Practically three years faraway from his final look contained in the Octagon, Stipe Miocic returns on Saturday, November 16 for a high-stakes heavyweight showdown with undisputed titleholder Jon Jones.
The final time struggle followers noticed the consensus heavyweight GOAT compete, he suffered a nasty second-round knockout loss towards Francis Ngannou. Now, the Cleveland native is again and able to retake the heavyweight crown when he meets ‘Bones’ within the UFC 309 headliner in Madison Sq. Backyard.
A lot scrutiny has surrounded Miocic’s upcoming conflict towards Jones, a lot of it surrounding interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall who has been left by the wayside whereas the UFC continues to push Jones vs. Miocic.
After ‘Bones’ bowed out of his initially scheduled scrap with the two-time titleholder final November, an interim title was launched at UFC 295 between Aspinall and Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich. Aspinall gained the bout through a 69-second KO and has since defended the interim belt towards Curtis Blaydes whereas ready for ‘Bones’ to get better and settle his enterprise with Miocic earlier than a possible unification conflict.
Nevertheless, Miocic himself was the topic of some criticism after he selected to face apart and let Aspinall struggle Pavlovich as a substitute of accepting the Brit as a alternative opponent for his scrapped scrap with Jones. Miocic has additionally been wholesome this complete yr, which means he may have stepped up and fought Aspinall for the interim title as a substitute.
Responding to a few of that criticism throughout an interview with MMA Combating, Miocic handed the buck to the UFC.
”It wasn’t my alternative. It’s a struggle I wished, and the UFC gave it to me. They didn’t need to. They gave it to me” (h/t Sportskeeda).
Miocic did acknowledge that Aspinall is who the folks need to see proper now.
”[Tom Aspinall is] powerful,” Miocic added. “He hits laborious. Large boy. It’s what folks need, he knocks folks out.”
Stipe Miocic is assured in his recreation plan for jon jones
Whatever the backlash, Stipe Miocic is trying ahead to his return to MSG and is assured that he and his group have devised a recreation plan that may make him the UFC’s first-ever three-time heavyweight champion.
”We all the time include an amazing recreation plan. They improvise and make every part proper. So long as I am going to the sport plan, pay attention [to my coaches], we’ll be good… I feel he’s [Jones] simply good at what he does. He’s an artist! He is aware of find out how to combine it up. He is aware of find out how to preserve a man guessing him, you already know? That’s why he’s finished so nicely.”
Total, Stipe Miocic is 20-4 in his combined martial arts profession with 14 of these wins coming by the use of knockout. Miocic has held the heavyweight title on two separate events and defended it 4 instances — greater than every other heavyweight titleholder in UFC historical past.
