Stipe Miocic makes what could be his final walk to the cage in just over a month. The former heavyweight champion and potential heavyweight G.O.A.T. will be squaring off with what many people consider the G.O.A.T. and current heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The 41-year-old Miocic will look to regain his title and prove the many doubters wrong and that he still has something left in the tank. Despite his age, retirement is something Miocic is currently looking past.
Stipe Miocic Focusing On Jon Jones Matchup
“I’ve thought about that since after my first UFC fight. Right now, I’m just focused on Nov. 11. That’s all I care about. Once it’s done, we’ll figure it out”
When asked if he imagined a fight of this magnitude was possible with his long layoff, Miocic admitted he was surprised that he got the fight.
“No, [I didn’t think that was possible], there was a lot going on,” Miocic said. “It was tough, because Francis was still around, and they were trying to put that together. Then he left, and they were trying to make the Jon Jones fight, and every time we would figure it out, they would move it in a different direction. It made it a lot easier when he was calling me out, so I was happy with that. But I knew I would get it. I wasn’t worried.”
Quotes via BJPenn.com
Legacy Match
The fight with Jones would be perceived as a legacy match to many, with the two greatest fighters of the two greatest weight classes going head to head. Age will play a factor here as Miocic is coming into this fight at 41 compared to Jones’ 36. Miocic is also coming off an over 31-month layoff heading into the fight, with Jones having last fought in March when he defeated Cyril Gane.
Stipe Miocic is coming off a KO loss to Francis Ngannou in March of 2021 but had won 8 of his last 9 prior to the loss. His return to MMA has been highly anticipated but is surprising to some who questioned his will to compete. There have also been questions raised about him receiving a title shot after such a long layoff. Despite all the doubt the former champion has received, he maintains that he’ll come prepared and pull off the unthinkable.
Do you believe that Miocic will make his final walk to the cage on November 11th? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image Credit to Embed from Getty Images
