Gane assesses Jones' UFC 285 performance: He was powerful, but 'not fast'
Ciryl Gane wasn't surprised by what Jon Jones brought to the table in their vacant UFC title fight in March.
Jones, now the undisputed heavyweight champion, beat Gane in shockingly quick fashion at UFC 285. He finished him with a guillotine choke in just over two minutes and left Gane sitting up against the fence likely wondering what went wrong.
Going into the fight, there were a lot of questions about how Jones would look after a three-year layoff and at a heavier weight class. But Gane knew the former longtime light heavyweight titleholder would be a serious test.
"No, (nothing surprised me about Jones)," Gane told MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun on Wednesday. "Like I said before this fight, I knew already Jon Jones is an athlete. He's an athlete like me. ... I knew already he was going to be ready for this fight. He trained a lot in (those) three years. So, I was not surprised by that."
Jones and Gane spent roughly a minute on the feet before Jones secured a takedown. While Gane said he was still able to get a feel for Jones' striking abilities as a heavyweight, the Frenchman's evaluation wasn't all positive.
"(Jones) was not fast," Gane said. "But maybe he was not fast, I was not good, too. I didn't manage my distance. I was not good. But I remember, no, he was not fast. He don't have fast hands. ... But he has power. He had power at this moment. I remember because he touched me, I don't remember where exactly. He landed some punch with power. But not fast."
As far as what led to the quick defeat, Gane said he didn't follow the game plan. His head coach, Fernand Lopez, wanted him to throw jabs and not many overhand punches. In the end, Jones grabbed hold of Gane and took him to the ground right after Gane missed on a big straight left.
"Big mistake," Gane said. "And (Jones) took the opportunity."
Gane had never been run over by an opponent like that. In fact, his only career loss until March was a unanimous decision versus Francis Ngannou in 2022. Though his performance against Jones was a major disappointment, Gane assured that nothing felt off when he stepped into the cage.
"I was happy to be there. ... Sometimes it's not your day and you f--k up," Gane said.
The former interim heavyweight champ is scheduled to headline the UFC's second event in Paris on Sept. 2, as he looks to bounce back against rising contender Serghei Spivak.