Ciryl Gane Looking Forward To Testing Himself Vs. ‘G.O.A.T.’ Jon Jones At UFC 285

All garbage talk aside (and there’s been a bargain of it), Ciryl Gane states he’s a rival which’s why he’s so amped for his battle versus the “G.O.A.T.” Jon Jones.

“I love this sport. Yes, it’s my job, but first I’m a competitor, When I lost my fight against Francis [Ngannou], I was really not happy,” 32-year-old Gane informed Babcock on the TMZ Sports television program (airs weeknights on FS1), including, “So yes, I’m gonna test myself with the G.O.A.T., and this is a pleasure for me.”

“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.”

Gane, 11-1, is coming off a KO triumph over Tai Tuivasa in September, and will now battle 35-year-old Jones at UFC 285 this weekend. It’ll be Jon’s initially battle in the heavyweight department, and his very first time in an Octagon for an approved battle in over 3 years (he last fought/beat Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8, 2020, at UFC 247).

We’ve seen Jon battle in a cage 28 times as an expert, however never ever as a guy this huge … so we asked Ciryl how he thinks the included weight will impact Jones.

“I think [Jon’s] 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.”

Jon’s been vital of Ciryl’s resume in the Octagon … addressing whatever from the quality of his challengers to his battling capability. We asked Gane if he was troubled by Jones’ remarks.

“No [laughs]. No matter what he say, I’m not really on the game. I know there’s guys sometimes that wanna get in your head but for me, it’s not personal. I’m gonna do my performance. I’m gonna do my job, I’m gonna do my sport.”