Daniel Cormier is confident in the version of Stipe Miocic that will face Jon Jones.
Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) for the heavyweight championship in the UFC 295 headliner Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Miocic hasn’t competed since losing his belt in a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021, but the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion says he has since added some muscle mass. Cormier recently spoke to someone from Miocic’s team and likes what he’s hearing.
“I think the best Miocic is in the mid 240s, and he’s saying now that he’s back around that weight,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I spoke to someone in the Miocic camp and they told me he’s never looked better. He looks huge, he looks big, he looks strong.
“Now, is that going to be enough? I don’t know. I’m just giving you this information. I’m pulling the curtain back so that you guys can understand that expect the Stipe Miocic from the title run (as) opposed to the guy we saw later – the small guy, the skinny guy.”
Cormier faced Miocic three times in his career, with Cormier winning their first fight by knockout, and Miocic going on to win the next two by TKO and unanimous decision.
Cormier recalls Miocic being underestimated in their fights, and thinks the same is being done to him against Jones.
“I remember sitting at press conferences with Miocic and he would say these things like that, ‘OK, doubt me,’ and he would almost smirk because he knew what most in the public didn’t know: the way he was training, the way he was preparing, and his intent in the fight.
“Obviously, he beat me two times back-to-back when he was saying those things, and I would almost brush them off because you take his personality and you almost take Miocic for granted. You forget he’s one of the most dangerous men on the planet. But again, he’s carrying that chip.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.
