With Jon Jones retired, Ciryl Gane thankful for 'clarity' in UFC heayvweight division
Now that Jon Jones has decided to hang up the gloves, Ciryl Gane is eager to get a title shot against Tom Aspinall.
Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has been wondering what's next since his last appearance at UFC 310, where he defeated Alexander Volkov by split decision. The former interim heavyweight champion has been in a holding pattern since, due to the career uncertainty of Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and a potential title unification bout against Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC).
With UFC CEO Dana White announcing Jones' retirement in Azerbaijan, the heavyweight division is ready to get rolling again, including Gane.
"First, I'm going to say, big respect to Jon Jones and his career," Gane said on "UFC Unfiltered." "But definitely, we have some clarity. ... We're going to plan some things. Now, we can see forward and who you're going to choice for the belt against Tom Aspinall."
Gane is currently on a two-fight winning streak and is the No. 1 contender in the UFC's official heavyweight rankings. Aspinall, who was promoted from interim to undisputed champion when Jones' retirement was announced, is expected to work out his plans during International Fight Week. Gane believes he should be in the next title fight.
"I just know my manager Fernand Lopez talked to the matchmaking with Hunter (Campbell), and I know they work on it this week," Gane said. "We keep in touch. ... We're just waiting for more discussion and maybe the location and the date. We are really confident of this fight happening because we know I'm the No. 1 contender, so this makes sense. No. 2 is Volkov. He fought already against Tom Aspinall and he lost. I won against him twice. No. 3 is (Sergei) Pavlovich. He fought already against Tom Aspinall and he lost also."
Gane's last defeat came in the first round at UFC 285 in a vacant title fight against Jones. It was an eye-opening moment that prompted him to reassess his career. Now that he has made peace with the loss and absorbed the lessons learned, Gane says he's ready to take on whatever lies ahead.
"It was not easy after the loss to Jon Jones because I remember the bad buzz on the social media, the people were so hard with me because of the performance – and I can understand the people waiting for me to do something better than this," Gane said. "But yeah, I'm really confident of myself like every time. I know I'm a competitor and I think I really grew up after this loss, like really focused on my target, on my goal. Like, why I do this sport and why I go in the cage."
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