It was high time for a Las Vegas-style extravaganza.

The return from a three-year hiatus by ex-205-pound champion and consensus GOAT Jon Jones made for a particularly high-profile UFC event, and the 14-bout show from T-Mobile Arena did nothing to disappoint.

Saturday's show featured Jones and top-ranked contender Ciryl Gane battling for the heavyweight championship vacated when Francis Ngannou left the company, and it was no small fact that flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko was on the bill for a title defense, too.

Heck, even jacked-up Hollywood A-lister Jake Gyllenhaal made it into the Octagon during filming of walkout and fight scenes for the imminent remake of the 1989 film Road House.

So to say UFC 285 had everything would hardly be hyperbolic.

The B/R combat team made the trip to the Nevada desert to take it all in and assemble a definitive list of the show's winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with, and drop us a comment with a thought or two of your own.

And who knows, maybe we'll get an Oscar for best performance by a journalism extra.

Winner: Same as It Ever Was

If you already believed Jon Jones was the greatest of all time, you still do.

The longtime light heavyweight king made the transition to the sport's big-boy division look about as easy as it could look, dispatching a former interim champion and current No. 1 contender in Ciryl Gane in less than half a round.

The official time of the Frenchman's surrender to a guillotine choke was 2:04.

"I knew the fight would be in my area. I feel stronger and more comfortable on the ground than ever," Jones said. "I felt a little goofy on the feet because it's been a while. But once I got my hands on him, I felt comfortable."

Jones had insisted during fight week that it'd be a mismatch. He wasn't wrong.

Though he'd lost just once in 12 career fights and once in nine UFC outings, Gane never looked comfortable. He flicked out strike attempts but never showed the conviction he'd shown in victories because it was clear he was concerned with Jones' mat skills.

A missed punch allowed Jones an opening to get in close and take things to the floor about a minute in. From there, he spun to Gane's back and subsequently scrambled to a front position from which he cinched his foe's neck with his left arm.

Soon after, the eighth two-weight champ in UFC history was crowned.

"I'm so excited. I've been working for this for a long time," he said. "A lot of people thought I'd never come back. I read that. But I've been faithful to the goal and the mission."

And now, the mission is to be the greatest heavyweight ever.

To accomplish that, Jones verbally accepted the challenge of former two-time champ Stipe Miocic, generally considered the best in the division's history, who was seated cageside.

"Stipe Miocic, you're the greatest heavyweight of all time," he said. "And that's what I want."

Winner: Upset Special

It's official. Anyone can lose in the UFC.

Within the last 15 months alone, Amanda Nunes, Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman have lost their lofty perches on the pound-for-pound list.

And on Saturday night, it was Valentina Shevchenko's turn.

A winner in 12 of her 14 UFC bouts and eight of nine title fights since 2018, the Kyrgyzstan "Bullet" fell victim to the upset bug when a misfire on a spinning kick in the fourth round presented an opportunity that sixth-ranked flyweight Alexa Grasso refused to let pass.

The 29-year-old immediately leapt onto Shevchenko's back and locked in a rear-naked choke with her right arm, eventually squeezing long enough to draw a tap at 4:34 and an early favorite for 2023's biggest title-fight upset.

"It was all training. I train it every single day," Grasso said. "I know that she kicks hard."

The Mexican-born challenger had held her own through the first three rounds but had done nothing to suggest anything other than a unanimous decision or late finish in Shevchenko's favor was on the way. Until it wasn't.

The win was her fifth in a row since a 3-3 beginning to her UFC run.

"I think I'm dreaming," she said. "I've dreamed of this moment for so long."

As for Shevchenko, she hugged her conqueror tight after the verdict was officially announced and made no bones about wanting another crack at her.

"A situation like that can change the whole game," Shevchenko said. "This is what happens."

Loser: Streak Busting

Geoff Neal withstood the pressure, took the punishment and frequently landed shots on Shavkat Rakhmonov that few, if any, of the Kazakhstan fighter's opponents ever had.

But it still wasn't enough.

Though he was pushed a little closer to the brink than many expected, given his status as a significant favorite, Rakhmonov persisted through the adversity, beat back Neal's gutty challenge and ultimately cinched in the rear-naked choke that ended things with 43 seconds left in Round 3.

It was his 17th straight win and 17th straight finish—including five straight in the UFC—and will presumably yield the sort of top-five opponent who'll be the gateway to the welterweight title shot.

Neal had entered the fight with a 7-2 UFC record and a No. 7 ranking, compared to Rakhmonov's No. 9.

"I'm very happy," Rakhmonov said.

The 28-year-old has nine submissions and eight KOs in the 17 victories, of which less than half (eight) have gone past one round and only two (including this one) have seen the third.

Neal, though, landed several shots in a significant exchange in the final minute of the first round, drew a smile and a nod from Rakhmonov after landing a three-shot combo in the second, and fired some more in the third before Rakhmonov drove him to the cage and seized the choke from a standing position.

"I'm ready [for a title shot] now," he said.

Winner: Beginner's Pluck

Ever wonder what it'd be like to wrestle a boa constrictor?

If so, Jamie Pickett may be available for a testimonial.

The 34-year-old drew the short straw and was selected as the initial foe for UFC newcomer Bo Nickal, and it went about the way you'd think it would against an uber-hyped national champion wrestler.

Nickal missed a sweeping kick on his initial strike attempt but did precisely zero wrong after that, getting a lock on Pickett's body within the first 30 seconds, getting him to the floor in a minute and ultimately locking in the arm triangle choke that wound up ending matters.

To Pickett's credit, he fought gamely to survive as his right arm was isolated and Nickal clamped down on the choke, but the former Penn State Nittany Lion subtly tweaked his position, gained a smidge more leverage and prompted the tap surrender at 2:54.

It was by far the longest of Nickal's now four fights, more than doubling his previous long of 62 seconds.

And the unapologetically confident 27-year-old wasted no time suggesting it was just the start.

"I've been training my whole life for this," he said.

"I feel like I was born, bred and I train every day so I can come out here and dominate. I've been doing MMA for a year and a half, and I'm on the main card on a UFC pay-per-view. I'm gonna be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter by the time I'm done."

Loser: Championship Residue

Well, it at least looked and sounded like Cody Garbrandt.

Indeed, the former UFC bantamweight champion was in the cage for a three-round prelim finale against Trevin Jones on Saturday night, but that was about it.

Because the fighter who joined the belted class with a defeat of Dominick Cruz on the second-to-last day of 2016 looked a lot more like the guy he's been since.

Oh sure, Garbrandt was among the night's winners thanks to a unanimous decision over a foe who'd gone 1-3 with a no-contest in five UFC fights, but the performance wasn't one that indicated he'll again be a force at 135 pounds anytime soon. Or ever.

Garbrandt, who lost to T.J. Dillashaw in his initial title defense and dropped a rematch a year later, arrived with just one win in six fights since dethroning Cruz, including consecutive losses to Rob Font (UD 5) and Kai-Kara France (KO 1) in his two most recent outings.

He got Jones to the mat twice in the second round and inspired brief titters from the crowd with footwork and hand gestures but spent much of his time flitting around the perimeter of the mat while Jones pursued and the crowd booed.

More boos came when he was announced the winner by matching scores of 29-28, and no one from the ESPN broadcast crew entered the Octagon for a post-fight interview, cutting away instead to the second of two Jake Gyllenhaal walkout scenes.

Ouch.

Winner: Prelim Desperation

Few things enhance performance like desperation.

Ninth-ranked strawweight Amanda Ribas had lost two of her last three bouts and was faced with a ranked opponent, No. 8 flyweight Viviane Araujo, in her bid to return to relevance in the second bout on Saturday's preliminary card.

Turns out a little concern was precisely what the Brazilian needed.

The frenetic 29-year-old was in deep as Araujo briefly chased a finish by guillotine choke in the opening half of the first round, but a subsequent escape set up two and a half rounds of dominance as Ribas got back to winning with a wide unanimous decision.

Ribas finished the opening round with punishing strikes on the ground and kept it up in the second, dropping Araujo with a straight right and continuing the pressure in the third on the way to scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27 from the nearby judges.

She hadn't fought since dropping a split decision to highly ranked Katlyn Chookagian last May and had lost by second-round stoppage to Marina Rodriguez in early 2021.

In the aftermath, though, she immediately asked to re-till that old ground.

"I will be a little ambitious," she said. "Katlyn Chookagian was No. 2 when I fought her. So please, if you want to give me someone fighting at flyweight, I'm here."

One fight later, South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis was in desperate shape himself after a first round in which he'd taken all measure of punishment from fifth-ranked Derek Brunson. But he endured, ran Brunson's gas tank dry and battered him in the second half of the second round to score a dramatic TKO win with a second remaining.

His five-fight win streak is the longest in the 185-pound division.

"This is incredible," he said. "This is huge for my country and for me."

Winner: Feeding Time

The nearest ocean was roughly 300 miles away.

But the fighter nicknamed "Baby Shark" seemed plenty comfortable in the Nevada desert.

Brazilian judo ace Tabatha Ricci did precisely what a 28-year-old up-and-comer was supposed to do to a 40-year-old veteran, hounding former UFC title challenger Jessica Penne for every moment until an abrupt second-round finish.

It was a potential star-making turn for Ricci, who graduated from three consecutive Fight Night cards to her first appearance on a pay-per-view undercard. She seemed completely at home in the moment as she strutted confidently from the locker room, then immediately got to business with three takedowns in a first round Daniel Cormier labeled "terrific."

The still-arriving crowd didn't appreciate Penne's largely non-violent approach as she frequently stayed on the mat and flailed at Ricci with kicks. But Ricci channeled her predatory instinct midway through the second and hip-tossed Penne back to the canvas from a standing tie-up, then went to the ground to lock in an armbar that prompted a tap at 2:14.

Joe Rogan correctly labeled it a "complete domination" and a "fantastic statement."

Penne had been an Invicta champion in 2012 when Ricci was a teenager, and she lost to Joanna Jędrzejczyk in a UFC strawweight title shot in 2015. The loss to Ricci was her fourth in six fights since the Jędrzejczyk loss.

"Now is my time," Ricci said. "I feel like the Baby Shark era has begun."

Winner: Early Unbeatens

Where better to make a statement than a UFC card?

Four early prelim combatants walked into the T-Mobile Arena, an admittedly cavernous one given the card's mid-afternoon start time in Las Vegas, looking to preserve their unbeaten professional records on the undercard of a highly anticipated pay-per-view show.

Three ultimately got the job done, but none were more impressive than Cameron Saaiman.

The 22-year-old from South Africa arrived with a gaudy 7-0 mark and had scored his first official octagonal win at UFC 282 three months ago, but he upped the ante Saturday with a consistently interesting three-round decision over gutty Texan Leomana Martinez.

And afterward, he wanted more.

"I'm having the time of my life again," he said. "I felt great. I feel like my cardio is up. I have nothing else to do, so let's go back into training next week."

He was followed in nearly as memorable fashion by Irish export Ian Garry, who was dropped with a left hand in the first round but recovered to stop Song Kenan late in the third.

"Everyone here deserves to be here. They're all amazing athletes," Garry said. "You have to be on your game every minute of every round. And if you're not, s--t like that happens."

Labeled "The Future," Garry was 10-0 upon arrival and scored his fourth straight UFC win on his fourth straight pay-per-view undercard. He played to the crowd by channeling Conor McGregor's "Billionaire Strut" when the fight was stopped and followed it up with an impromptu Griddy dance as well.

"I'm learning. I'm growing," he said. "I'm taking everyone out in the next couple years."

Full Card Results

Main Card

Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane by submission (guillotine choke), 2:04, Round 1

Alexa Grasso def. Valentina Shevchenko by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:34, Round 4

Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Geoff Neal by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:17, Round 3

Mateusz Gamrot def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Bo Nickal def. Jamie Pickett by submission (arm triangle), 2:57, Round 1

Preliminary Card

Cody Garbrandt def. Trevin Jones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Dricus du Plessis def. Derek Brunson by TKO (punches), 4:59, Round 2

Amanda Ribas def. Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)

Marc-Andre Barriault def. Julian Marquez by TKO (punches), 4:12, Round 2

Early Preliminary Card

Ian Garry def. Song Kenan by TKO (punches), 4:22, Round 3

Cameron Saaiman def. Mana Martinez by majority decision (29-26, 28-27, 28-28)

Tabatha Ricci def. Jessica Penne by submission (armbar), 2:14, Round 2

Farid Basharat def. Da'Mon Blackshear by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Loik Radzhabov def. Esteban Ribovics by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)