friday against Minnesota. a 17-game stretch in the
day. He has already missed James leads the Lakers in 2018-19 season with a groin
two games with the injury, scoring at 29.5 points per injury. Those stints both
with the Lakers splitting game. He said at the All- came since he joined the
Team LeBron forward LeBron James (6) dunksduring the first half
of the NBA basketball All-Star game Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in those contests. Star break earlier this month Lakers; he never had that
Salt Lake City. At 30-33, the Lakers are that the team's closing long of an extended ab-
Associated Press 11th in the Western Confer- stretch this season would sence during his times with
ence standings, one game be some of the most impor- Cleveland or Miami.
By TIM REYNOLDS If that timetable holds, the from the No. 10 spot — and tant games he has played James has logged nearly
AP Basketball Writer Lakers will have to find a the last spot in the play-in — noting he didn't want to 65,000 minutes in regular-
LeBron James is expected way to stay in the playoff round. They're also just 2 1/2 miss the postseason for a season and playoff games
to miss most of March with race without the league's games back of sixth place, second consecutive year. since entering the league
an injured tendon in his all-time scoring leader. and the final guaranteed The Lakers are 6-10 without — almost 20,000 more than
right foot, the Los Angeles The Lakers did not disclose playoff spot. him in the lineup this sea- any other player in that
Lakers said on Thursday. the full extent of the injury, That's good news, and so is son, and 24-23 in games he span.q