Jon Jones speaks on opening as the betting underdog against Ciryl Gane - "A lot of fans haven't seen me compete before"

After a three-year hiatus, Jon Jones will return to the octagon against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 this Saturday. The longtime light heavyweight champion recently shared his thoughts on opening as the betting underdog, attributing it to his inactivity.

Speaking at the UFC 285 pre-fight press conference, 'Bones' was asked if he felt disrespected when the opening odds came out, to which he answered:

"No, I don't think it was disrespectful. Ciryl Gane's been really active. He's been really busy in the UFC. I understand that there's a lot of fans that have never seen me compete before and it is what it is. I would imagine a lot of people were putting in some pretty big money when I was the underdog and the oddsmakers had to change that up real quick."

Jon Jones was then asked if he believes he is a lock to win on Saturday night and he responded:

"I'm not a big guy into gambling, but I would say betting on me isn't the worst idea."

Catch Jon Jones' comments at the pre-fight presser below (27:40):

Jon Jones' last fight was way back in 2020, when he narrowly edged a decision win over Dominick Reyes to retain his light heavyweight title, which he subsequently vacated with a move to heavyweight in mind.

While Jones opened up as the betting underdog, he is now a slight favorite. The odds currently have the American at -165, while Gane is at +145.

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Jon Jones questions Ciryl Gane's "seriousness"

Jon Jones is set to make his highly anticipated heavyweight debut this weekend. The former 205-pound kingpin will look to become a two-division champion when he locks horns with Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ahead of the fight, Jones has been quite open about how seriously he has taken the move up to heavyweight. At the pre-fight media day, 'Bones' revealed what he believes to be the one clear advantage he has over Gane:

"I have a dog in me, I have a lion in me, I have a vicious warrior inside of me. It's who I am and losing is not an option. It's not just a sporting event to me, this is my life, this is my image, this is my legacy, this is me. My reasons why are really big. I don't know if his energy matches mine when it comes to the seriousness of how I take this fight and this game."