Jon
Jones essentially called his shot during fight week, and he
delivered on that promise in the UFC 285
headliner.
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As he promised, “Bones” made it look easy against Ciryl Gane,
winning via guillotine choke just 2:04 into the opening round of
their heavyweight title bout on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in
Las Vegas. And just like that, Jones picked up where he left off
three years ago, as one of the sport’s all-time best
pound-for-pound fighters.
“We were really well rehearsed,” Jones said on the ESPN+ post-fight
show. “I believe that I’m a product of my team. We take studying
very seriously. I’m not sure if Ciryl Gane landed a clean strike on
me or not, but we were ready defensively for every one of his
strikes. It just felt so amazing.”
In truth, Gane wasn’t given much of a chance to unveil his
highly-touted kickboxing arsenal. Jones took him down quickly and
locked in the sneaky guillotine before the Frenchman could even
find his bearings. While the former interim title holder was
regarded as a difficult challenge for Jones’ comeback heading into
the bout, “Bones” wasn’t as impressed by “Bon Gamin” as many
observers were, something he made clear repeatedly.
“I didn’t see it that way. I knew that Ciryl was the most
incomplete fighter out of all the [heavyweight] fighters,” Jones
said. “I believe that he is the fastest when it comes to the
striking, his footwork. But surprisingly he didn’t use his
footwork, he stood right in the pocket with me.”
Jones’ return wasn’t without a few hiccups. First, his entry into
the cage was delayed as he was required to remove the tape on his
toe. According to Jones, that taping was simply a precaution
stemming from an injury he suffered in a victory against Chael Sonnen
at UFC 159 in 2013.
“I broke my toe when I fought Chael Sonnen years ago. Ever since
then every day at practice I tape my toe to ensure that it doesn’t
pop out again,” he said. “The toe is totally fine, but every once
in a while if I pivot on it too hard, it sends the most
excruciating pain up my body. I just want never want to compete
again without my toe taped. Hopefully the proper people hear me and
I don’t run into this issue again.”
Once the fight began, it was momentarily paused when Gane quickly
landed a kick to Jones’ cup. Fortunately, it didn’t prove to be a
debilitating foul.
“Right away, I get kicked in the balls. It had a nice amount of
power on it. It actually didn’t hurt me too bad, but I didn’t want
that strike to go unnoticed, so I stopped and I acknowledged it,”
Jones said. “The fight continued, and I got an early finish.”
The victory sets the stage for a showdown with former heavyweight
champion Stipe
Miocic, who still holds the promotion record for most
consecutive title defenses in the division. It’s a matchup that has
held Jones’ attention for quite some time.
“There has never been a fight that means more to me than beating
Stipe Miocic,” Jones said. “I don’t think I’ve ever fought a GOAT,
and people consider him the greatest heavyweight of all time. None
of the past champions that I’ve beaten were considered GOATs. So
this GOAT vs. GOAT means the world to me.
“I’m gonna look a lot better in my next fight. I’m gonna be lean
and mean. I’m gonna be fast. I’m gonna be well rehearsed. I’ve been
training for Stipe for a long time already. We’re just gonna pick
up our old notes, we’re gonna refine them and I’m gonna finish
Stipe Miocic. I don’t come to win. I come to dominate Stipe Moicic,
and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
While UFC 290 on July 8 has been targeted for Jones vs. Miocic,
that date is far from official. When the bout does happen, Miocic
will be returning from a lengthy layoff himself. His last
appearance came in March 2021, when he relinquished the heavyweight
crown to Francis
Ngannou in a second-round knockout loss at UFC 260. Jones
offered Miocic a friendly warning as their fight approaches
“Stipe Miocic, he’s quite the competitor. He has a wrestling
background. He’s a very strong boxer. He knows how to win a fight.
Me and my team we take him very very seriously,” Jones said. “I
would recommend him taking some time off from the fire department
for a while. He’s gonna need every ounce of himself to get through
this one. He’s not gonna get through it, but I’m telling you, he
has my undivided attention.
“I have no side jobs but to be the greatest champion that’s ever
lived. I mean that with all due respect. I love the fact that he
serves his community. I consider him a great American. But this is
my whole world.”