Ahead of his first heavyweight title defense at UFC 309, Jon Jones justifies Stipe Miocic as his worthy opponent because he believes legacy trumps activity.
Former heavyweight champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) has not won a UFC fight since defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 in August 2020. His last fight was a brutal outing as former UFC champ Francis Ngannou knocked him out at UFC 260 in March 2021.
For Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), the last image of Miocic should not be the thought on everyone’s mind ahead of their main event clash at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.
“I feel that it’s unfortunate that we live in a world where one bad performance discredits a person so much,” Jones told Kevin Iole. “Stipe has beat everyone. I mean, Junior dos Santos, Francis Ngannou, Daniel Cormier – some of the biggest names, you know? Many champions he’s defeated. I feel like I’m wise enough to know that one bad night doesn’t make a man or break a man. Stipe is every bit of worthy as my opponent.
“It’s not easy winning championships back-to-back, especially in the heavyweight division. What he’s done is truly special, and I just want to give the man his opportunity. I know fighting me, for a lot of athletes, is a really big deal. If anyone deserves to be in there with me, it’s Stipe Miocic.”
During his first run as champion, Miocic set the UFC heavyweight title defense record with three. That’s why so many view him as the greatest heavyweight champion. He furthered that legacy by regaining and then defending the title in a trilogy with Cormier.
However, among the biggest complaints about the matchup with Jones is that many believe Miocic’s best days are behind him and that he lacks activity. There’s also Tom Aspinall, who currently holds the interim heavyweight title, but that’s a completely different aspect of the matchup.
It will be nearly 44 months between fights for Miocic. Jones, who was away for almost 37 months preparing to make his heavyweight debut, points to his successful return against Ciryl Gane as a reason not to dismiss Miocic.
Despite the inactivity and Miocic not having won a fight in over four years, Jones also believes fulfilling a dream MMA matchup is well worth it.
“What it shows me is our boss’ loyalty to his athletes,” Jones said. “I mean, Stipe Miocic vs. Francis back in the day, it had the whole world excited. How would this ‘firefighter,’ what people like to call him, how would this 240-pound athlete go up (against) a guy like Francis, this larger-than-life character? They gave us a great little saga or whatnot, you want to call it. Dana White doesn’t forget that, you know? I believe guys like Stipe and I, we help take the UFC to a new level, and just because we’ve been out for a while doesn’t mean we’re not great athletes and we don’t have strong fanbases.
“… I’m 37 years old and I’m not a person to be counted out, and at 42, I don’t believe Stipe is a person to be counted out. Styles make matchups, and for the real long-term MMA fans who grew up watching both Stipe and I compete, I think this fight is always going to be intriguing to them.”