UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has continued to defend his matchup with Stipe Miocic.
‘Bones’ hasn’t been seen in the cage in well over a year, last submitting Ciryl Gane last March. That victory was Jon Jones’ first up at heavyweight and saw him claim the UFC title that Francis Ngannou left vacant. While the newly crowned champion was expected to face Stipe Miocic in November, that bout was canceled due to injury.
In Jon Jones’ absence from the cage, Tom Aspinall has won and defended the interim heavyweight title. However, Dana White has no plans of unifying the heavyweight championships next. Instead, the promoter wants to re-book Jones against Stipe Miocic. As of now, the two are expected to collide in November at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Many fans, and even Tom Aspinall himself, have slammed the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic bout online. However, the UFC heavyweight champion has continued to defend the matchup. Recently, Jones has gone as far as defending his next opponent himself. In recent weeks, Aspinall has slammed the 42-year-old contender as “too old”, comparing him to Joe Biden.
Man, I appreciate the boss and the comments he made at last nights press conference. Sounds like I have some massive options on the table, an athletes dream . Right now I need to get back to focusing on the task at hand. Despite what some of the casuals think, Stipe is really no…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 21, 2024
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones discusses Stipe Miocic matchup
It was likely those comments that led to a lengthy post from Jon Jones on X. Earlier this week, ‘Bones’ took to social media, where he discussed his next fight against Stipe Miocic. In the post, Jones hit back at the idea that his next opponent could be too old, and specifically stated that the former champion was not “washed up”.
Jon Jones also applauded the 42-year-old for taking time off following his March 2021 knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. That defeat to ‘The Predator’ was the last time that Stipe Miocic was seen in the cage. Since then, the former UFC heavyweight champion has largely been out of the spotlight, instead working as a firefighter.
However, ‘Bones’ believes that time off will serve his next title challenger quite well. For what it’s worth, Jon Jones’ fight with Stipe Miocic might be the last time that fans see both legends in the cage. Earlier this week, the heavyweight champion again teased retirement, and that he would even be competing at ADCC in the future.
What do you make of these comments about former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic? Do you agree with Jon Jones?
