It’s fair to say that Jon Jones is a different animal to the one that last stepped into the Octagon in February 2020.
The 35-year-old is considered to be one of the greatest fighters of all time in the light-heavyweight division, with his 6ft 4in frame matched by lightning speed and dazzling wrestling abilities at 205lb.
So how will his body cope with the step up to heavyweight? That’s one of the unanswered questions as ‘Bones’ makes his long-awaited return to the UFC on Saturday.
Often, a fighter stepping up in weight will first embark on a toe-dipping contest at their new mark before setting their sights on bigger things, but Jones is no ordinary MMA star.
Instead, he will fight for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship against the talented Frenchman, Ciryl Gane, on the top of the bill in Las Vegas.
Jon Jones shares his reasons for moving up in weight
— Sportskeeda MMA (@sportskeedaMMA) February 21, 2023
https://t.co/Oa6BXunwls#UFC #MMA @JonnyBones @ufc pic.twitter.com/BE6zfg8sDC
Those that enjoy a wager will have noticed that the bookmakers have made the light-heavyweight legend a -175 favorite in the Jones vs Gane betting odds, with the current interim champion a somewhat surprising underdog at +125.
Pounds Make Prizes?
Whether you believe in ‘ring rust’ or not is one thing, but backing a fighter – who prided himself on speed and athleticism – that has gained somewhere in the region of 60lb since his peak? This is undoubtedly a huge risk that Jones is taking. Indeed, Gane’s coach, Fernand Lopez, has even suggested he believes Jones will weigh in heavier than his own pugilist – the Frenchman has tipped the scales at 247lb in his most
recent outings, which included a first-ever defeat to Francis Ngannou and a convincing win over Tai Tuivasa.
And Lopez even believes that could hand Bones the edge on the mat against his client, which would suggest that a change of tactics is in the pipeline for the underdog. “I think that Jon Jones will be heavier than Ciryl,” he said. “If Jon Jones gets on top of Ciryl then the weight will matter. That's what happened when Ciryl fought Francis [Ngannou].”
However, question marks over Jones’ stamina remain. “The more the fight stays on the feet, then Ciryl will wear him down,” Lopez commented.
Marginal Gane
It’s also easy to forget that Jones faced difficulties in his last two fights at light-heavyweight. A clash with Thiago Santos at UFC 239 ended with Jones’ hand raised in victory but only after a split decision in which one point separated the combatants.
And a tougher night was yet to come for Jones in February 2020. He was awarded an undisputed victory over Dominick Reyes in his last UFC fight, but the result was met by boos by some sections of the crowd following an evenly-matched contest – a verdict that Joe Rogan described as ‘insane’.
Vegas, we’re back for another classic#UFC285 pic.twitter.com/k7g9BUfwym
— Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) February 27, 2023
Gane, meanwhile, has quietly built an impressive resumé. Defeat against Ngannou – undoubtedly the best heavyweight in MMA – was somewhat expected, but that’s the only time the Frenchman has truly been taken into deep water.
At 6ft 5in, Gane will have the height – if not weight – advantage over Jones, and as the more active of the two fighters, he surely has to go down as one of the likeliest betting underdogs to win this weekend.
