Two-time UFC title challenger says Ciryl Gane 'defeated himself before' stepping into the cage against Jon Jones

Jon Jones made quick work of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. Former title challenger Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson said he knew Gane would lose because he was already making 'excuses'.

Thompson cited Gane's interviews leading up to the fight. According to Thompson, the Frenchman was making excuses and had negative thoughts in his head, which led to him losing the fight. 'Wonderboy' appeared as a guest on Submission Radio and had this to say:

"For instance, you learn a lot about somebody the way they talk about them during interviews. Like I knew Gane was gonna lose that last fight, knew it. Because he was already giving excuses of why he wasn't going to win, even though he didn't say it. He would say, 'well I only train for fights whenever I have a fight coming up.' For me, that's a negative thought."

Thompson believes Ciryl Gane was projecting a loss and when he said things like he doesn't train all the time, he was making excuses in case he lost the fight. Even if Thompson did know the Frenchman would lose, no one expected it to be as quick as Jon Jones finished it.

Take a look at the interview (Quotes from 22:25 onwards):

---

Francis Ngannou says he is not scared of Jon Jones and would fight him twice a month

Jon Jones was expected to fight Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic for his highly-awaited return to the octagon. However, 'The Predator' found the UFC contract too restrictive and ended up vacating the belt. When he left, some fans claimed he did so because he was scared to fight 'Bones' who was looking to fight in the heavyweight division.

In a recent interview, Ngannou clarified that he was not scared to fight Jones:

"There's not a fight on earth that I will back down....Jon Jones might be the best fighter ever, but he's not the guy I'm running away from...I'll fight Jon Jones twice a month."

'The Predator' is currently not signed with the UFC and the only way the pair could fight is if he returns to the organization or Jones leaves. However, since he was recently crowned heavyweight champion, it is highly unlikely he will leave before fighting Stipe Miocic. Fans may not get to see the dream match-up between Ngannou and 'Bones'.

Take a look at the tweet from ESPN MMA: