- John McCarthy thinks Jon Jones will wrestle his way to victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285
- “Big John” said “Bon Gamin” couldn’t stand a chance against “Bones” after how Francis Ngannou outwrestled him
The long wait is over as Jon Jones is finally making his return at UFC 285 for the vacant heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. Ahead of the highly-anticipated match, former longtime UFC referee “Big” John McCarthy shared his bold prediction.
Jones will grapple his way to the title
Speaking on his “Weighing In” podcast, McCarthy pointed out that Gane undeniably poses a threat to Jones because of the pair’s identical size. Big John thinks “Bon Gamin” could give “Bones” some problems. However, the fact that Francis Ngannou clearly outwrestled Gane in his last fight convinced McCarthy that the Frenchman couldn’t handle world-class grappling of Jones.
“I think it’s a great matchup,” McCarthy began. “The guys that have given Jon Jones the most problems are guys that are his size as far as length and height. Ciryl Gane [is] 6-foot-5, Jon Jones is 6-foot-4, so he’s got the height to match… Jon’s got a crazy 84-inch reach, I think Ciryl Gane’s 81. So, it’s close.”
“The big problem is,” he continued. “Ciryl Gane was outwrestled by Francis Ngannou. And Jon Jones is not a dumb man, Jon Jones is a smart fighter, Jon Jones is training with another guy that I consider a very smart fighter, and a very good coach in Henry Cejudo. He knows a little bit about wrestling. Look, Jon Jones is gonna take Ciryl Gane off of his feet and systematically beat him down. I’m just telling you. Sorry.”
Brimming with confidence
Indeed, it’s hard to tell how things will play out come fight night at UFC 285. However, Gane previously weighed in on Jones’ chances of beating him and confidently said he doesn’t think there’s even “a good way to win against him.”
Jones’ training partner and fellow former UFC champion Cejudo, meanwhile, doesn’t sense any major concerns for “Bones” heading into his heavyweight debut. For “Triple C,” the only thing certain is that Jones will go out there and remind everybody who the real MMA GOAT is.
UFC 285 is set to take place on March 4, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1 thought on “John McCarthy Predicts Jon Jones Will ‘Systematically Beat’ Ciryl Gane On The Ground”
Like he did to thiago Santos and Dominic Reyes? Lol