MMA
Jon Jones reveals how Ciryl Gane 'intimidated' him after first-round win, predicts Tom Aspinall rematch
Published
3 months agoon
Jon Jones' former rival Ciryl Gane earned his respect in how he handled himself in the moments immediately after their UFC 285 fight.
Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones won the heavyweight title by handing Ciryl Gane a humiliating defeat at UFC 285. Just seconds into their fight, Jones tapped Gane with a nasty guillotine choke to become the UFC's latest ‘champ-champ'.
Fast forward to 2026, and Gane has earned his fourth undisputed heavyweight title shot after defeating Alex Pereira to win the interim belt at UFC Freedom 250. Gane is expected to face undisputed champion Tom Aspinall in a rematch later this year, after their first fight ended in a no-contest last year.
Jones will keep a keen eye on the Aspinall vs. Gane rematch as he continues to ponder another potential return to the Octagon. After stopping Gane at UFC 285, Jones was intimidated by his opponent.
Jon Jones shares ‘intimidating' interaction with Ciryl Gane that earned his respect
In a recent interview with Ring Magazine, Jones predicted the Aspinall vs. Gane rematch and shared an eye-opening story about Gane's competitiveness.
“I think Gane is going to win. When you become the champion, and you beat a man like Alex Pereira, it has to do something for your confidence,†Jones said of Gane.
“The night I fought him, we were backstage and talking with the doctor. He came in behind the curtain, came up in front of me…and at that moment he seemed so much bigger than just moments before [LAUGHS]. He looked me in the eye, shook my hand, and said, ‘I'll be back. We're going to do this again'. And he meant it! It taught me a lot about his character. He wasn't mad, wasn't bitter; he was a great sportsman, and he seemed more destined and determined than ever. To the point that it was slightly intimidating, because I just choked him out minutes ago, and he was looking like he was ready for Round 2.
“So I believed him when he said ‘I'll be back', and now he is back, just against different competition,†Jones continued on Gane. “He has my support, and I love the class that he carries. Great representative for France and for the UFC, and I hope he does really well for a really long time.â€
What is your prediction for Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2? Let us know in the comments!
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
14 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
16 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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