Based on his experience in their previous fights, Daniel Cormier assesses Jon Jones’ chances against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
If there’s one individual that knows Jon Jones the fighter well enough, it would be Daniel Cormier. The two have been rivals for years and faced each other twice with “Bones” getting the better of “DC” in both contests.
With Cormier now retired, he’ll be sticking to commentary duties during Jones’ upcoming title fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. And if he had one takeaway from both fights, it’s what he feels is Jones’ lack of punching power.
“I think he’s gonna have to use his skill because I’ll tell you this right now: Jones did not punch very hard,” Cormier told co-host Ryan Clark in their weekly ESPN Show DC & RC.
“That was one of the things that stood out about him. Now, he kneed hard, he kicked hard, he elbowed hard. He did a lot of things very well, but in terms of his punching ability, he didn’t have, like, jarring power.
“Now, gaining 30 pounds, maybe he gets a little bit of a heavier punch. But he will never match Ciryl Gane in terms of the punching power. He’s gonna need his skill in order to do this.”
Cormier further assessed Jones in comparison with Gane.
“Here’s the issue: Ciryl Gane possesses a lot of those same skills. He could stand on the outside and fight. He can potshot you from the outside, and he does possess jarring power when he does land. Jon Jones always had a bit of a side advantage over a lot of the guys he fought at 205, too. That’s gonna be missing.
“When you look at Jones, he looks bigger. But a lot of the weight is up top. His bottom half still looks pretty slim. You look at Ciryl Gane, it looks like somebody stuck an air pump in that dude’s mouth and just started pumping. He looks huge. But he only weighs about 250 pounds. He’s not heavy. He’s just lean, he’s ripped, and he’s big and he’s strong.”
All of these evaluations will finally be settled on Saturday night when Jones and Gane finally meet at the center of the Octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)