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"If Francis Ngannou can take down Ciryl Gane, then Jon Jones certainly can." It's a popular sentiment that has been tossed around by many pundits this week trying to handicap the main event of UFC 285. It's also one that Gane hopes to erase by the time the main event is over.

Jones vs. Gane headlines Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena with the vacant UFC heavyweight championship at stake. Close odds reflect the fight's many uncertainties: from Gane's defensive grappling to Jones' three-year layoff and heavyweight debut.

Ngannou seemed to lay out the blueprint to beat Gane by surprisingly scoring four of five takedowns in a competitive title fight. Ngannou rarely employed offensive grappling prior to that bout and many expect that Jones, the superior wrestler, can build on Ngannou's strategy. Gane acknowledges the critique but insists it will age poorly in short order.

"Against Francis Ngannou, I did really bad. I was really not aware and not focused on this," Gane told CBS Sports. "He used the takedowns but he didn't put me in danger. He didn't try to punch me or submit me. It was just about the power. We spent a lot of time on the ground game and he was on top because of the power. It was really not easy. He's a strong guy and he's a good wrestler. A lot of people disrespect the wrestling game of Francis, but I learned a lot.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to be very aware of the wrestling game of Jon Jones."

Check out the full interview with Ciryl Gane below.

Fernand Lopez, Gane's coach and Ngannou's ex-trainer, insisted that Jones does not have the physical gifts to muscle around Gane like his former pupil did.

"We're talking about Francis here," Lopez told CBS Sports. "Francis Ngannou is a monster, freak athlete."

Gane's self-admission that he was caught off guard by Ngannou's game plan is a sentiment felt in real-time by viewers. Ngannou had never been considered a wrestling threat and was still shaking off the stink of a dominant, wrestling-heavy loss to Stipe Miocic four years prior. Additionally, Ngannou's almost comical power rendered most fighters unconscious before grappling could factor in. Lopez insists that Ngannou is a fundamentally sound wrestler blessed with one-for-one power, pointing to the improvements he made between the two Miocic fights and examples from earlier in his career.

"People understand that Francis is tough," Lopez said. "He's been learning and he's been improving. He's 265 pounds, powerful and solid. He knows the fundamentals and the leverage to control and take people down.

"People tend to see Francis Ngannou as someone without wrestling or grappling whatsoever, which is sick. It's so wrong. Anthony Hamilton got beat in the first round back then [in 2016] with a kimura. Francis has been bullying people in that department. You couldn't take him down. Curtis Blaydes failed to take down Francis in two fights."

Check out the full interview with Fernand Lopez below.

Then there is the matter of longevity. Jones made his professional debut a decade before Gane and has only made four appearances in the time that Gane has accumulated a dozen fights. Jones tore through the light heavyweight division, dominating many legends to earn his status as arguably the best to ever do it. Yet Jones appeared to struggle in his final title defenses against less decorated opponents, winning a split decision against Thiago Santos and a very controversial unanimous decision vs. Dominick Reyes. Gane, unlike Jones, refuses to undermine his foe's quality of opposition but suggests that Jones could be on the downslide.

"I really don't want to disrespect these opponents. I'm talking about [Alexander] Gustafsson, Reyes, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. These are beautiful fighters, so it's really normal that it was not easy for Jon Jones," Gane said. "I don't need to talk about that. He did well. A lot of people talk about, 'He's not the same Jon Jones as before.' But guys, the division is really hard. Maybe harder than before. These guys are so strong, so tough. Maybe he's not in his prime, maybe, but he was in really tough fights and he did really well."

"Time catches up with everyone," Lopez added.

Gane has been far more polite than his opponent in the build to their fight, refusing to downplay Jones' skills or his accomplishments. Lopez insists the pleasantries pause the moment that Gane steps into the Octagon.

"I will still say that Jon Jones, for me, is the greatest. That's a huge honor for us to step in there against him," Lopez said. "Ciryl has a lot of respect for him outside of the cage.

"People will be surprised how little respect he will give him in the cage. In order to be the champ, you have to disrespect the champ."

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