UFC 285 Main Event: 4 Keys to Victory for Ciryl Gane

The former interim Heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane is scheduled to fight Jon “Bones” Jones, who a lot of people consider to be the greatest fighter of all time, this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena facility in Paradise, Nevada. For the first time in his carrier, Gane will face someone who has similar creativity when it comes to standing up.

Jones will most likely have an advantage when it comes to grappling and mixing up his stand-up with his wrestling, while Gane will have an advantage when it comes to speed, power, and footwork. Will Jones become the new Heavyweight champion and solidify his GOAT status or will Ciryl Gane be the first man to figure out the puzzle of Jon Jones? Here are the four keys to victory Ciryl Gane should use if he wants to become the new heavyweight king.

1. Use leg kicks

The use of leg kicks is something that could benefit both Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones. For Jones, it would be to take away Gane’s footwork and slow him down, and for Gane, it would be to do as much damage as possible as Jon’s legs are extraordinarily skinny.

As effective as Jones is with his leg kicks, we have seen him take some damage in his fight with Thiago Santos. So much so, that he needed to be carried out after their fight as he could not walk. Gane needs to be cautious of Jon Jones’ takedowns when he throws leg kicks because taking Ciryl Gane down just might be the safest path to victory for Jon.

2. Use jab

Great strikers have a great jab and that is one of the best weapons that Ciryl Gane has in his arsenal. He pops into his jab and kind of explodes into it as we saw in his fights against Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis.

Against Derrick Lewis, Gane is not just touching Lewis with the jab but is doing some serious damage as we’ve seen Lewis turn around when punched with a jab which led to Gane finishing the fight quickly. Ciryl Gane is gonna have to use that jab early on and make Jones respect his strikes otherwise Jon is going to get into his rhythm and he’ll start using his reach to make it extremely difficult for Gane to explode or to close the distance.

3. Use movement

It’s well established that if you’re going to have any chance at beating Jon Jones you just have to be quick on the feet and use that movement to get in and get out, and it just so happens that Ciryl Gane is the fastest Heavyweight that we have ever seen in the UFC.

We have seen Jones have close fights with Alexander Gustafsson and Dominick Reyes, and they are fighters who are known for their good footwork. It’s important for Gane not to be stationary and to use his movement as he did in his fights against Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Francis Ngannou, as he dictated the tempo on the feet

4. Avoid takedowns

When speaking of Jon Jones, it’s safe to say that he’s great on the feet, in the clinch, or on the ground. Ciryl’s best chance would be if he keeps the fight standing.

Gane is similar to Jones when it comes to his creativity on the feet, but he is faster, has better footwork, and has KO power in his hands, unlike Jones who might not be as powerful as Gane on the feet but is a better all-around fighter. Jones will most certainly use his wrestling to get the fight to the ground and Ciryl must avoid it at all costs. The key to victory for Gane is making this a kickboxing fight.