The UFC recently confirmed that Francis Ngannou is no longer with the promotion, smashing all hopes of a potential mega-fight with Jon Jones. The promotion also announced Jones’ much-anticipated return to the octagon in a heavyweight clash against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
While Ngannou might have severed all ties with the UFC, Chael Sonnen believes the former champ’s story hasn’t ended for good. According to ‘The American Gangster’, Jones dominating Gane will settle the debate about who the greatest heavyweight in the world is since Ngannou was only able to score a come-from-behind decision win over ‘Bon Gamin’.
However, Sonnen believes that the argument of Ngannou being the greatest heavyweight lives on if Gane beats Jones. The 45-year-old said on his YouTube channel:
“Hope for Francis is not gone today. Hope for Francis is gone the night Jon Jones stomps out Ciryl Gane. When Jon Jones breezes through a guy that Francis came from behind to barely beat. That is when the Francis story comes to an end. If Ciryl was to go out and defeat Jon, the story of Francis and the argument that he is the greatest lives on.”
While two of the judges had Ciryl Gane winning the first round against Francis Ngannou, all three had the Frenchman winning round 2. However, all three judges scored the next three rounds for Ngannou as ‘The Predator’ went on to display his previously unseen wrestling game.
Watch Sonnen’s comments below:
Ciryl Gane believes he will be a tougher matchup for Jon Jones than Francis Ngannou
The debate about the best heavyweight is unlikely to be settled any time soon, with Francis Ngannou having left the promotion. However, Ciryl Gane believes he is a tougher stylistic matchup for Jon Jones when compared to Francis Ngannou.
According to ‘Bon Gamin’, Ngannou’s one-punch knockout strategy is easy to deal with for smart and well-rounded fighters like ‘Bones.’ The Frenchman considers himself to be stylistically similar to Jones, who he promises to test. Gane said during the UFC Vegas 67 post-fight presser:
“I know I’ve got good footwork at first, I think I’m a little bit more well-rounded [than Ngannou],” Gane said. “I look a little bit more like Jon Jones. Yes, when you have a big guy that just wants to kill you with one punch, it’s more easier for a guy well-rounded and smart like Jon Jones to manage the situation. Me, also, I am not like that. I like to manage the situation. It’s going to be really good.”
Watch Gane’s comments below:
