Israel Adesanya predicts winner of Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane UFC 285 fight; 'He's the guy'

The MMA world is eagerly waiting for Sunday's UFC 285 clash between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya to hit the ring. Many UFC fighters have already given their verdict on the Heavyweight encounter and now adding to the list of commenters is none other than the former Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. Adesanya gave his take on the returning Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane fight.

While appearing on his YouTube channel the Last Stylebender gave a breakdown of the fight. He took into account the situation of Jon Jones coming back after more than three years and highlighted how Ciryl Gane could be a tough fight for him. As for who could win the encounter, Adesanya gave Gane the edge. 

'I’m going to go Ciryl': Israel Adesanya

"Jones out for three years, (and) Gane’s been active – he’s that new breed of heavyweight. He’s light on his feet, very mixed striking, good grappling. People forget just because Francis took him down, but I think that’s the element of surprise, as well. Francis is strong as (explicit) and knows how to wrestle."

Adesanya added, “So when Gane wasn’t expecting it, he thought he was going to have to bang with Francis because that’s what Francis is known for. But Gane can grapple, man. The way he fights as a heavyweight, he’s so light. He does the oblique kick well, great footwork, good submissions so far. Real creative, real random ones, like a heel hook. Good leg kicks, as well. Jones’ wrestling, that’s his superpower, isn’t it? And range control."

“The thing is, three years, bro,” Adesanya said. “Three years away from the game is a hard ask for any man just to be away from fighting for that long. There’s a few, special few, that can actually (explicit) off and come back and still look great, and I feel like Jon’s one of them. But again, when you talk about special few fighters, trust me, Ciryl’s one of those guys, as well."

He concluded, “If you want to wake up for a guy in the morning, this is the guy. Ciryl Gane, ‘Bon Gamin’ – he’s game. This is a guy to wake up for. I think because of activity, to be honest, and who he is, I’m going to go Ciryl, but I won’t be surprised if ‘Bones’ wins.”