Stipe Miocic won’t focus on potentially retiring until after his upcoming world title fight.
On November 11, the UFC will travel to New York City for one of the biggest pay-per-view events of the year, UFC 295, which takes place inside Madison Square Garden.
In the main event, Miocic looks to pull off an upset win and dethrone Jon Jones for the heavyweight title.
Regardless of the outcome against Jones, Miocic doesn’t have much left to accomplish in MMA. Therefore, some fans and analysts believe the former UFC heavyweight champion will retire following the UFC 295 main event.
During an interview with MMA Fighting, Miocic was asked whether or not he considered retirement. He responded by saying:
“I thought about that [retirement] after my first UFC fight. Right now, I’m just focused on November 11th. That’s all I care about. Once I’m done, I’ll figure it out.”
Stipe Miocic made his UFC debut in October 2011. Since then, the Ohio native has established himself as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Although he’s undoubtedly a future HOFer, Miocic still has business to take care of before the gloves potentially come off for good.
Watch Stipe Miocic’s entire interview with MMA Fighting below:
Stipe Miocic reiterates how every fight is more important than the last
Stipe Miocic has fought in several blockbuster fights throughout his UFC tenure. With that said, his upcoming title bout against Jon Jones is arguably the most significant of his career.
During the same interview with MMA Fighting, Miocic had this to say about the importance of winning on November 11:
“Oh yeah, there’s no question [this is the biggest fight of my career]… I’ve been saying, every fight, no matter what it is, it’s your biggest fight. Last one was great, but this is even bigger. And if I fight again, that fight is gonna be the biggest fight. There’s always a stepping stone, a hurdle you have to get over. So, I think every fight you have is the biggest fight of your life.”
It’ll be easier said than done for Stipe Miocic to emerge victorious on November 11.
Earlier this year, Jon Jones returned from a three-year-layoff to make his heavyweight debut in a vacant title fight. ‘Bones’ ran through Ciryl Gane and secured a first-round submission.
Jones now looks to extend his resume for the GOAT debate by taking out a legend in the division.
A lot of gold on the line at #UFC295🏆
Tickets on sale NOW ➡️https://t.co/QLGZiVc2pX pic.twitter.com/l9yoLFYPiw
— UFC (@ufc) September 25, 2023