Ben Askren ponders about Jon Jones' long absence while he guesses what a prime 'Bones' would do to Ciryl Gane
Ben Askren has weighed in on Jon Jones' highly-anticipated return after his lengthy hiatus from professional MMA competition. Jones' most recent fight witnessed him defend the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision in February 2020.
'Bones' vacated the light heavyweight title in August 2020 and hasn't competed since the Reyes fight. That said, Jones will return to the octagon this weekend, ending his three-year hiatus, and is set to debut in the heavyweight division. Jones is scheduled to face former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4th, 2023.
Taking to Twitter, Ben Askren -- who's a decorated amateur wrestler, former Olympian, and retired MMA star -- addressed Jones' much-awaited comeback fight. 'Funky' suggested that it'd be tough to predict how 'Bones' would perform, as he hasn't competed in around three years. The former UFC welterweight tweeted:
"So hard to say bc we haven’t seen Jon in 3.5 years!! He looks good and happy so maybe he dominates, maybe he has aged and lost a step. No data bc we haven’t seen him in the cage in forever."
So hard to say bc we haven’t seen Jon in 3.5 years!! He looks good and happy so maybe he dominates, maybe he has aged and lost a step. No data bc we haven’t seen him in the cage in forever. twitter.com/patrickwstanle…
Jones made his professional MMA debut in April 2008 and his UFC debut in August 2008. The 35-year-old is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever. Meanwhile, Ciryl Gane made his MMA debut in August 2018, while his UFC debut came in August 2019. The 32-year-old 'Bon Gamin' is hailed by many as one of the best heavyweights in MMA today.
On that note, Ben Askren picked a prime Jon Jones to dominantly defeat Ciryl Gane, albeit adding that it's unknown whether 'Bones' is still in his prime. Askren tweeted:
"Prime Jon Jones kills Cyril Gane, but who knows if he are getting prime Jon since he hasn’t been in the cage in almost 4 years."
Prime Jon Jones kills Cyril Gane, but who knows if he are getting prime Jon since he hasn’t been in the cage in almost 4 years.
Francis Ngannou puts forth his prediction for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou holds a victory over Ciryl Gane and was linked to a potential fight against Jon Jones in recent years. Ngannou, who's currently pursuing his boxing dream and is looking to compete in other MMA promotions since leaving the UFC earlier this year, recently broke down the Jones-Gane fight.
Speaking to The Schmo, 'The Predator' opined that the outcome of the matchup depends on whether Jones shows up at his best after his prolonged hiatus. He indicated that if Jones performs at his best and is aggressive, he could stop Gane. However, if 'Bones' is defensive, the matchup would go the distance and have its outcome decided by the judges. Ngannou stated:
"If Jon Jones shows up, this fight can be a TKO. I think he's gonna take [Gane] down, wrestle and some ground and pound. But it can go the distance if Jon Jones fights defensively. Because then both of them will be defensive fighters. Then it can go the distance."
Watch Ngannou's assessment at 1:30 in the video below: