Jon Jones has been advised to steer clear of former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Francis Ngannou is the current heavyweight title holder, but he is out injured and in the midst of a contract battle with the UFC, so an interim title fight between the two has been discussed. But former middleweight champion Chris Weidman is concerned that Miocic, who hasn't fought since losing his belt to Ngannou in 2020, has been bulking up and could be too big for Jones.
The Cleveland native is a huge heavyweight at 6'4", and is known to tip the scales around 235lb for his world title fights. But Weidman believes that he's around 250lb at the moment, mostly made up of solid muscle.
Jones has also bulked up over the past two years since his last title defence against Dominick Reyes, and gave up his title a long time ago at 205lb. He is believed to be near the 265lb limit, but that isn't all muscle and a good portion would probably come off in the training camp for a fight.
“I see Jon Jones really working to gain size and Stipe was smaller,” Weidman said in and interview with The Schmo. “I’ve trained with Stipe, he’s one of my boys, I was hanging out with him last night. He got big and he’s been doing it quietly. He’s like a solid 250 right now. Solid 250, and whenever he decides to come back, he’s a problem. I don’t think Jon Jones wants that fight.
"If he thinks he’s gonna be going against a 225-pound Stipe, he’s wrong. He’s got a big strong boy that won’t stop coming forward and believes in himself and very well-rounded. He’s a different beast right now, I’m telling you.”
Who do you think would win; Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Miocic is one of the sport's great heavyweights, with the most title defences in the division ever. His only losses came against hard-hitting champions Daniel Cormier, Junior Dos Santos and Ngannou, aside from one to the gigantic seven-foot-tall Stefan Struve.
There have been serious talks around the fight, with UFC boss Dana White insisting that it will take place in either Las Vegas or New York City. The promotion are expected to return to Madison Square Garden for their annual November show the first weekend of the month, and likely will be back in the fight capital by December for a major show.
"Jon Jones is ready to go," White told the Jim Rome show last month. "We’re just waiting for an opponent. It’s either going to be Francis [Ngannou] depending on how long his knee is going to take to recover or Stipe Miocic."
