Neither the UFC president nor the man who plans on capturing
heavyweight gold in the near future was particularly impressed with
the main event at
UFC Fight Night 186.
Ciryl
Gane improved to 8-0 with a five-round unanimous decision
against Jairzinho
Rozenstruik at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night, but
it was a contest largely devoid of action as the Frenchman was
content to pick his opponent apart on the outside for the better
part of 25 minutes.
According to Dana White, Gane still has a long way to go before he
can be regarded as one of the top contenders in the heavyweight
division.
“Everybody’s talking about Ciryl being this big contender, but look
what Francis [Ngannou] did to Jairzinho,” White told
Yahoo Sports. “This was [Ciryl
Gane’s] coming out party and his chance to show the world who
he is. He won, but let’s leave it at that, he won.”
While Gane didn’t dispatch Rozenstruik in 20 seconds like Ngannou
did at UFC 249 this past May, but “Bon Gamin” said that he did his
best to finish his opponent when White’s criticism was relayed to
him.
“I can understand that,” Gane said. “He is the boss, and he wants
to make money, so you want the guy marketable. The people want the
show. They want the big KO. So yes, I don’t finish the fight. I
tried, but I don’t do it. I can understand that [criticism], but
I’m OK.”
Meanwhile, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was
an interested observer during the UFC Fight Night 186 headliner,
and he sent a message to the heavyweight division in the middle of
Gane vs. Rozenstruik.
“These boys better get used to pushing the pace, all this standing
around ain’t gonna fly when daddy comes home,” Jones wrote on
Twitter.
These boys better get used to pushing the
pace, all this standing around ain’t gonna fly when daddy comes
home.
#ufcvegas20— BONY (@JonnyBones)
February 28, 2021
Jones is expected to make his heavyweight debut in a title bout
against the winner of the Stipe
Miocic-Ngannou championship rematch later this year.
“Heavyweights are hit or miss,” White said. “I thought it was going
to be a much better fight than it was. I think Jon Jones said
it best in his tweet, though. These guys need to get a lot busier.”