Jon Jones feels Ciryl Gane is "just here right now" and will not have much impact by the time he's done
Jon Jones is set to make his highly-anticipated return to the octagon at UFC 285 this weekend after almost a three-year hiatus. The longtime light heavyweight champion will make his heavyweight debut when he faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant title. However, he doesn't believe his opponent will have a memorable career.
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Speaking on the UFC 285 Embedded: Vlog Series, 'Bones' stated:
"At 35 years old, I can care less about being famous. I'm fighting for so much more than fame. Your name having meaning 50 years from now, that's winning to me. That's why I'm going after this heavyweight championship. I could have walked away with my titles, sailed off into the sunset."
Jon Jones continued:
"I'm not going to lose all these years to a guy who is just here right now. That's the way I view him. He's just here right now. His words let me know that he doesn't believe he'll be here for a long time and I'm not losing to a guy like that."
Jones is likely referring to Ciryl Gane's comments that he is lazy and only trains when a fight is announced. 'Bones' will look to become the eighth fighter in UFC history to hold belts from two different weightclasses.
Watch Jon Jones' comments on Ciryl Gane below (starting at the 8:56 mark):
Jon Jones is not concerned with his pound-for-pound ranking
Jon Jones hasn't fought in over three years and has slid down in the pound-for-pound rankings. The No.10-ranked pound-for-pound fighter recently shared that he is not concerned with the pound-for-pound list and is fighting for something bigger at UFC 285. Speaking to Jimmy Smith of Sirius XM MMA, Jones shared that he is looking to solidify his status as the greatest of all time:
"I want to perform at the highest level possible. I want to look great, and not only do I want to win, I want to dominate, but no, I'm not really thinking about the pressure of being pound-for-pound king. We all have our time of looking the absolute best in the world. I'm fighting for something that I believe is bigger, which is the greatest of all time, and I do believe a victory over [Ciryl] Gane solidifies that."
While Jones will likely make a big jump in the pound-for-pound rankings with a victory at UFC 285, the bout will likely have a much bigger impact on his legacy. Despite already being considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time by plenty of fans and fighters, 'Bones' has an opportunity to strengthen his case among those who doubt him by becoming a multi-division champion.
Check out Jon Jones' comments on being the greatest of all time below:
