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Jon Jones makes long-awaited return to UFC Octagon at heavyweight at UFC 285

jon jones

Jon Jones makes long-awaited return to UFC Octagon at heavyweight at UFC 285.

Jon Jones returns from a 1,120-day layoff to face Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285 and win, he would become the first fighter ever to have his first professional fight at heavyweight come in a UFC title fight.

This would be a significant achievement in the sport of MMA, and it would further solidify Jones' legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Jon Jones Past History In The Ring

Jones is one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history since he became the youngest champion in UFC history at 23 years, 243 days.

He is one of only 11 fighters with 20 or more UFC wins, and he is one of just three fighters with at least 20 wins in a single division, all of which came at light heavyweight.

The other two fighters are Jim Miller with 21 lightweight wins and Neil Magny with 20 welterweight wins.

Jones' MMA record is officially 26-1 with 1 no contest, and even his only loss came via disqualification against Matt Hamill, a fight that he was dominating.

Despite this loss, Jones has been considered one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history, having defeated some of the biggest names in the sport and successfully defended his title numerous times.

Jones is also the first fighter ever to make his professional debut at heavyweight in a UFC title fight. The last fighter to make his weight class debut in a UFC title fight was Israel Adesanya in 2021 against Jan Blachowicz (lost light heavyweight title bout).

Who is Ciryl Gane?

Ciryl Gane is considered one of the most technical strikers in the history of the heavyweight division in the UFC. He has showcased his striking prowess in all 9 of his UFC fights, outstriking all of his opponents.

In fact, he has compiled the largest significant strike differential for any man in their first 9 UFC appearances, with a significant strike differential of +503 strikes. This is a testament to Gane's striking accuracy and precision.

Gane has gotten to the top of this list by way of world-class striking both offensively and defensively.

He has the best significant strike accuracy and defense among active heavyweights while also ranking within the top 5 in the division’s history.

What Does Vegas Say?

Jon Jones opened as a -115 favorite over Ciryl Gane at Caesars and has since been bet out to -160.  It’s the tightest line in any Jon Jones fight since UFC 93 when he beat the late Stephan Bonnar.

More on this and other headlines later today on Shemon and Sheppard 2-6pm.

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The True Hotbed Of Florida Real Estate Is – North Fort Myers

Well, I feel stupid. Just to think of all those times we kinda looked down on North Fort Myers as our trashy neighbors to the north. We should have been buying land! Just kidding about the trashy part. I love NFM. I know a lot of people up there, including that guy in the picture. NFM was always a place where people could buy some land, and do what they want. Well, when they could afford to! So when the latest numbers came out, Tampa and Miami got the headlines. But home value increases in those two cities can't compare to what's going on in North Fort Myers.

The latest Case-Shiller study came out and according to Florida realtors "the index measuring U.S. home prices year-to-year was up 7.7%, but the index measuring month-to-month changes found prices down 0.6% compared to the month before." As has been the trend, Florida is well above the average. Miami saw an 18.4% year-to-year price increase in home prices. Year-to-year, prices in Tampa were up 16.9%. Just for an out of state comparison, Atlanta was up 12.7%. But those numbers are looking at major metropolitan areas. The smart buyers are looking elsewhere. And they found it here in North Fort Myers.

The median sale price for a home in North Fort Myers in January of 2022 was $229,750. The median sale price for a home there in January of 2023? $372,500. That's a 62.1% increase year over year. And that price has come down! In October the number was $420,000.

If you're trying to negotiate, Redfin states this about North Fort Myers.

    If you're looking for a deal in Florida, well that's not to far away either. Iona. The Iona section of Lee County has a median sale price of $315,00, which is down 18.2% year over year. This totally makes sense as that area was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian. Entire neighborhoods are still unlivable.

    So who's running up the prices in North Fort Myers? The top 3 out of state places where people are moving from shouldn't be a surprise. Chicago, Boston, and New York . Aside from that, regular people. I know a couple in NFM who have an actual zoo. Not just a lot of animals - a zoo.

    So what's for sale in the neighborhood north of the Caloosahatchee River? Have a look. I was a little shocked myself.

    12560 Panasoffkee Dr - $4,480,000

    19800 Skipper Rd - $1,500,000

    In 2018, this property sold for $350,000

    1520 Orchid Rd - $1,500,000

    1779 Whitecap Cir - $1,450,000

    1857 Stevenson Rd - $1,399,900

    1845 Stevenson Rd - $1,275,000

    18787 Baseleg Ave - $1,250,000

    In 1993 this sold for $190,000

    19780 Skipper Rd - $1,249,900

    Someone bought this in 2019 for $450,000

    3590 South Rd - $1,200,000

    15561 Paper Tree Ct - $1,150,000

    That's just for starters

    Some of these prices are a little stupid. $1.2 million for a trailer on a 5 acre lot? But if you can get it, good for you. I will admit, however, you can still get a LOT more house here than you could if the place was in Naples. So these prices may have more room to run.

    My neighbor is pretty high up on the Realtor food chain and I showed him what I saw with the 62% year over year increase in NFM. His response? "Nothing surprises me any more!"

    psheppardAuthor