Is this fight truly about redemption for Ciryl Gane?
Back in March 2023, Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane collided in a fight that shocked many fans, ending with “Bones” securing the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship after a first-round submission. The takedown and choke looked almost too easy, even for one of the greatest fighters of all time. Gane struggled to stand to reflect on how things went down given he felt like he wasn’t himself that day.
At the UFC 310 Countdown Show, Gane spoke about his loss against Jones as “a total misunderstanding of what was happening.” “I don’t recognize myself there,” he said in French on “UFC 310 Countdown.” “It’s something I’ve never done before. My distance management, my movement, the alertness that I love to show – I had none of that.”
Gane regained his fighting spirit when he met Serghei Spivac in September 2023 with a second-round TKO victory in front of home country fans. Now, as we head into late 2024, Gane finds himself facing Alexander Volkov once again in a rematch. The two fighters clashed in 2021 with Gane winning via unanimous decision.
A rematch, on December 7th at UFC 310, will see if their styles have changed or if the same outcomes remain on the horizon.
Will Gane be able to shake off that initial loss and reclaim his throne? Only time will tell as he prepares for Volkov in a high-stakes rematch at UFC 310.