“Would’ve fought Jon Jones on any day of the week,” Daniel Cormier shuts down Dana White’s narrative around Francis Ngannou

UFC Hall of Famer and Commentator, Daniel Cormier, posted a Youtube video sharing his views on the heavyweight division's future and Jones vs Gane.

“Would’ve fought Jon Jones on any day of the week,” Daniel Cormier shuts down Dana White’s narrative around Francis Ngannou

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On Monday, retired UFC fighter and former heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier posted a video on his Youtube channel reacting to Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane for the now vacant title at UFC 285. Cormier also talked about Ciryl Gane’s striking prowess. DC ranted about Gane’s fighting style being different than what Jones is used to. Jones vs Gane is scheduled for March 4.

Since the announcement of Jones vs Gane, the MMA community found it difficult to accept the narrative provided by UFC President, Dana White around Francis Ngannou’s departure. “It is not true that Francis Ngannou left UFC to avoid Jon Jones,” the 43-year-old commentator said in his Youtube video.

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“Ciryl Gane is a more difficult style matchup for Jon Jones,” Cormier added further. After the announcement of Ngannou’s exit from the UFC, the promotion announced Jones vs Gane to keep the HW division active. Cormier did not add fuel to this fire and took a neutral stance without flashing out many details about the fallout with Ngannou. DC also took time to shut down the “scared of Jones” narrative.

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Jon Jones is a well-versed fighter in both grappling and striking and is regarded as the best ever to have entered the cage. This is due to Jones’ long list of title defenses (13) throughout his career after acquiring the LHW title in 2011. On the other hand, Ciryl Gane, a predominantly striking-based fighter, has climbed up the rankings in the HW division due to his fight IQ, incredible agility, and beautiful striking.

Related: Heavyweight division alive again! Stipe Miocic wants winner of Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane

UFC legend Daniel Cormier reacts to Jones vs Gane at UFC 285 and Ngannou situation

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Jon Jones is set to make his return on March 4 for the HW title which would mark the 15th title fight of his career. His opponent, Ciryl Gane is a former interim HW champion and is originally a kickboxing-heavy fighter with wins over Tai Tuivasa, Derrick Lewis, Curtis Blaydes, Alex Volkov, Junior Dos Santos, and Rozenstruik. The French heavy-hitter has risen to the top of the rankings after an incredible run since 2019.

Former two-division champ and UFC commentator, Daniel Cormier in his latest youtube video addressed that Jones vs Ngannou was always the first choice for the UFC and was in the making for three years. Fans have been disappointed because Ngannou left the promotion in his prime years of fighting. Since Ngannou has already defeated Ciryl Gane, fans only wanted the best to fight Jones.

Some of the fans have supported Ngannou’s decision to leave the promotion as the HW champ. Although, Daniel Cormier did not reveal the contractual details of the dispute, but took time to explain that he isn’t buying into the narrative that Ngannou left because he was scared of Jon Jones.

DC also talked about Ciryl Gane’s striking and his advantages against Jones in terms of the similar reach, height, agility, and ability to box dirty inside a clinch situation. While Jones clearly has a grappling and wrestling advantage, DC suggested that it wouldn’t be the same as taking down a LHW. Gane’s striking IQ is also considered one of his biggest in-game surprises.

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