- Ciryl Gane doesn’t expect to be starstruck standing inside the cage opposite Jon Jones at UFC 285
- Gane explained his recent statements suggesting he doesn’t train if he’s not booked for a fight
Former UFC interim heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane is coming off a hard-fought war with fan favorite Tai Tuivasa in his last outing at UFC Paris, the promotion’s debut event in France last September. Gane faced immense pressure from Tuivasa early in the bout and even got knocked down for the first time in his professional career. He returned stronger than ever and strategically whipped out punishing body kicks on Tuivasa. He scored a vicious knockout in the third round and got back in the winning column after dropping his previous outing to former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Ciryl Gane won’t look at Jon Jones like a fan
In a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Ciryl Gane shared his thoughts on facing Jon Jones, widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, at UFC 285. He admitted he would like to achieve the prestigious status Jones has in the sport but refuted any talks of being a fan of his next opponent.
“A lot of people think I’m a fan of Jon Jones,” said Gane. “It’s really not about that. The people ask me which fighter you want, who do you like, and Jon Jones is the guy. He’s the guy and I’m looking forward to be this kind of guy but I’m not a fan of him. I started to watch MMA about five years ago. So, no, I’m really not a fan of this guy. When I’m going to jump in the cage I’m not going to look at him like a fan.”
Gane revealed the truth of recent not training comments
‘Bon Gamin’ recently made headlines for stating he did not train unless he had a fight booked. There was a lot of speculation around the veracity of his claims given his glittering achievements in the sport. He added context to his comments for further clarification.
“In my gym, you have a guy who was born to spend all of the day of the week at the gym. It’s not possible for me. That’s why I said I’m a lazy guy when you compare me with this kind of fighter,” said Gane. “Like whoa, I’m a lazy guy maybe I will be better if I do that. But I talked about it with my family, friends, and coach, and they said that I need my balance. You need to take some rest, spend the time with your family, love, everything like that and after when you come back, you will be better. I think this is my way.”
Ciryl Gane is set to take on Jones for the heavyweight title in the headlining bout of UFC 285 this Saturday, Mar. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
