The much-awaited UFC 285 bout between Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones will take place on Saturday, March 4. The stakes are pretty high as it will decide the new champion in the heavyweight division. Jones is marking a return to the Octagon after almost three years and targeting to become a two-division UFC champion as he marks his debut in the heavyweight class.
In the lead up to the historic bout between Gane and Jones, mind games are heating up the contest. On Monday, in a series of tweets, Jones had undermined Gane’s abilities as an MMA fighter. In one of his tweets, Jones had written “ganes(Ciryl Gane) last three opponents had terrible defense. Those guys couldn’t stop a kick if their life depended on it. He’s fought flat footed boxers his last three fights.”
Now in a recent interview with TMZ, Gane has reflected on his preparations for the high-voltage fight against Jones. During the interview, Gane launched a jibe at his opponent and stated that the American’s speed in the bout will be lesser than before. He further showcased himself as being uber confident of taking on Jones.
“I think [Jones] gonna be less faster than before. He’s really normal. When my weight was around [220 to 231 lbs.], I was a little bit faster. So yes, for sure, 100% he’s gonna be a little bit less but for a heavyweight, he’s gonna have speed,” said Gane.
“When you have a fight and you don’t have any challenge, that’s not exciting. Today I have a big challenge so I’m really excited about that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jones recently concluded his intense training camp for the upcoming UFC 285 bout. Heavyweight fighter Walt Harris has helped Jones train for the high-voltage encounter.
Earlier, Gane had talked to the media about his training methods and said “I’m lazy, that’s the truth. I only train when a fight is announced…I had my fight against Tuivasa, barely trained since then, and now I’m back[at] it since [Jon] Jones fight has been announced.”
