The upcoming heavyweight fight between Jon “Bones” Jones and Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane is expected to favor the former in terms of odds, but can he live up to the expectation?
Bones was supposed to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. But a disagreement about his contract prompted the organization to release him from the agreement and cost him his belt.
Instead of facing Ngannou, Jones will be fighting former interim champion and SportsNaut’s top-ranked fighter, Ciryl Gane, for the now-vacant heavyweight title. They will be the main event of the UFC 285 on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
OKBET players may have expected a slugfest between Bones and Ngannou, but this match will be exciting, especially with Gane’s uniqueness in his weight category.
Jon Jones versus Ciryl Gane Comparison
The Favorite
The former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion was considered the “greatest fighter of all time.” He has 26 wins, with one loss due to disqualification because of downward elbows.
But other than that, he was considered by Evolve MMA to be an undefeated fighter. A relentless fighter, who showed no mercy to every opponent he faced in the cage, Jones has earned a spot in UFC’s Hall of Fame.
At age 35, Bones decimates his enemies through his natural fighting style. He does not force anything and instead waits for an opportunity he can take advantage of.
Jones is one of the taller UFC fighters to step into the octagon. He also has extra-long arms.
While his legs are not gigantic for a heavyweight, looks can be deceiving. Bones is an expert on defensive wrestling, unorthodox Muay Thai, and Jeet Kun Do. He uses all those influences to inflict damage on anyone brave enough to face him.
What makes him special and the favorite of the upcoming fight is that he can mix all his mastered fighting styles and turn them into his own. Bones is also unpredictable, transitioning from wrestling to strikes in a blink of an eye.
Take for example, his fight against Daniel Cormier. No one believed Bones would attempt takedowns, and yet he did. As a result, his opponent was surprised by the former champion’s game plan.
He was able to execute his surprise attack thanks to his incredible wrestling skills. Once he takes an opponent down, his game control widens, not to mention how nasty his ground-and-pound skills were.
The Underdog
The reason why the Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane match is an exciting one is that the underdog is not totally at a disadvantage. Despite going up to probably the best UFC fighter, as per MMA Mania, Gane is also a monster of his own.
For a heavyweight, he is light on his feet and can switch from Southpaw to Orthodox simultaneously, which is probably why he withstood Ngannou for five rounds. In Muay Thai, the French was undefeated. His strikes were also powerful and impossible to read, especially with how cunning his hip feints are.
Bon Gamin (11-1) is an expert in misdirection. One simple mistake of biting his bait could be fatal, particularly once he lets go of his left leg.
For instance, his fight against boxer Junior dos Santos. Gane had set up a variety of moves, flustering his opponent. Even a simple hand movement from the French was enough for dos Santos to hesitate, thus opening himself for a ripping left kick.
While he is known for his kicks, Bon Gamin can also box. He highlighted his boxing ability during his fight against Don’Tale Mayes.
The French showed interesting moves in his boxing game. He incorporated feinting kicks and stance changes before swinging a big hook.
Bon Gamin also knows when he could outbox an opponent. His fight against dos Santos was an example of how intelligent of a fighter the French is.
Rather than exchanging blows with dos Santos, he used his hands to set up his devastating kicks. Gane would throw jabs before a low kick or flash a big swing to make him back down.
The French can also be lethal at close-range, especially with his Muay Thai. His elbow strikes are terrifying, thanks to his excellent positioning.
Conclusion
Although Jon Jones is the favored fighter to win the match, Ciryl Gane is not an easy opponent to take down. Moreover, Jones has been on hiatus for two years, and the match marks his comeback. Compared to the French, he recently fought Tai Tuivasa and knocked out his opponent.
Both fighters are built like fortresses. However, Gane will have a harder time taking down Jones, who has a takedown defense of 95%. But when it comes to striking, the French has better accuracy, landing 5.11 significant strikes per minute.
So in terms of the odds favoring Jones (1.77) over Gane (2.00), there is a huge possibility that they are evenly matched.
But if Jones wins, he will seal his place as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
What do you think, OKBET players? Will Bones make a spectacular comeback? Or will he fall in the hands of Gane?
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