EXCLUSIVE | Fernand Lopez Thinks Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones Is Inevitable

Regardless of whether or not Ciryl Gane defeats Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, MMA Factory head coach Fernand Lopez believes a matchup with Jon Jones will remain on their radar.

Gane earned the heavyweight title shot by defeating Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 last year. Gane and Ngannou are former training partners at MMA Factory in France, and tension between the two sides has run rampant for months.

But the other factor waiting in the wings is Jones, who will more than likely get the winner of Ngannou/Gane.

During an exclusive interview with LowKickMMA, Lopez gave a preview to a possible matchup between Gane and Jones.

Fernand Lopez Believe Ciryl Gane, Jon Jones Are On Collision Course

“It’s exciting. They’re going to fight no matter what happens with this fight,” Lopez said. “Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones are going to fight down the road at some point. Jon coming to heavyweight, there’s not a tougher fight for him. Fight IQ vs. Fight IQ, a lot of experience vs. a lot of freshness.

“There’s not a lot of fighters who can put themselves in a position where they are at a disadvantage and can still win. For example, with Jon, everything is spinning… and that’s scary for heavyweights. The fact that Ciryl isn’t as powerful as Francis, will equalize things with Jon Jones since he’s coming from light heavyweight. They’re going to fight, 100%, we can’t avoid that collision.”

Gane has skyrocketed to the top of the heavyweight division by earning wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos and Lewis. He is undefeated in his MMA career after a tenure in kickboxing.

Jones is anticipating a return to the UFC sometime this year. If Gane can beat Ngannou, he’ll more than likely get a chance to dethrone one of the greatest fighters ever.

How do you think a Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones fight would play out?