Jon Jones is going to face Ciryl Gane in his return to the octagon at UFC 285.
Previously Jones’ sparring partner claimed he was relieved to be matched with Gane over stripped champion Francis Ngannou and even went so far to say Jones feared his one punch KO power.
“It’s funny to say fear, but it’s a kind of excessive respect.”
However, Joe Rogan and Belal Muhammad argued that Gane is a tougher matchup for the UFC legend. Muhammad discussed the bout with Joe Rogan on the JRE MMA show a little while back.
Belal made his case by saying that Gane is more complete in terms of skills than Ngannou. He also said that he doubts Jones’s chances due to three years of inactivity.
Belal referred to how bad Jones looked against Ovince St. Preux after coming back from a hiatus.
“Honestly, I think it’s a tougher fight than Francis.”
“I think that Ciryl Gane has movement, his footwork. He’s so good with his front leg and for John Jones, who, when I remember when he came back from OSP, he looked so stiff and that was a time off and putting a lot of muscle on.”
He said that Gane is a bigger challenge for the multi-time champion than OSP. So, this time it’s going to be even tougher for him.
“He just looked like a slower version of himself. So now this time, it’s a longer time off and you’re coming back with way more weight on and you’re going against one of like the faster heavy weights and the more smoother heavy weights.”
Belal believes that Ngannou is still beatable due to his limited abilities. However, Gane is multi-dimensional in his opinion.
“Instead of Ngannou, who you know, he lands a hard punch. I could do it, but I could just shoot under that hard punch. I mean, Ciryl Gane, you have to watch the kicks, watch the footwork, cut him off.”
Rogan interjected by pointing out how Ngannou had superior grappling to Gane’s despite his knee injury.
“The thing is, Ciryl Gane was out-grappled by Francis when Francis had a bad knee. Francis’s knee was fu**ed up and Francis out-grappled him and beat him handily with his grappling.”
Rogan also expressed sadness for missing out on Jones vs Ngannou but said that he’s still excited about UFC 285.
“I’m mad because I feel like we were deprived of one of the great fights in MMA. One of the most compelling fights in MMA. Does it mean I’m not interested in Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones? I’m very interested in that fight. I’m for all the things you listed.”
The UFC commentator also had good things to say about Gane. He referred to Gane’s dominant and impressive display against Tai Tuivasa.
“Also for Cyril Gane’s performance against Tai Tuivasa. It’s like God damn, Ciryl Gane.”
“And that was a perfect fight to like showcase what Ciryl Gane is capable of. Because his movement, the fluidity of his combinations and I mean, we got moves like a middleweight. It was 240 plus pounds. This was a great a** fight.”
Rogan then discussed how Jones will do against Gane. He considered several factors that can affect how Jones can compete.
“So for Jon, it’s going to be, can Jon take him down?… like, how does Jon perform at heavyweight? Can Jon close the distance as he is fast? What is the three years off like? Is he hungrier and even better?”
Belal said how Jones is well-rounded and tries to beat his opponents at what they do best.
“Remember he was always that guy that would want to beat you at your own game. Oh, you’re wrestling. I’ll wrestle you. You’re a striker. I’ll strike with you. So, well, because I’ll do it thinking, Ciryl Gane, you’re a smooth striker. I’ll smooth you, I don’t know.”
After this, Rogan laid out some more skepticism, as it’s Jones’s first fight at 265 pounds. He also mentioned how he’s gotten older now and that he’s known for a hedonistic lifestyle.
“It’s also his first fight in heavyweight. We really don’t know how he’s going to respond when he gets hit by a big heavyweight. And it’s years and it’s also John is older now.”
“Honestly. A lot of partying. John parties. You know, I don’t know what he’s been doing. Maybe he’s been living clean over the last few years. I don’t know.”