Daniel Cormier believes that Jon Jones has the best chance to beat Ciryl Gane.
At this moment of time, Gane is a problem for anyone in the heavyweight division. The undefeated fighter fought this past weekend, easily dispatching Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 with a third-round TKO to become the new interim UFC heavyweight champion of the world. With the win, the Frenchman is set to face the undisputed heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to unify the belts.
So far, no one has been able to crack the code to beat Gane, as the likes of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov, and now Lewis have all fallen victim to the craftiness, speed, and fight IQ of Gane. Even the oddsmakers listed Ngannou as the underdog against Gane when the lines opened for their inevitable title-unifying fight.
Former light heavyweight and heavyweight UFC champion Cormier recently expressed that while he’s not sure who could beat Gane at this time, he believes his former rival Jon Jones will present the biggest threat to the new interim champion.
“But RC [co-host Ryan Clark], you asked me, who can beat Ciryl Gane,” said Cormier on the DC & RC show. “And right now, I’m not certain. You know who I do believe has the best chance to beat him? And it’s crazy coming from me. Jon Jones! Jon Jones! Jon Jones is the guy that will present the most problems to Ciryl Gane.”
Cormier went on to explain that Jones’s experience as a light heavyweight could be advantageous in his bout against Gane as the American has dealt with speed and athleticism fighting against 205 pound fighters. Certainly with Gane, the Frenchman’s blistering quickness is a big factor to why “Bon Gamin” has been so successful.
“Why? Because Jon Jones has fought at 205, Jon Jones has skill of a little guy, Jon Jones has seen athletes before,” said Cormier. “Jon Jones beat me twice. I’m an athlete. He’s seen the speed. He’s seen the foot movement and the angles. He’s had to deal with guys like that before. Now can he handle that at a weight class above? I don’t know. But I truly believe that Jones is one of the guys that truly can give Ciryl Gane problems, but I don’t know who beats him. I think Francis has his hands full, man.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, Jones has not fought since defending his belt as the light heavyweight champion back in February 2020 against Dominick Reyes. The 34-year-old set a historic record that night as he made it 14 championship title wins, surpassing Georges St-Pierre’s 13.
Since then, Jones vacated his 205 championship and has been gearing up to challenge for the heavyweight title in his quest to become a two-weight world champion. Negotiations with the UFC have not been the easiest ride, however, as Jones revealed that he was to return in 2022, a year in which he predicts that he will have the UFC heavyweight belt around his waist.
Do you think we will see Ciryl Gane vs Jon Jones in the future and if so, who do you think will win?
