Cody Garbrandt meets replacement opponent Trevin Jones at UFC 285

Trevin Jones is getting his shot at a former UFC champion.

Jones is set to face former UFC bantamweight titleholder Cody Garbrandt on short notice on March 4 at UFC 285. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed the news Friday following an initial report by UFC broadcast partner ESPN. Jones replaces Garbrandt’s original opponent Julio Arce, who withdrew from the contest due to an undisclosed injury.

Jones (13-9, 1 NC) heads into the bout having lost three consecutive fights at the hands of Saidyokub Kakhramonov, Javid Basharat, and Raoni Barcelos. The 32-year-old holds a 1-3 overall UFC record with one no-contest over five appearances.

Garbrandt (12-5) has struggled of late as well. The 31-year-old ex-champ has lost five of his six bouts since capturing the bantamweight title in 2016 with a masterful victory over Dominick Cruz. Four of those losses ended in knockouts, including Garbrandt’s most recent appearance, a Dec. 2021 first-round loss to Kai Kara-France that served as Garbrandt’s lone attempt in the flyweight division.

UFC 285 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight belt.