Francis Ngannou gives his final prediction for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane

Francis Ngannou once appeared set to welcome Jon Jones to the heavyweight division. However, his recent departure from the UFC means that 'Bones' will instead face Ciryl Gane in his first fight at heavyweight.

The pair will headline UFC 285 this weekend with the vacant title on the line, and former champion Ngannou believes the fight could go one of two ways. 'The Predator' stated that if the best version of Jones shows up on Saturday night, a TKO finish could be on the cards. But if Jon Jones fights more defensively, the bout could be decided by the judges.

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Jon Jones 🆚 Ciryl Gane 🏆

Who you got? 🤔👇

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Francis Ngannou was recently interviewed by MMA journalist 'The Schmo' and shared the following prediction:

"It depends which Jon Jones is going to be there. Is it going to be the Jon Jones that we know, or just a guy that's there [just] to be there... 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 the interview below from 1:30:

Francis Ngannou left the UFC nearly a year after he defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to defend his heavyweight title. 'The Predator' was locked in a battle with Dana White over a new contract, and Ngannou's list of demands was denied.

The former champion wanted the ability to compete professionally in boxing, fighter representation in negotiations and fighter health insurance. Once the demands were turned down, Ngannou chose to explore free agency instead of re-signing with the UFC.

Francis Ngannou will compete in boxing before returning to MMA

Francis Ngannou has confirmed that he will cross over into the world of boxing before competing in MMA again. 'The Predator' has expressed eagerness to fight either Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua in the squared circle but is yet to enter negotiations with anyone.

Ngannou is one of the most devastating power punchers that MMA has ever seen, and there is interest from fans in seeing his style paired against a renowned professional boxer.

In his interview with 'The Schmo', Ngannou revealed the outline of his plans to enter boxing:

"I will definitely go back into MMA but not before the boxing. I prefer to do the boxing first, [just do] one fight and then go back into MMA. There are MMA promotions that are reaching out to see how we can become partners mostly."