Stipe Miocic is ready for a UFC comeback in 2023 and has his sights set on the winner of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane.
Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White revealed that negotiations with current heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou have failed. As a result, the promotion announced that they will be releasing ‘The Predator’ from his contract thereby stripping him of the UFC title. This March, a new heavyweight king will be crowned as Jon Jones makes his long-awaited return to face No. 1 ranked contender Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285.
Stipe Miocic Wants a Title Shot After Jones vs. Gane
Taking to Twitter, former two-time heavyweight king Stipe Miocic announced his desire to return this summer, challenging the winner of Jones vs. Gane.
“March 4th – I like it,” Miocic tweeted. “I got winner in July.”
March 4th – I like it.
I got winner in July.
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic) January 15, 2023
Stipe Miocic was originally linked to a December 2022 showdown with Jon Jones, but the fight never materialized. Following his blockbuster announcement on Saturday night, Dana White confirmed that Miocic was very much in the heavyweight title mix despite sitting on the sidelines for nearly two years.
“Stipe is still obviously very much in the mix,”White said at UFC Fight Night 217 post-fight presser. “He’s going through some stuff right now that he’s dealing with. The timing just didn’t work for him.”
Stipe Miocic is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. Capturing the title on two separate occasions, Miocic defended the crown a record four times. Miocic’s last appearance inside the Octagon came at UFC 260 where he suffered a second-round knockout against Francis Ngannou. Prior to that, he scored back-t0-back wins against UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. Miocic also holds notable victories over Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Mark Hunt, and Roy Nelson.
Miocic is currently sitting in the No. 2 spot on the UFC’s heavyweight rankings.
