"Jon Jones is the guy" - Daniel Cormier believes his former foe will be Ciryl Gane's toughest test in the UFC

Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier believes his former archnemesis Jon Jones has what it takes to solve the Ciryl Gane puzzle.

In a recent episode of ESPN's DC & RC podcast, Cormier enumerated why the former longtime UFC light heavyweight champ could present Gane problems in a hypothetical matchup. According to 'DC':

"This will sound crazy coming from me: Jon Jones is the guy that will present the most problems to Ciryl Gane. Why? Because Jon Jones has fought at 205; Jon Jones has the skill of a little guy; Jon Jones has seen athletes before."

The rapidly rising heavyweight star recently showcased his technical brilliance in a lopsided demolition of Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265. Gane outclassed his fellow top contender to capture the interim heavyweight title.

The Frenchman outgunned his opponent, connecting with 112 significant strikes to Lewis' measly 16 in a span of 10 minutes and 49 seconds. 'Bon Gamin' vanquished Lewis in the third round as he turned the pressure up to secure a technical knockout victory.

Total Strikes in our #UFC265 main event! 👊1️⃣6️⃣ - Derrick Lewis1️⃣1️⃣2️⃣ - Ciryl Gane pic.twitter.com/3SxwG2DOFC

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 9, 2021

However, Cormier reckons that Jones' experience of fighting in a lighter, faster weight division would come in handy against a striking savant like Gane. Cormier continued by saying:

"Jon Jones has beaten me twice. I'm an athlete. He's seen the speed; he's seen the foot movement and the angles; he's had to deal with guys like that before. Now can he handle that at a weight class above? I don't know. But I truly believe that Jones is one of the guys that truly can give Ciryl Gane problems."

Watch Daniel Cormier's take on a potential Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane matchup:

---

Who will Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane fight next?

Ciryl Gane has leapfrogged Jon Jones as the next challenger for undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. 'Bones' was previously rumored to be the frontrunner for Ngannou's first title defense.

However, the top pound-for-pound fighter is engaged in a negotiating standoff against UFC president Dana White regarding a contract dispute. Jones also said that the soonest he'll be back in action is 2022 as he plans to take as many precautions as he can before making his long-awaited climb to heavyweight.

Gane, meanwhile, has secured a future unification bout with Ngannou after capturing the interim strap in Houston last Saturday.