Henry Cejudo sees only one path to victory for Stipe Miocic against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but he isn’t sure he can succeed.
Former champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) is next in line for Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), who made quick work of Ciryl Gane with a Round 1 submission to capture the vacant title at UFC 285.
Cejudo acknowledges that Miocic, a former NCAA Division I wrestler, is a different level on the ground than Gane but still thinks he’ll have a tough time handling Jones in the grappling department.
“You’re going to have to wrestle him,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “So that’s the only thing that I could see Stipe Miocic doing, because his hands, he’s not faster than Jon. He’s got hands; he did get a chance to stop Cormier with the body shot. Jon’s just different. Jon has a different length. Jon recognizes distance a lot better than somebody like DC. The only plan that I see Stipe Miocic going up against Jon, is going to be called wrestling.
“The only way that you’re going to be able to take a guy out like Jon Jones is to wrestle, and good luck with that.”
Cejudo painted a perfect picture of Jones’ fight-ending sequence against Gane prior to the fight and sees “Bones” also stopping Miocic inside the distance.
“I think he finishes him,” Cejudo said. “This time in a different fashion. The only thing that I could say is I just don’t think Stipe would be able to go three rounds with Jon.”
He continued, “I do believe Stipe’s biggest gift is his threshold, his gas tank. How he had the ability to weather the storm with a guy like Daniel Cormier and beat him. You know, was hurt in the beginning, ends up coming back, like Stipe gets better as the fight goes on. Stipe Miocic, the former heavyweight champion of the world, the greatest gift that he has is his threshold and endurance. But against a guy like Jon Jones, you need all that and some. I’m going Jon Jones, no more than three (rounds).”
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