Ciryl Gane unsure why Jon Jones had tougher fights late in light heavyweight run: ‘Maybe he’s not at his peak’

Jon Jones will answer a lot of questions this weekend (Saturday, March 4, 2023) at UFC 285.

The vacant heavyweight title is up for grabs in the main event of UFC 285 when Jones makes his division debut against Frenchman Ciryl Gane. It’s been more than a decade since “Bones” first mentioned the concept of competing in the biggest weight class of mixed martial arts (MMA). After relinquishing his Light Heavyweight crown at the start of 2020, he is now ready to make it a reality.

Jones’ finish in his Light Heavyweight run was not his strongest in terms of performance. That, plus that he’s now 35, has given many fans and pundits reason to worry about how he’ll fare against perennial top contender and former interim champion Gane. For Gane, he’s not sure what to make of where Jones was during his three-year hiatus.

“First of all, I really don’t want to disrespect these opponents,” Gane told CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri. “I’m talking about [Alexander] Gustafson, [Dominick] Reyes, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. They are beautiful fighters, so it’s really normal that it hasn’t been easy for Jon Jones. I don’t need to talk about it. He did well.

“A lot of people say, ‘He’s not the same Jon Jones he used to be,'” he continued. “But guys, the division is really tough. Maybe harder than before. These guys are so strong, so tough. Maybe he’s not at his peak, maybe, but he’s been in some really tough fights and he’s done really well. So I don’t want to disrespect his opponents.

Despite all the unknowns currently surrounding Jones and the type of fighter we can expect, bettors still have the best of all time as a betting favorite up for grabs. Much was also made of Gane’s wrestling struggles in his only career loss to Francis Ngannou in January 2022 (see highlights). As for whether Jones overestimated or Gane underestimated, “Bon Gamin” feels that the ratings have been pretty evenly balanced.

“Both. I don’t know exactly because I’m not on social media too much. But I can feel it when I walk the streets of Las Vegas yesterday,” Gane said. . I agree. Go get it!’ I don’t know the exact numbers whether it’s 50-50 or not. I don’t know. My prediction is that most people are probably behind Jon Jones because of his career. That makes sense. No one does. went down. It makes sense. But I have a lot of people behind me. I can feel it.”

remember that MMAmania.com will provide live, round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 285 fight card right herestarting from the beginning ESPN+ Online “Preliminaries” matches, which are due to start at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the rest of the undercard on ESPN /ESPN+ at 8:00 p.m. ET, prior to the PPV main card start time at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ VPP.

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