Ciryl Gane gets brutally honest about real reason behind devastating loss to Jon Jones: "It was a total misunderstanding"
Ciryl Gane recently became candid about his devastating loss at the hands of Jon Jones. Gane explained that his terrible performance was caused because he didn't feel like his usual self and felt completely disconnected.
For context, following Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC, Gane took on Jones at UFC 285 last year for the vacant heavyweight title, which marked the American's highly anticipated octagon return. 'Bones' made quick work of Gane, submitting the Frenchman via a guillotine choke two minutes into the opening round to become the new champion.
Gane talked openly about his disappointing performance against Jones on a recent UFC 310 countdown episode, stating that he felt entirely different that night and could not demonstrate his fighting prowess.
''When I look back at it, it was obvious that I was not there. It represented exactly how I felt on the day of the fight. It was a total misunderstanding of what was happening. I don’t recognize myself there. It’s something I’ve never done in my life. I’ve never fought that way before. My distance management, my movement, the alertness that I love to show – I had none of that.
"Looking back, I think that this experience may have been beneficial. For me personally, it helped me to refocus on myself. It gave me a spirit of revenge, a competitive spirit.''
Check out Ciryl Gane's comments below (via Championship Rounds' X post):
Gane bounced back with a second-round knockout win against Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 226 last year. The 34-year-old is now set to face Alexander Volkov in a rematch at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Tom Aspinall previews Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov clash at UFC 310
Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov were set to face each other at UFC 308, before a knee injury forced Volkov to withdraw from the bout. The two are now scheduled to fight at UFC 310 this weekend.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Tom Aspinall expressed his thoughts on the Gane vs. Volkov matchup. The interim heavyweight champion felt that the fight could go either way, saying:
"I’d say it’s a 50/50 fight. I don’t know. I think Volkov has been in good form lately. Ciryl Gane hasn’t fought for 18 months, so it’s difficult to say where he’s at, but Ciryl Gane is really good as well. I don’t know. I’d say it was a 50/50 fight.'' [H/t: Bloody Elbow]