Stipe Miocic is hesitant to confirm whether his upcoming UFC 295 heavyweight championship fight against Jon Jones will be his last, focusing instead on his intent to regain the title and become a three-time champion.
Jon Jones, UFC 295 heavyweight champion, has hinted in public that his forthcoming title defense fight against Stipe Miocic may potentially be his last. However, his challenger, Miocic, does not appear ready to echo this sentiment. Miocic, who has aspirations of becoming a heavyweight champion for the third time, is set to confront Jones in the principal event marking UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden. The fight is scheduled to take place on the 11th of November, and in the time leading up to this highly anticipated face-off, Miocic has kept a tight lid on his thoughts regarding this topic.
“Ever since my first fight in the UFC, I’ve given thought to that,” Miocic stated, who’s currently promoting a partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings. Of his approach to the looming fight, he remarked, “At present, my entire focus is on November 11. That’s all I’m concerning myself with. Once that’s done, we’ll figure out what’s next.” A few months ago, in March 2021, Miocic made his first comeback into the octagon since the loss of his title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 during UFC 295.
Miocic boasts of a track record being the longest-reigning champ in the division’s history, and his second meet with Ngannou found him fresh off the benefits of successive victories over Daniel Cormier. Having experienced defeat at the hands of Ngannou, he had been hoping for a trilogy. However, the notion of countering Jones for the next championship chance was not a blip on his radar – until Jones emerged as the champion at UFC 285 and proceeded to challenge him. “No, [I didn’t think that was possible], as there was a lot happening,” Miocic admitted. “It was challenging because Francis was still in the picture, and they were attempting to arrange a fight. However, then, he departed, and they were endeavoring to orchestrate the Jon Jones fight [for me].”
Throughout the year, several underdogs, such as Alexa Grasso, Sean O’Malley, and Sean Strickland, managed to defy expectations and secure championship-winning victories. Bearing this in mind, Miocic aims to amplify the trend by adding his name to the growing list of unexpected win. However, the 41-year-old fighter prefers to let his performance speak for itself. According to Miocic, “The moment you see me walk out with the belt and hear everyone chant, ‘and new,’ you’re going to find out real quick.”