Jon Jones has weighed in on two pivotal heavyweight clashes.
Newly promoted heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) defends his title against Josh Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the UFC 334 main event on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York (Paramount+).
Former UFC dual-champion Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) quickly submitted Gane to claim the vacant belt at UFC 285. He says the Frenchman has a tough outing against his fellow Jackson Wink fighter.
"Josh looks great right now," Jones told The Schmo. "He's doing a great job, obviously he's coached by some of the best in the world. I've always supported wrestlers and backed wrestlers. It's interesting for me because I have Gable (Steveson), and there are words that are being spoke back-and-forth. It's awkward, but deep down, behind Gable, I'm supporting all the guys.
"I want to see everyone go on and live healthy lifestyles and do great things in business and family, so I'm really rooting for everybody. I'd be lying if I didn’t say that the more people Ciryl Gane beats, it really just shows the specialness of our family and our team. So my prediction is that I believe Hokit very well could win, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it doesn't make our brand look great when Ciryl Gane beats people. So may the best man win."
The other marquee matchup at heavyweight is the UFC 335 co-main event between Alex Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Sergei Pavlovich (20-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC). Pereira fell short in his heavyweight debut when he was stopped by Gane at UFC Freedom 250.
"The Alex that showed up at the last fight was hesitant and maybe second guessing himself, so I don't really know," Jones said. "I actually thought Pereira would put on a much greater challenge against Ciryl Gane, so it's hard for me to say how Sergei and Alex is going to shake. But I will be watching, that's for sure, and again, I hate to give you cliche answers, but may the best man win."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jon Jones: Josh Hokit very well could beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 334