Miocic Denies Retirement Rumors – ‘I Don’t Know Man’
Stipe Miocic has shut down any claims of retirement as he prepares for his heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 309.
Miocic has his first fight since 2021 when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou at UFC 260. He aims to win Jones’ heavyweight title, which the latter secured after submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last year. Dana White has said that this would be Miocic’s last fight. He is 42 years old. He is considered one of the greatest heavyweights ever in the UFC, having defended his heavyweight title four times across two separate title wins.
Jones’ Future
A victory against Jones will set up a lucrative fight against Tom Aspinall. Aspinall is the UFC Heavyweight Interim Champion. He defeated Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in his last fight to get a title shot. White has already said that Aspinall will face the winner of Jones-Miocic. Tom is also the backup, meaning he will fight if either fighter pulls out with an injury. Miocic’s future also depends on the result. If he comes out second best against Jones, he will likely retire. There is also speculation that Jones could retire, increasing the perception that he is ducking Aspinall.
“This is going to be the last time, going to be the last time. More than likely,” Jones said
The American heavyweight has said that he does not need Aspinall for his legacy whilst also having talked up other fights, such as against Alex Pereira. However, the focus will be on whether Miocic can cause an upset. Fellow UFC fighter Derrick Lewis does not see this happening, as he indicated that Jones would stop Stipe in the first round.
Miocic’s Future
“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 G.O.A.T., 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,” Lewis said
Miocic simply wants to ensure that he performs well, as he will consider his future after the fight.
“I don’t know man. I say it every time, after every fight, I think about retiring haha. So, you know, we’ll see. Right now, I’m just going to worry about the fight. I’m not going to worry about [retirement]. Not until after [the fight],” Miocic said
Main Card
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
Preliminary Card
Mauricio Ruffy vs. TBA
Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller
Early Preliminary Card
Lucas Almeida vs. David Onama
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
Oban Elliott vs. Bassil Hafez
Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
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