Stipe Miocic is ready for his upcoming fight against Jon Jones.
Before ‘Bones’ was matched up against Ciryl Gane, he was supposed to fight Miocic for the vacant heavyweight championship. After emerging victorious with a first-round submission at UFC 285, the former light heavyweight champion is focused on what’s next.
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME IS NOW THE HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMP 🏆
JON JONES SUBMITS CIRYL GANE!! #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/JOiAnweVJ5
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
During his post-fight interview, Jones called out Miocic, who was sitting cage side. Once the event ended, the Ohio native did a short interview with Brett Okamoto backstage and had this to say about ‘Bones’:
“It’s a fight, you know. He won, good for him, You know, hats off. But unfortunately, he’s gotta fight me in July. I wanted that fight, unfortunately I didn’t get it. And now I have to wait until July.”
Jones returned to the Octagon after three years of inactivity. There were concerns about how the former light heavyweight champion would do in his new division. ‘Bones’ quickly silenced the doubters by taking out Gane in two minutes and four seconds. The 35-year-old proved he’s just getting started at heavyweight, creating intrigue for his first title defense.
It would be surprising if Jones doesn’t defend his UFC heavyweight championship against Miocic next. Dana White recently confirmed that the 40-year-old will be the first title challenger for ‘Bones.’ The heavyweight showdown is expected to take place in July at Internation Fight Week.
“He’s big. Obviously he’s a big boy, 6’4, 247 or something like that,” Miocic said. “I’m bigger than that, so that’s okay.”
“I’ll take him out. I’ll stop him. Take him out. That’s what’s gonna happen.”
Stipe next!? 👀@JonnyBones already has his sights set on his first heavyweight title defense #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/DUATmTO99u
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
Stipe Miocic is taking his career one fight at a time
Stipe Miocic is one of the greatest UFC heavyweights of all time. With that said, there are questions about how much he has left in the tank. After defeating Daniel Cormier twice in back-to-back fights, Miocic suffered a brutal knockout loss against Francis Ngannou in his last fight.
During the same interview with Brett Okamoto, Miocic was asked if his next bout against Jon Jones would be his last. He responded by saying:
“I mean yeah, we’ll see what happens. But I mean, listen, one fight at a time. But yeah, 100%. Sh*t’s gonna go my way.”
Although Miocic deserves respect, Jones proved to be a legitimate problem at heavyweight. The Ohio native does have high-level takedown defense and championship experience that Ciryl Gane didn’t. ‘Bones’ has emerged as the opening betting odds favorite, but the former heavyweight champion should not be overlooked.
Watch Brett Okamoto’s interview with Stipe Miocic below:
