Jon Jones Likely Has Nothing For Ciryl Gane

[aali14]

I honesty think Pre USADA LHW sized Jon Jones has much better chance the current post USADA HW version Jones

 

[Kenny95]

The cope from Jones haters is wild

first it’s he’ll never go to heavyweight

then it’s if he does go to heavyweight, he’ll pick an easy fight

Jon comes back to take on the #1 ranked, in their prime heavyweight and now the next narratives are 1. He’s not going to show up 2. He’s going to lose badly

the haters will be proven wrong once again

jones bless

Some of us recognize Jones as the greatest combat sports athlete ever but just extrapolate how terrible and slow he's looked in his last 3 fights against 3 former MW's and I don't see him magically bouncing back to look like prime juiced up jones at 35 and fat.

 

[Vigfree]

Only 1 year ago Ciryl Gane fought and lost against a man that came into the cage partially crippled with 2 blown out knees and still Gane couldn't stop being taken down and held down. Even though I hate Jon Jones he's a going to easily take Gane down and smash him. You can't have 0 wrestling and TDD and think you are going to be great at TDD in 1 years time it just doesn't happen.

It's a good argument.
The obvious counter is that Ciryl will have improved through training this...
Combined w/ the fact he is naturally bigger and stronger than Jon. Ciryl is a natural 240+. Jon has never been and never fought at that weight before.
Jon is now a similar weight, having bulked up... but for the first time in his professional fighting life. We really have no idea how that will translate. Will he be as strong and fast in action in the ring? Will he still have good cardio at this weight and size? It's certainly not a sure thing.

It's pretty fascinating and I'm def looking forward to this fight. I do wish he was fighting Frank, and I also think that would have likely been a tougher challenge, but this is a good matchup and will have to do.

 

[Vigfree]

Not to be boring but is it just me who thinks this is a coin flip?

Yeah you can talk about the size and speed of Gane, his striking, Jon looking like shit in his final LHW fights, AND a three year absence.

But Jones is still the best LHW of all time.

This might be like Izzy assuming he can overcome Jan's size and power advantage but actually not being able to deal with it, or Jones could roll back the years and leave jaws on the floor once again.

It's a great fight.

I kinda agree with the flip-ish odds.
I also think Frank would be a solid favorite vs Jones.

 

[HP_Nut]

This is a tough fight to call IMO. Jones hasn't looked good the last few yrs, & now he's in against a big guy in his prime. But Gane's wrestling looked bad, Francis was gassed & still taking him down easily. Coin flip IMO

 

[Kono dio da!]

Jones is an inferior striker to Gane, lacks traditional knockout power, and doesn't have the conditioning to grapple as he did when he was a younger man. Jon arguably lost his last two fights at LHW and definitely would have lost his last fight if not for incompetent judging.

Gane in his last fight became the first fighter to KO Tai Tuivasa who had only been TKOd previously. Gane appears to be sitting down more on his punches since the loss to Ngannou. It is questionable whether Jones can handle that type of knockout power.

What exactly does a path to victory for Jones look like because it is difficult to see a clear one?

LoL Francis took him down on one leg with ease

 

[Poirierfan]

I wonder if Jones has been working on different things in his time off. He obviously has gone to Cejudo to tune up and refine his grappling game. Its not like hes been sitting around, eating, getting fat and lifting weights. Im sure hes been working new aspects to add to his game and we could be in for a surprise come fight night.

Jones was a finished product years ago, all he can do is tighten up things. What you seen is what you're going to get at this stage. He's been doing this way long than Henry.

 

[Squintz]

Jon doesn't have that kind of power in his takedowns, at least we haven't seen it, and is smaller and weaker than Francis. If Jon takes Ciryl down, I highly doubt its going to look like when Francis was doing it. I don't know if Ciryl will be afraid of that

He’ll be plenty strong at heavyweight but that’s besides the point. Jones is successful with his wrestling/takedowns because of technique, skills and know how not because of brute strength.

If he can take Daniel freaking Cormier down with ease at LHW I imagine he’ll able to easily get Gane on the ground.

 

[SkinnyClaw]

He’ll be plenty strong at heavyweight but that’s besides the point. Jones is successful with his wrestling/takedowns because of technique, skills and know how not because of brute strength.

If he can take Daniel freaking Cormier down with ease at LHW I imagine he’ll able to easily get Gane on the ground.

I don't care about his fights with DC 6 years ago, I'm looking at his last fight against Reyes, and I didn't see any of that, and now he's even older and fighting a much bigger, stronger, and all around better opponent

 

[Bojka]

He’ll be plenty strong at heavyweight but that’s besides the point. Jones is successful with his wrestling/takedowns because of technique, skills and know how not because of brute strength.

If he can take Daniel freaking Cormier down with ease at LHW I imagine he’ll able to easily get Gane on the ground.

Jones' wrestling post USADA (when he isn't pissing hot) has looked pedestrian. But yeah Gane's TDD and ability to get back up looked bad, so we'll see.

I think 2-1 odds for Gane are about right.

 

[DesiredUserName]

"Jon Jones Likely Has Nothing For Ciryl Gane" .... tell us something we don't know. Of course, he doesn't.

 

[Deleted member 591917]

He’ll be plenty strong at heavyweight but that’s besides the point. Jones is successful with his wrestling/takedowns because of technique, skills and know how not because of brute strength.

If he can take Daniel freaking Cormier down with ease at LHW I imagine he’ll able to easily get Gane on the ground.

3 years ago he struggled to take ex-football player Dominick Reyes down 2 times in 9 attempt at a lower weight

 

[doggo]

I hope he (jones) gets smashed but he can always grapple with Gane until Gane is proper gassed, i mean he gassed by round 2 vs Francis

Jones has a Chin on him too and Gane doesn't take risks, he was able to beat Tai up because Tai goes forward and doesn't block kicks to the gut so he eventually got kicked and punched enough to fold. jones won't do that.

 

[Captain Herb]

I agree that Jon isn't a top tier striker, but he throws unconventional strikes from weird angles, and then power takedowns... most of these heavies are not going to be able to get back up. Jon isn't an idiot and he's gonna wrastle-fuck the division most likely, but most people at that weight can get caught and put out, so it's definitely a step up in the 'danger zone'. Jon actually looked slow at LHW, but he's gonna look slick and fast at heavy... I'm optimistic.

It seems like the only people fervently picking Jones are dormant accounts from pre-2014. That should tell us something

 

[Masturbin]

Gane appears to be sitting down more on his punches since the loss to Ngannou.

Nah it's just that Tai gave him the openings for Gane to hit him hard.

 

[Captain Herb]

Depends on which Jones we get. Will it be the straight up killer that destroyed the LHW divisions for years. Or, will it be the boring and cautious point fighter that we got in his last few fights. .

It's obviously going to be the one that destroyed the LHW division 10 years ago. He put on a bunch of weight, took 3 years off and hopped in a time machine back to 2014 when he was roided to the gills. He will destroy the HW division.

 

[chimpoehurricane]

Jones is an inferior striker to Gane, lacks traditional knockout power, and doesn't have the conditioning to grapple as he did when he was a younger man. Jon arguably lost his last two fights at LHW and definitely would have lost his last fight if not for incompetent judging.

Gane in his last fight became the first fighter to KO Tai Tuivasa who had only been TKOd previously. Gane appears to be sitting down more on his punches since the loss to Ngannou. It is questionable whether Jones can handle that type of knockout power.

What exactly does a path to victory for Jones look like because it is difficult to see a clear one?

Tbh I think Jones stubs his toe and it doesn't happen. I hope I'm wrong but I don't see it happening.

 

[chimpoehurricane]

As much as I disagree with the OP, this isn't very strong rationale. The young Jones that ripped through LHW and the Jones we've seen in his last 2 fights aren't the same. To base his future performance on his past performance (at this point) doesn't make sense. In other words, just because you've never lost, doesn't mean you never will lose.

He ripped through senior citizens of the past prime legends and picograms. How he's not on a lifetime ban?

Curious what usada excuse will be manufactured next should Jones show up on the date?

 

[storeybuckle]

If someone wants to argue that Gane beats Jones, even decisively, that's fine...but it seems silly to believe that Jones 'likely has nothing' for him.

I would not put too much stock into Jones' last couple of performances at LHW or the 'ring rust' beliefs. A chance at the HW belt suggests that we can expect a very motivated and focused Jon Jones who is not going to underestimate his opponent. He is also not old for HW, has taken the time to put on size properly and adapt to it, and hasn't been taking damage in the cage for a while. I think we are much more likely to see a rejuvenated Jones than one hampered by the time off and the weight class change.

This is a true 'legacy' moment for Jones and I think he will rise to the occasion (although I certainly would not cry if Gane takes him out).

This^

 

[Ace70 V2]

I'm honestly hoping he shows us some of the old Jon. Gets Gane on his back and blasts him with hellbows.