Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane are set to contest for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285, and Gane’s coach Fernand Lopez is sure that ‘Bones’ will employ a wrestling-heavy approach against the Frenchman.
‘Bon Gamin’s UFC 270 loss to Francis Ngannou exposed significant holes in his ground game. Despite Gane enjoying early success on the feet, his fortunes quickly turned sour as the Cameroonian threw wrestling into the mix. He was ultimately out-grappled and lost out on points to the former champion.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Gane’s coach stated that wrestling would definitely be the former light-heavyweight champion’s plan A against the Frenchman since Gane’s striking is leaps and bounds above everybody else’s:
“I think no matter what Jon Jones or his team would say, they have plan A as wrestling. No matter what they do in the first round, they’ll try the wrestling as soon as this thing starts, I believe it. I’m not saying that Jon Jones will not cut Ciryl there and here, [from] time to time.”
He added:
“I believe he [Jones] is very good at striking, I believe he can touch everyone but let’s be serious. Ciryl is something [else] on the feet. Whenever you fight with him you’ll find out very… quickly that this guy is different, it’s another level of striking… and you’ll have to just shoot the double leg or shoot for a body lock. So I know that we’ll face the wrestling.”
Catch Fernand Lopez’s comments on Jones vs. Gane below:
Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane: UFC 285 odds
Per the statistics given on Best Fight Odds, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is currently a slight underdog at +140 for his fight against Ciryl Gane, while the French national is coming in as the -166 favorite.
Per these odds, a $1,000 wager on the Frenchman will return a payout of $1,602.41 if he wins, while the same bet on the underdog will result in a higher return of $2,400 if ‘Bones’ gets his hands raised.
Jones is returning to MMA after a three-year hiatus. He was last seen at UFC 247 in 2020, where he defeated Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision. The American is currently on an 18-fight undefeated streak.
Watch Jones vs. Reyes below:
Gane, on the other hand, will be coming to the event brimming with confidence from his knockout victory over Tai Tuivasa in last year’s Paris fight card.
Watch Gane vs. Tuivasa below:
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