Problems!

Ciryl Gane won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Heavyweight title this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 7, 2021), stopping Derrick Lewis via strikes in the main event of UFC 265 in Houston, Texas (watch ighlights). The victory set him up for a title unification bout against current division champion, Francis Ngannou.

While that promises to be a fun fight between two former training partners, there is another man in the mix who could give Gane some fits inside cage: Jon Jones. Indeed, his bitter rival, Daniel Cormier, believes “Bones” poses the most problems for the Frenchman.

“Jon Jones is the guy that present the most problems to Ciryl Gane. Why? Jon Jones has fought at 205 pounds,” Cormier explained on the “DC & RC” show. “Jon Jones has the skill of a little guy. Jon Jones has seen athletes before.

“Jones beat me twice, I’m an athlete, he’s seen the speed, he’s seen the foot movement, the angles,” Cormier continued. “He’s had to deal with a guy like that before. Now can he handle that at a weight class above? I don’t know. But, I truly believe Jones is one of the guys who truly gives Gane problems, but I don’t know who beats him. Francis Ngannou has his hands full.”

While Cormier is right on many fronts, Jones has yet to face a man as massive as Gane since he has yet to make his 265-pound debut. But, skill has never been an issue for “Bones,” who used the Light Heavyweight division as his own personal playground for years.

Nevertheless, before we jump the gun and look ahead to a potential fight between Jones and Gane, there is a matter of a title unification bout against Ngannou. The winner of the fight will likely defend his title against Jones in 2022.

The promotion couldn’t make a fight between Ngannou and Jones happen due to contract issues, as in the promotion wasn’t willing to fork over the type of cash Jones was asking for to fight the hardest-hitting man in UFC history.

Should Jones opt to wait to make his Heavyweight debut in a title fight against either man as opposed to facing someone like Stipe Miocic (doubtful), it’s safe to assume “Bones” would still demand a nice chunk of change for his services.

Let’s just hope both sides come to an agreement this time around.