Jon Jones is set to return to the UFC octagon after an extended layoff of three years.
He will move up to the heavyweight division for the first time in his career and challenge No.1-ranked contender Ciryl Gane for the vacant championship, which was left behind by Francis Ngannou.
With a week to go before the big fight, which serves as the UFC 285 main event, Jones took to Twitter to break down Gane's fighting style and discuss his past bouts.
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Former champion Francis Ngannou's final fight in the UFC was against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. The contest saw Gane place himself in a commanding position before Ngannou showed off his wrestling and took advantage of errors from his French opponent to finish the bout strong. The champion ultimately retained his title but was given a close fight by 'Bon Gamin'.
Jon Jones feels that victory was within reach for Gane and outlined the simplest way he could have gone about it. He quoted a fan mentioning Gane's attempted heel hook on Ngannou and tweeted:
"Gave up a dominant position, went for a leg lock when all he had to do was lay on an exhausted Francis"
Jon Jones dismisses Ciryl Gane as the most technical kickboxer he will have faced, names former opponent
Jon Jones' breakdown of his next opponent continued as he addressed the popular notion that Ciryl Gane's dynamic striking will be the best he has ever faced in his career.
'Bones' presented his UFC 239 fight against Thiago Santos as an example. He claimed that the Brazilian's striking was exemplary and showcased great versatility and efficiency.
He tweeted:
"Man I just finished watching my Thiago Santos fight again. I think it’s crazy that you guys consider gane the most technical kickboxer I’ve ever faced. Everything Thiago did have bad intentions on it. Dude had lightning speed, power, explosiveness. Crazy versatility."
Jones also pointed out that Gane's last three opponents, Tai Tuivasa, Francis Ngannou, and Derrick Lewis, offered minimal defense to his striking, in turn making it look it better:
"ganes last three opponents had terrible defense. Those guys couldn’t stop a kick if their life depended on it. He’s fought flat footed boxers his last three fights"