Jon Jones has his work cut out for him in his Heavyweight debut next month (March 4, 2023) at UFC 285.
The former two-time Light Heavyweight champion will battle for vacant gold in the land of giants, facing Ciryl Gane. France’s “Bon Gamin” is largely considered one of the best strikers in the division, if not the best, making for a tricky welcoming party for Jones.
Knowing a thing or two about great striking, UFC Middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, sees the all-timer, Jones, struggling with someone like Gane more than the former champion, Francis Ngannou.
“I think he’s really coming to dominate,” Alex Pereira told MMA Fighting of Jones. “It’s never easy, but I think this fight will be much harder than if he had fought Ngannou. Ngannou is stronger and would want to trade punches with Jon Jones, and Jon Jones is very experienced, has great defense, so I think Jon Jones would beat Ngannou [easier].
“This next fight [with Gane] is a bit harder for him, but I also think he wins,” he continued. “It’s a bit more difficult because [Gane] is smart, and a bit more scared in a good way, not to come trading with Jon Jones, which makes him a more difficult fight.”
Pereira is a former Glory kickboxing world champion and has utilized his knockout abilities to secure the majority of his mixed martial arts (MMA) victories. For his biggest career win yet, “Poatan” scored a fifth-round technical knockout over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022 (watch highlights). The pair of rivals will run things back once again at UFC 287 on April 8, 2023, in Miami, Florida.
As for the aforementioned Ngannou, “The Predator” has his sights set on entering the boxing ring after departing UFC to kick off 2023.