Ciryl Gane Reflects on Jon Jones Loss: 'I Don’t Recognize Myself There'

Ciryl Gane claims he wasn’t completely himself when he lost to Jon Jones at UFC 285.

Gane was the interim heavyweight champ when Jones returned to the Octagon after a three-year hiatus to fight for the vacant title. “Bones” barely crossed the two-minute mark in the first round before taking Gane down and securing a guillotine submission victory. It was a disappointing performances from “Bon Gamin,” whose only other career loss came against Francis Ngannou.

Looking back at the loss, Gane doesn’t recognize himself. Gane claims he was totally disoriented on fight night, which was reflected in his performance. Known for his elusive movement and range control, Gane didn’t display any of that against Jones. However, Gane believes the loss was eventually beneficial, as it allowed him to refocus on himself and return with a vengeful spirit.

“When I look back at it, it was obvious that I was not there,” Gane said on the UFC 310 Countdown show. “It represented exactly how I felt on the day of the fight. It was a total misunderstanding of what was happening. I don’t recognize myself there. It’s something l’ve never done in my life. I’ve never fought that way before. My distance management, my movement, the alertness that I love to show, I had none of that. Looking back, I think that this experience may have been beneficial. For me personally, it helped me to refocus on myself, it gave me a spirit of revenge. A competitive spirit.”

Gane bounced back from the loss against Jones with a stoppage win over Serghei Spivac at UFC Paris this past September. The French standout is now scheduled to take on Alexander Volkov in a high stakes rematch at UFC 310 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Volkov dropped a unanimous decision against Gane in their initial encounter in 2021. “Drago” is currently riding a four-fight winning streak that includes three finishes and has shown significant development in recent fights.