Jon Jones has denied claims that Stipe Miocic is past his prime.
UFC heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has received a lot of criticism for preferring to defend his title against Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) rather than interim champion Tom Aspinall.
UFC CEO Dana White defended Jones’ decision, but Aspinall slammed the champion for not fighting him. Jones vs. Miocic is scheduled to take place later this year, and White hopes that if Jones beats Miocic he can unify the belt with Aspinall.
Despite everyone’s disdain for Miocic, who hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021, Jones is committed to adding what has been described as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time to his resume.
“I appreciate my boss and his comments at the press conference last night. It seems like I had a big option in front of me, the kind of option an athlete dreams of. Now I need to refocus on the job at hand. Contrary to what some public think, Steep is no joke. It’s crazy that we live in a world where the greatest heavyweight of all time retires due to poor performance. In reality, Francis would have knocked out 98% of the people on the planet that night, but somehow Steep retired? The fact that Steep has been out of action for so long means he has had plenty of time to recover and rebuild. I need to refocus on the job at hand. That’s what has got me here. My focus, I do things that others can’t.”
Well, I appreciate the boss and his comments at the press conference last night. It seems like I have a big choice, like an athlete’s dream. Now I have to refocus on the job at hand. Contrary to what some people think, Stipe is really…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 21, 2024
Jones has also been out for a while and has continued to hint at the possibility of retiring after the Miocic fight. After submitting Cyril Ganet to win the vacant heavyweight title shortly after his return in January 2023, Jones was scheduled to face Miocic at UFC 295. However, after Jones withdrew with an injury, the promotion opted to create an interim title in his absence, which Aspinall won with a knockout of Sergey Pavlovic at UFC 295.
The Jones-Miocic rematch has yet to be officially scheduled, so in the meantime Aspinall will be defending his interim title after handily defeating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July.
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