"Ciryl Gane was no threat to Jon Jones" - 'Bones' failed to impress Francis Ngannou despite lopsided heavyweight debut

Despite moving up to a new division after a three-year hiatus from mixed martial arts, Jon Jones was able to dominate his heavyweight debut. 'Bones' needed just over two minutes to submit Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to capture the heavyweight title that had previously been vacated by Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou recently revealed that he was not impressed with the performance. Speaking with TMZ Sports, 'The Predator' claimed that he would rather face Jones at his current size than when he was at 205 pounds before stating.

"He never faced a guy like me, a real side heavyweight," Ngannou said.

"That could have been Ciryl Gane, but Ciryl Gane didn't have any response for him as far as wrestling is concerned, which is something that I'm going to be handling and he's not running through me like he ran through Ciryl. I think Ciryl was the perfect pro fighter to run into because there wasn't a threat. An immediate threat."

Francis Ngannou added:

"He's not a guy that is going to knock you out with one shot so you can shoot and get in and if along the way you get like one, two punches, but you get a hold of him, it's okay, but with a guy that can shut you out with one punch, I think you're going to think twice before you take that kind of risk, before being as reckless."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on Jon Jones below (starting at the 2:30 mark):

Ngannou added that he believes Jones would struggle with his size if the two were ever to clash. He shared that his goal would be to knock 'Bones' out, but he noted that the two are unlikely to fight anytime soon.

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Michael Bisping believes Jon Jones versus Francis Ngannou will never happen

Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou seemed destined to clash for the UFC heavyweight title. However, 'The Predator' was unable to reach a contract with the promotion, becoming the first reigning champion to leave since B.J. Penn in 2004.

While he has since joined the PFL, the two fighters have continued to exchange words. That culminated at PFL 5 when they came face-to-face.

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping weighed in on the faceoff, revealing that he doesn't believe the two will ever fight. Speaking on his podcast "Believe You Me," the former middleweight champion stated:

"Never gonna happen, though. We're never going to see that fight ever. I don't think so. I mean, Dana [White] said he'll never have [Ngannou] back.

"That doesn't necessarily mean he will never fight in the UFC, but I think with his age, with the deal that he's got at the PFL, with the opportunity to box, who knows? Maybe he continues winning fights and retires, but even if he has two or three fights, I think he'll retire anyway."

Check out Michael Bisping's comments on Francis Ngannou's face off with Jon Jones below (starting at the 37:47 mark):

Jon Jones is targeting UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden against Stipe Miocic for his first heavyweight title defense. Francis Ngannou, meanwhile, will not make his PFL debut until 2024 as he is targeting his boxing debut in 2023.