Sean O’Malley is hyped for Jon Jones’ long-awaited comeback this weekend.
‘Bones’ will return to the main event spotlight for the first time in more than three years when he challenges No. 1 ranked heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 285 on Saturday night. During a recent episode of the Timbo Sugar Show on YouTube, O’Malley shared his excitement for the return of the light heavyweight GOAT, particularly after watching the promotion’s UFC 285 Countdown special.
“Watching the countdown. Watching Jon Jones, it’s getting me excited,” O’Malley revealed. “It is getting me excited. One of the greatest ever to do it. It’s so weird because he just finds a way to win. He’s so good everywhere, but he’s not the best [everywhere]. He’s not the best kickboxer, he’s not the best wrestler. He’s not the best jiu-jitsu, but he’s really f*cking good everywhere and he just finds ways to win.”
6 days until we get to see heavyweight @JonnyBones in action 👀 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/3KKHhn6RKp
— UFC (@ufc) February 26, 2023
Sean O’Malley Predicts a Win for Jon Jones at UFC 288
Capping off his comments about Saturday night’s headliner, Sean O’Malley made his prediction for who walks out with heavyweight gold around their waist.
“Jon Jones is better at finding ways to win. He’s a winner, dude. He just finds ways to win and I think he’s gonna find a way to beat Ciryl.”
The rest of the panel, including O’Malley’s longtime coach Tim Welch, agreed, picking Jon Jones to become a UFC champion once again.
When Jon Jones steps into the Octagon, it will be his 16th straight UFC title fight dating back to UFC 128 in 2011, the night he defeated Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to capture the 205-pound championship. During his reign over the light heavyweight division, Jones became something of a legend killer, running through former champions and Hall of Famers including ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evas, Victor Belfort, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier.
Of course, it would be a mistake to look past the accomplishments of Ciryl Gane. Hailed as one of the best technical strikers in UFC heavyweight history, the Frenchman has put away some big names including Junior dos Santo, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov, Derrick Lewis, and Tai Tuivasa.
