Stipe Miocic will make his much-anticipated UFC return after a huge three-year hiatus at UFC 309. The heavyweight GOAT will take on the champion, the one and only Jon Jones, inside the iconic Madison Square Garden. Going into the fight, Jones has already talked about retirement, and it turns out Miocic is also having similar thoughts.
It was Jones who originally called out Stipe Miocic for a potential heavyweight clash. ‘Bones’ felt that beating the former heavyweight champion would be a massive addition to his already decorated resume. Miocic also liked the idea and has been preparing for the upcoming battle. In a recent interview, the fighter talked about his retirement plans.
I don’t know man, after every fight I think about retiring. So we’ll see. Right now I’m just going to worry about the fight. I’m not going to worry about [retirement] until after.
Stipe Miocic via BS w/ Jake Paul
Miocic, in his last fight, suffered a brutal KO loss against Francis Ngannou and decided to take a hiatus. During this period, the fighter shifted his focus towards becoming a full-time first responder. However, since the announcement, Miocic has taken this seriously and slowly worked on his conditioning.
Jake Paul asks Stipe Miocic if he is retiring after the Jon Jones fight. pic.twitter.com/a8YTBHyfHH
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 31, 2024
Despite being 42 years old, Jon Jones isn’t taking Miocic casually and remains well aware of the heavyweight’s skills. As usual, Jones has taken his time studying his opponent and aims to outclass him. This has kept many fans, as well as experts, on their toes.
UFC veteran previews Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
The fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic is undoubtedly one of the most talked about fights in 2024. Dana White has been hyping up the fight for a long time now by consistently ranting against Jones’ low pound-for-pound rankings. However, this has backfired a little, with many fans getting trusted because of the repeated narrative push.
Other fans were not even happy with this match-up as they wanted to see Jones fighting Tom Aspinall instead of Miocic. However, that didn’t happen, and UFC 309 is just around the corner. Ahead of the fight, many experts have shared their predictions, including Derrick Lewis, who made his pick loud and clear.
I think Jones will beat him in the first round. It’s crazy to see a lot of people just disrespect Jones like that, like he ain’t the GOAT, for real. A lot of people keep throwing around these GOAT terms and this and that Jones has been doing this for so many years at the top of the level against all these opponents, like top-ranked guys.
Derrick Lewis via UFC Edmonton media day
Derrick Lewis gives his prediction for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic matchup pic.twitter.com/Ku38eiUapt
— calfkicker (@calfkickercom) November 1, 2024
Tom Aspinall is also the official backup fighter for the fight and is ready to jump in if anyone gets injured. While UFC veteran Daniel Cormier doesn’t think that would happen, fans are not writing off any last-minute disasters. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see who wins the fight and whether anyone decides to hang the gloves after the clash.
