“I Must Train Harder”: Ciryl Gane on How Jon Jones Defeat Changed His Approach to MMA

UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane has explained how his defeat to Jon Jones has changed his approach to mixed martial arts.

At UFC 310, Ciryl Gane will take on Alexander Volkov in a rematch from their meeting back in June 2021. On that occasion, the Frenchman picked up the win – but this time around, fans aren’t quite sure who to view as the favorite.

It’s been a year since Gane defeated Serghei Spivac in his last outing, but in reality, the majority of fans are still reeling from his two-minute defeat at the hands of Jon Jones in March 2023. It was a performance in which he fell completely flat, leaving many to wonder whether or not another title run is even possible.

Of course, at the age of just 34, he still has time to make things right – but even Ciryl Gane knows that he needs to do a lot better, as he noted in the following interview.

Ciryl Gane reflects on tough Jon Jones loss

“After the fight with Jon Jones, I felt that people turn really crazy… [The loss against Jon Jones] has helped me to grow a little bit more. At first, because in my sport, to loss like that, this is too much pain. And with the people, the media and everything, it was really hard.

“But I stay strong. I kept my positivity every time. I work hard but I was flawless [before the fight against Jon Jones], like, win after win, win after win and [then] something like that [loss to Jones happened], ‘Okay, I must train harder than that. I must do more.’ Now, I’m focused on the little things [that are] really important to grow up.”

Quotes via Sportskeeda

At this point, all Ciryl Gane can hope to do is go out there and prove he’s still an elite level competitor.