One of the most hyped fighting events in recent memory is just around the corner. Jon Jones will finally return to the Octagon to challenge Ciryl Gane for the Heavyweight title. The Frenchman seems aware of the tall task ahead after he gives credit to his opponent during the UFC 285 press conference.
In one of his pre-match interviews, Ciryl had this to say about his opponent, “We expected during the camp a beautiful Jon Jones. Fast like he was at light-heavyweight, with the same skills, but stronger like a heavyweight. Like a real heavyweight. We expected this,”
But with great risk comes great reward, “I won the belt now, no matter who is the guy. It’s going to mean a lot for me because he is the GOAT. Everyone knows that, because of his career. … If we win, it’s going to be something big for my career and something big for my life, for sure.”
The former title challenger is unfazed by his opponent’s trash talk. When Jon labelled Thiago Santos as a more technical kickboxer, Gane simply replied, “Don’t need to talk, my friend. We’re going to do the job in the cage. And we will see.”
What can we learn from the UFC 285 press conference?
It is a bit hard to tell whether Ciryl is just carefree or if he doesn’t understand the gravity of the task at hand. This is a new weight division for ‘Bones’; he has been out there for years. So the former light-heavyweight champ may not be able to pull the moves he used to be able to.
But there is a caution for Gane too. Francis used his wrestling to defeat ‘Bon Gamin’, and Jones is a far better wrestler. If Jon manages to utilize his ground game properly, then the French may find it difficult to keep up. Although Ngannou himself had a poor ground game at one point, so there seems to be an opportunity for improvement should one put in the work.
Who do you think gets the win on March 4th? Share your opinion in the comments.
