Chael Sonnen explains why he thinks Jon Jones would like to be an underdog against Ciryl Gane
Chael Sonnen recently expressed his opinion on why Jon Jones is seen as the underdog against Ciryl Gane in their upcoming fight.
Jon Jones is set to make his return to the UFC octagon. Jones will challenge Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023.
Fans are eagerly anticipating Jones' debut in the heavyweight division as he takes on French fighter Ciryl Gane. Despite Jones' impressive record in his previous weight class, the initial odds offered by BetOnline surprisingly favor Gane due to his greater experience in the heavyweight division.
Chael Sonnen has suggested that Jon Jones wanted to be perceived as an underdog before his fight in order to remind people why he is considered a great of the sport. Sonnen believes that Jones wants his fans to doubt his fighting ability so that he can demonstrate his talent and skill in the Octagon.
Appearing in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
"The narrative flat out says you cannot stand with this man, this man will beat you. You must take him down. I mean that appears to me the kind of situation that Jon has been looking for. Precisely the kind of challenge he wants. Precisely the walkout, the environment and the emotional setup that he left the division gave [up] a world championship and waited three years to get. "
He further continued:
"The more I keep hearing that Ciryl has got a chance, the more I keep hearing that Jon's taken too much time off, that Jon's not big enough, that Jon has to take him down, the more confident I get that Jon's going to have success. I truly believe the one thing that Jon was looking for was from you guys. And he wasn't looking for excitement and he wasn't looking for money. He was looking for doubt. He wants you to doubt him so he can show you and remind you again just how good he is."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below:
Jon Jones enters octagon after three-year hiatus
After a three-year absence from the octagon, Jon Jones will be returning to action at the upcoming UFC heavyweight championship fight at UFC 235.
At UFC 247 on February 8, 2020, Jon 'Bones' Jones retained his light heavyweight championship with a controversial split decision victory over Dominick Reyes.
After months of speculation, Jones officially relinquished the belt and announced his intention to move up to the heavyweight division. His debut in the weight class will be a challenging one, as he will have been inactive for a considerable amount of time and has never competed at heavyweight before.