Jon Jones: Cyril Gane Is ‘The Most Incomplete Fighter In The Top 5 Heavyweights’
Jon Jones has started a war of words ahead of his UFC 285 showdown with Ciryl Gane
UFC285 takes place this weekend in Vegas as Jon Jones makes his hugely anticipated return to the octagon.
Blockasset athletes Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry and Dricus Du Plessis are also in action on what promises to be an unforgettable night of MMA, with Jones who many consider the greatest to ever do it, making his UFC comeback against Cyril Gane at Heavyweight.
Jones however, doesn’t seem overly impressed by what he’s seen of his opponent.
In anticipation of their title fight, Jon Jones criticised his upcoming opponent, Ciryl Gane, calling him the 'most incomplete fighter in the top five' of UFC heavyweights.
Jones will face Gane in the octagon on Saturday night, marking his return to the sport after a three-year absence. Despite the long break, Jones expressed confidence in his ability to defeat Gane, stating that he cannot imagine 'losing to a guy like Ciryl Gane.' Additionally, Jones criticised Gane's past performance against Francis Ngannou last year.
Speaking at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 285, Jones said: 'I feel like Ciryl is the most incomplete fighter in the top 5 [heavyweights] right now. He has really good striking and he has really good footwork.
'But, I've watched his fights. He got tired against Francis Ngannou. All that fancy footwork, him supposedly being the fastest heavyweight we've ever seen... all of that went away. One or two takedowns, that tired him out big time.'
In January 2022, Gane took on at-the-time champion Ngannou in a battle for the heavyweight title. The French fighter started well but was eventually defeated via unanimous decision after Ngannou, known more for his striking ability and one punch knockout power, was able to dominate using wrestling.
'I'm a wrestler and it's a different type of endurance,' Jones continued. 'A lot of people don't like having someone on top of them and making them earn their way back to their feet.
'He [Francis] could barely left his legs, moving so slowly and Gane didn't destroy him. Francis wins his fights by first-round knockouts but he outworked Ciryl Gane.
'Since when has Francis become a guy that outworks others? His gift is knockout power. He got outworked by Francis, that tells me a lot.
'I just don't see myself losing to a guy like Ciryl Gane. I just can't imagine him outworking me when he couldn't outwork Francis.'
Jones claim means that he sees Gane as less of a threat than Stipe Miocic, Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes and Tai Tuivasa - who Gane beat in his last fight.
It should be noted that Jones' last three appearances in the UFC, which were all wins, were decided via judges decision - evidence of his impressive work ethic and cardio throughout fights. Something that Jones clearly thinks he has over the Frenchman.
Having not fought since February 2020, the former light-heavyweight champion announced his intention to move up a division and gain muscle mass.
In his last match, despite being awarded a unanimous decision victory, fans accused Jones of being outperformed by Reyes.
On the other hand, Gane won his most recent fight convincingly, but had previously been outperformed by Francis Ngannou in his first attempt at the heavyweight title.
Initially, Jones was expected to fight heavyweight champion Ngannou upon his return to the UFC. However, Ngannou rejected an offer that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight fighter of all time.
