Jon Jones is never short of self-confidence when it comes to competing in the UFC Octagon – and he was no different after Francis Ngannou recorded a triumphant victory over Cyril Gane at UFC 270.
What was most remarkable was the wrestling ability he showed. Ngannou ground down his opponent throughout the fight. That is in complete contrast to the usual power that the Cameroonian fighter exhibits and proves that there is much more in his arsenal than just a hard punch.
It was always going to be a tough fight for fans to predict. Gane had worked his way up to fighting Ngannou, winning the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship in August. His opponent, meanwhile, had defeated all-comers since the beginning of 2019.
The bookmakers’ odds (via Oddschecker) favoured Gane before the fight got underway. The Frenchman’s attributes, coupled with his sheer size, made him an entirely different prospect to anything Ngannou had faced before.
That meant the reigning heavyweight champion needed to do something unorthodox, something unique to claim victory. He did precisely that.
Before the fight, Ngannou had never won by decision. But after a slow opening two rounds, he grew into the occasion and began to dominate proceedings.
Not all fans thought it was the most entertaining of matchups, but Ngannou’s win seemed to be a statement. However, not everyone agreed with that assessment.
Jon Jones hits out at heavyweight division
When Jon Jones has been active in UFC, he almost always delivers the goods.
He is a former two-time light-heavyweight champion and has defeated the likes of Daniel Cormier, Dominick Reyes and Chael Sonnen during his career. Some UFC fans consider him, pound-for-pound, as one of the best fighters to have ever graced the company.
One thing he has never lacked is confidence in his own abilities. Taking to Twitter after the victory of Francis Ngannou over Gane, Jon Jones made another bold prediction about what he can achieve in the sport.
He said: “If this is the apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break.”
In response to another fan who questioned his tweet, Jones then wrote: “Lol stay humble? Sure I’ll stay humble, sleeping like a baby tonight. People talk so much s***, have no clue what it takes.”
Jones v Ngannou?
Jon Jones’s tweet after Ngannou’s win comes days after the Cameroonian claimed he would not take on the two-time light heavyweight champion.
Ngannou explained he had been waiting for the fight for too long and had moved on to other ventures.
He said: “No, I’m done with that fight. I’ve been waiting for that fight for so long. After Stipe [Miocic], it was supposed to be Jon Jones, and that never happened. I don’t know why. So I moved on.”
Whether Jones’s latest comments re-light the spark to a potential feud remains to be seen. Either way, Ngannou remains on top of the world – and has plenty of options as to what he does next.
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