Jones Vs. Miocic Confirmed For November 16 At UC 309
Dana White has confirmed that Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic in a defense of his UFC Heavyweight title.
White confirmed the fight will take place at UFC 309 from Madison Square Garden in New York on November 16. Jones will have his first fight since coming through against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last year. That was his first win after around three years away from the sport. Jones was then set to defend the belt against Miocic at UFC 295. But the fight was called off after Jones injured his pectoral muscle in sparring. Jones had surgery as Tom Aspinall requested that White strip him.
Aspinall’s aim was to fight Stipe with the winner then facing Jones. Dana ruled that out, as Aspinall instead fought Sergei Pavlovich on the UFC 295 card. Aspinall knocked him out to win the interim title. Aspinall then defended the title with a knockout win over Curtis Blaydes in his last fight at UFC 304. White confirmed that the winner would then face either Miocic or Jones.
White On Aspinall
“You have two sides of the coin – you get everybody talking about ‘Oh Dana doesn’t respect this guy and, he doesn’t do this, he doesn’t do that.’ I’m showing [Jones and Miocic] the respect. They wanna fight each other. It’s a fight that they both want to happen. It’s total respect fight. I think they both deserved it. At the end of the day I get it, everybody wants to see Tom Aspinall, but let me tell you what… whoever wins, Aspinall fights the winner,” White stated
Miocic will retire after this fight, while there is speculation that Jones could do the same. This has created the narrative that Jones is ducking Aspinall. The American has said that his legacy is secure regardless of whether he fights Aspinall. He has even suggested that fighting UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira is a bigger fight globally.
White On Jones
But White has dismissed that fight from happening, leaving Jones with a decision to make. The failure to fight Aspinall will leave an asterisk over his legacy, as Aspinall has beaten everyone else in the division as he chases his first world title. But for now, it is Jones vs. Miocic.
“Jon Jones is going fight at Madison Square Garden in November. And then if he wins, or Stipe wins, then we see what happens next, you know. Who will retire, whatever. Do I think Stipe will retire? I do. I do think he will. But you never know. Stipe might want to take the challenge, but I know for a fact if Jon Jones wins that fight and all this talk that’s out there, there’s no way in hell he’s not fighting Aspinall.”
Full Card
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
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