Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic has finally been made official, with the pair set for a heavyweight-title clash at UFC 295.
Jones, seen by many as the greatest light-heavyweight in UFC history, returned to the promotion in March after three years away, moving up a division to win the vacant title.
The American, 35, submitted Ciryl Gane in the first round, before using his post-fight press conference to talk up a potential bout with Miocic.
Miocic, 40, has not fought since losing the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou in 2021, but the American is essentially viewed as Jones’s equivalent in his division – the best UFC heavyweight of all time.
After months of back-and-forth, Jones vs Miocic is finally official, with the UFC confirming the fight ahead of UFC 290 at the weekend. The pair will square off at UFC 295 in November, headlining at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Miocic’s knockout loss to Ngannou marked the end of the veteran’s second heavyweight title run. The American first won the belt in 2016 and retained it a record three times – including against Ngannou – before losing the gold to Daniel Cormier in 2018. Miocic avenged that knockout defeat by stopping Cormier a year later, and he then outpointed his compatriot in a trilogy bout in 2020 to retain the title. His next outing was his rematch with Ngannou, which ended in the second round.
Meanwhile, Jones’s career has been plagued by failed drug tests and legal issues outside the ring. However, he is still considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial arts ever, and he officially reigned as light-heavyweight champion twice – and interim champion once.
Cormier, whom Jones beat twice (though the latter result was overturned after Jones failed a drug test), said on his YouTube channel at the weekend: “This fight will be determined very early, at least in my opinion, because we will know from the very start of the fight whether or not we are seeing the Stipe Miocic from before, or if we’re seeing a slowed down version of the former champion.
Miocic (left) and Daniel Cormier during their first in-ring meeting— (AP)
“Because what we already know is that we do get a little bit of a slower version of Jon Jones. He is a little bit different than he was when he was a light-heavyweight. No one could watch that fight with Ciryl and think any different. Because the left hand that he threw, which ultimately led to the takedown, was a lot slower. He even admits it, he goes, ‘I gained 30lbs, of course I’m going to be slower.’ But if Miocic is fast – if Miocic with his boxing background, Golden Gloves, is still fast – that could give Jones problems.”
“The one thing that I learned in [my] fights with Jones was that he’s very good with his timing, he’s very good at fighting his spots, but nothing is overly fast or overly quick. His punches, his kicks are fast, his [takedown] shots aren’t as fast, but he’s got great timing and the ability to really pick and find those moments that he can land.
“But Miocic is fast. You’ll be fighting Stipe, he’ll throw something and he’ll land, and you’re like: ‘How did he get to me?’ He is fast, and if he’s still fast, he can get the job done. But if he’s slowed down even a little bit – he’s almost 41 years old, I think – it could be a problem.
Jones and Cormier were fierce rivals in the UFC— (BRANDON MAGNUS / ZUFFA LLC)
“If you ask me, ‘In their prime, who would win this fight?’ I would probably say Jones, especially if he’s fighting at light-heavyweight. Many people are going to want to count Miocic out in this fight, but that’s not necessarily the case. This guy’s the real deal, and he’s there to win against Jon Jones in Madison Square Garden, which will essentially be a home game for Jones.
“I believe we learn very early, though, who’s going to walk away with the heavyweight championship of the world.”
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