Jon Jones vs Cyril Gane Prediction: Unfortunate Comeback

On the night of March 5, a vast UFC 285 tournament will take place. In the main fight of the evening, Jon Jones and Cyril Gane will share the octagon. The bout will take place in the heavyweight division. Former bantamweight champion Jon Jones returns to the sport after a three-year hiatus. Cyril Gane is currently number one in the official UFC heavyweight division contender rankings.

One of the best fighters in MMA history is returning to the cage. It is an event that leaves no one indifferent. Jon Jones was perfect a few years ago, and no one is arguing that. There's no point in listing his virtues and skills, he's incredibly cool, but the keyword here is still "some time ago." But Jones' aura is so great that many experts still see him as the favorite.

Jon Jones is going to take (Gane) down and lay on him and just finish him there. If you look at his statistics, he can take people down with ease. He can grapple them with ease. He can strike with the best of them. He’s got cardio and strength and power and height and physique. He has it all. And Jones probably has the highest IQ in the game. He can see a weakness and he’ll exploit it.

Robert Whittaker

Most of Jon's previous opponents were smaller, and he took advantage of it. Now he will have to face a big fighter with an incredible IQ who knows his strengths and weaknesses well. Gane's speed, both in movement and striking, is also top-notch, no matter what Jones says - he really is faster than Thiago Santos, with whom John had some serious problems.

Jon Jones is not fast. And he’s gonna be even slower now that he’s 280 [lbs]. He’s definitely going to be slower… I just don’t see Jon Jones touching him [Gane]. He’s [Gane] phenomenal at [striking], he’s super fast.

Stephen Thompson

Even before his "career end," Jon Jones' last two bouts were very disappointing. It's not a fact that he beat Dominick Reyes, and he certainly didn't beat Tiago Santos - that's what many experts think, and let the judges count points otherwise.

Let's remember three years of absence - all rusty, without practice, and returning to his former form is impossible. Plus, there are big questions about the new weight class, where Jones's advantage in arm span and physical qualities will be obscure, if at all.

These are serious arguments that the legendary champion is not the favorite to fight the current number one. The odds in his favor are explained by elementary lineup overload, when most fans miss Jones, want him to win, and root for him.

I think Gane has the footwork that Jones has never seen before, and he's big... It's not like he's [Jones] fighting [Dominick] Reyes, who's kind of a little unorthodox. Gane is very technical, he stabs at his opponents, he probes, gets in, gets out. The biggest advantage for Jones in this fight is his championship caliber - that experience - and his wrestling acumen.

Aljamain Sterling