Getty Jon Jones
Jon Jones is “in recovery mode” days before his UFC heavyweight championship match against Ciryl Gane, according to his former opponent and fighter-turned-analyst, Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen took to Twitter on Tuesday, four days before Jones and Gane headline UFC 285 on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. And after watching the first two episodes of the promotion’s Embedded series for the event, Sonnen made a bold claim. He wrote that since Jones was only seen working out in a pool, the former 205-pound king’s “bones and joints” were “weak.”
“Watched the 2 embedded’s that are out. His bones and joints are weak, both episodes he is in the pool,” Sonnen tweeted. “Pool workouts are for injured and low impact. He is in recovery mode.”
Jones Ripped Sonnen During Episode 1 of the UFC 285 Embedded Series
Well, since “The American Gangster” watched the first episode, he would have heard Jones take a shot at him as well.
Jones showed the camera crew his “man cave,” which was full of all his former fight posters as well as his championship belts and memorabilia. At one point, Jones pointed to the UFC 159 poster featuring himself and Sonnen. “He’s a weird guy,” Jones said about Sonnen after mocking the way he speaks. “I just had a whole lot of frustration in that fight that I had to get out. And I got it out.”
Sonnen and Jones squared up in 2013 for the latter’s light heavyweight strap and it was largely a one-sided affair. Jones dominated The American Gangster — taking him out via first-round TKO.
Sonnen followed up his tweet by reacting to a video shared by MMA Haven that features Gane continuously dodging a small ball. The Twitter account wrote, “Ciryl Gane training to avoid the lethal eyepokes of Jon Jones,” and The American Gangster chimed in: “I can’t quit watching. This is AWESOME.” Watch below via the embedded tweet:
Jones Doesn’t See Gane as the Most Lethal Striker He’s Faced Inside the Octagon
Bones has fought and beaten the best of the best during his Octagon tenure which has spanned nearly 15 years. He’s earned 11 light heavyweight title defenses over two separate championship runs, compiling a professional mixed martial arts record of 26-1 with one no-contest.
And according to a recent tweet from Bones, Gane, who is touted by many as the most technical heavyweight striker in the promotion, is not the best kickboxer Jones has been tasked to defeat. In Bones’ opinion, that honor goes to Thiago Santos.
“Man I just finished watching my Thiago Santos fight again,” Jones tweeted. “I think it’s crazy that you guys consider gane the most technical kickboxer I’ve ever faced. Everything Thiago did have bad intentions on it. Dude had lightning speed, power, explosiveness. Crazy versatility.”
Jones also tweeted that the best wrestler Gane has ever faced is former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou who defeated the Frenchman last year. Further, Bones wrote that Gane’s last three opponents — Tai Tuivasa, Ngannou and Derrick Lewis — were “flat-footed boxers.”
“Hanes last three opponents had terrible defense,” Jones tweeted. “Those guys couldn’t stop a kick if their life depended on it. He’s fought flat footed boxers his last three fights.”