After a first prestigious fight against Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane is about to challenge a new juggernaut of the UFC, in the person of Jon Jones. A big name on the circuit, however, does not give a lot of his skin before this shock!
In order to make people forget the detrimental departure of Francis Ngannou, the UFC has decided to spoil its fans at the start of 2023 with its programming. While the huge confrontation between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski is fast approaching, another equally salivating fight is already keeping the community in suspense, namely the one between Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones.
Scheduled for March 4, on the occasion of UFC 285, this dream matchup is obviously causing a lot of ink to flow across the Atlantic. Everyone tries to predict the outcome, and to predict the identity of the future heavyweight champion. Jones, for example, seems to take Bon Gamin somewhat lightly before their reunion, and would have every reason to do so according to a star of the federation.
Darren Till gives Jon Jones the upper hand against Gane
Asked by Basketball Insiders on the Jones / Gane duel, Darren Till first wanted to recall the scenario of the Frenchman’s last fight to begin his analysis:
What a fight! wow! It’s interesting because Francis Ngannou took Gane down to win, and Jones is the best wrestler in the heavyweight division. And to me, that means a lot.
For Till, if Gane has not shown himself capable of standing up to Francis Ngannou on the ground, he therefore logically has no chance of succeeding against an expert like “Bones”:
Jones is not a dumb fighter who is going to try to get the better of Gane in striking. He will vary his attacks. He’s been away for a long time, but I still think he’s going to be too strong for him. But it will be fun to watch.
A prognosis based on non-negligible arguments, and shared by many experts since the announcement of the fight. Thus, despite an obvious lack of rhythm and competition, Jones advances as the favorite of this poster in the eyes of Till. An observation that the bookmakers do not share, which make Gane the favorite, even if it means surprising those who expect its certain defeat.
Unlike his title-fight against Ngannou, Ciryl will land this time in the cage being warned of his opponent’s grappling qualities. He must therefore emphasize this aspect during his training camp, and should be more vigilant vis-à-vis takedowns when the time comes. In any case, this appears to be the winning recipe if he wishes to inherit the -120kg belt for the first time!
For Darren Till, the two and a half years spent by Jon Jones away from the octagon should not prevent him from dominating Ciryl Gane, in particular thanks to his unparalleled talents as a wrestler. A statement that looks like a warning for Bon Gamin!
