UFC superstar Jon Jones is arguably the most decorated fighter in UFC history, but the latest performance by UFC heavyweight contender Cyril Gane proves without doubt that UFC president Dana White probably doesn’t need to budge in his negotiations with “Bones” about his desired superfight in the heavyweight ranks.
Heck, Gane looked so good in the fight that White probably doesn’t need Jones in the heavyweight division at all.
Gane entered his main event battle against Alexander Volkov on Saturday at UFC APEX in Las Vegas as the No. 3-ranked heavyweight contender in the world.
After dominating the 32-year-old Russian over all five rounds of the fight, Gane proved himself to be the best-looking heavyweight contender in the sport.
Another dominant performance 💯 #UFCVegas30
Gane’s victory over Volkov was never really in doubt. Judges scored the bout 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.
He’s already one of the most fluid strikers the UFC heavyweight division has ever seen, and he’s just now 9-0 as an MMA fighter overall.
The scariest thing? This guy is going to keep getting better.
Gane is only the fifth heavyweight ever to start a UFC career at 6-0, per @ESPNStatsInfo. The other four — Randy Couture, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Francis Ngannou — all became champion. #UFCVegas30
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Worthy Challengers for Ngannou Keep Popping Up
Gane looks like a future superstar, and he’s already close to getting a title shot against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Therein lies the problem for Jones and those who pine to see Jones take on Ngannou first.
White already has Derrick Lewis slotted ahead of Jones for the next go at Ngannou, and now it looks like he has an even better title challenger ready and willing to wait for the next crack after that.
There’s a good case to be made that Gane deserves the chance to fight Ngannou right now. He’s a former training partner of Ngannou, and he’s never tasted defeat.
Lewis is one of the best punchers in UFC heavyweight history, but Gane’s skill level among the titans in the heavyweight ranks appears to be unparalleled about now.
Meanwhile, Ngannou vs. Lewis would be a rematch of something that turned out to be one of the most boring fights in UFC history. Sure, Lewis earned the nod from the judges that night, but one might suggest nobody actually won that fight.
But here we go again, and their recent work inside the UFC’s Octagon suggests the second fight will be a lot better than the first one that happened three years ago.
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Gane and Lewis Could Keep Jones Out of UFC for a Long Time
Regardless, having the likes of Gane and Lewis coming down the UFC’s heavyweight pipeline means Jones probably doesn’t have much room to negotiate with the UFC over how much more money the company should pay him over what he was already scheduled to receive according to his most recent UFC contract.
If anything, Gane’s fast and sharp rise to the top of the sport shows the UFC can wait as long as it wants to wait in making Jones vs. Ngannou happen.
“I’ll be back when I’m good and ready,” Jones said about his UFC return in a recent social media post.
That might be true, but it also might be fair to add the following bit. Jones will be back to the UFC when he’s good and ready to admit just how easily the UFC heavyweight scene will continue on without him.
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Latest UFC Card Proves Dana White Doesn’t Need Jon Jones