Cyril Gane has warned Jon Jones to expect a tougher test than a fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
After the shock Cameroonian-French UFC event over the weekend, Dana White moved to confirm a heavyweight battle between Gane and Jones for the vacant belt at UFC 285 in March.
And Gane, a newcomer to MMA who only made his debut in the sport in 2018, believes his versatile game could be causing Jones’ problems.
“I know I have good footwork at first, I think I’m a bit more accurate [than Ngannou],” Gane said.
“I’m a bit more like Jon Jones. Yes, when you have a big guy who just wants to kill you with one punch, it’s easier for a well-rounded and smart guy like Jon Jones to manage the situation.
“Me, too, I’m not like that. I like to manage the situation. It will be very good.”
Gane also said that he used to look up to Jones as he developed as a fighter and considers him to be the best UFC fighter of all time.
“When I started watching this, Jon Jones was one of my favorite fighters,” Gane added.
“More so when I started MMA, because I’m a fan of every sport in MMA, and when you look at a guy like Jon Jones, who’s great like this, you respect him. He is the GOAT. Look at his career.
“Today, I am a young fighter, and I think it is the dream of every young fighter to fight against a goat. This is really crazy to me.”
Gane is not the only fighter who believes he has a stronger test for Jones either, with former champion Daniel Cormier believing the French fighter’s move can be decisive.
“I thought Jon vs. Francis was the biggest and most anticipated fight because of the dangers that Francis Ngannou presents, the power and everything,” Cormier said while analyzing the fight on his YouTube channel.
“But let’s not go crazy and act like Jon Jones hasn’t seen power before. He has visible power. Nothing like Ngannou’s power, but I believe what he has now could be a tougher style matchup in Cyril Gane…”
“The movement of Cyril Gane, and the way he attacks it, will make it very difficult for Jones, because as well as Jones, Jones is not a guy who moves a lot. It is very stop and go. He’s long, so he uses those long-range weapons to really dominate guys like me and other guys he’s fought in the Octagon. But he’s not a guy who moves around and creates a ton of angles.
“A lot of direct arms and long range … Ciryl Gane is the issue, you’re going to have a big man who has a lot of those same qualities, who has the ability to move. Go back and look at Jones, he’s pretty flatfooted. No Gane.”