Miocic On Retiring, Jon Jones Praises’ McGregor’s Skills

In today’s MMA latest headlines, Stipe Miocic has refused to rule out that his upcoming fight with Jon Jones could be his last one.

The pair will face each other on November 12th, 2023, at UFC 295. Jones is the massive favorite, given that he returned after three years out of the cage to beat Ciryl Gane via a first-round-submission win.

Meanwhile, Miocic has not fought since he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou. Since then, both MMA fighters have been linked with retiring after the fight.

Although that decision is too early to tell, since it could be motivated by the need to wait for the result, Miocic’s following comments hinted that retirement was not out of the question.

Miocic On Retiring

“I’ve thought about [retiring] after my first UFC fight. Right now I’m just focused on November 11, that’s all I care about. And then once I’m done, I’ll figure it out,” Miocic

Nevertheless, Miocic does not have much left to prove in the sport. And at the age of 41, it is clear that he is entering into the latter parts of his career. But his achievements do speak for themselves.

He is a  two-time champion, having defended the title four times during his reign as champion at two instances. And that has made him arguably the best heavyweight of all time, which is why Jones will have it all to do.

Regardless of what happens, one man did want Jones and Miocic to walk away from the sport following their fight. Tom Aspinall made those remarks after he had himself been linked with fighting Jones.

Aspinall On Miocic-Jones

Although nothing has materialized in that regard, Aspinall had nothing but respect for both men. But a retirement would allow Aspinall to fight for that vacant belt, something which he was so desperate on doing.

His UFC pedigree supports the idea that he is deserving of a title shot. The Brit has won the last six out of his seven fights, making him one of the most dangerous fighters in the heavyweight division.

And given his impressive return to the cage after injuring his leg to Curtis Blaydes, the fact that Aspinall stopped Marcin Tybura in just the first round showed his calibre. And that is why he was ready for the biggest fights.

“I think Jones is going to win, but I won’t be surprised if Stipe won as well. The guy is amazing. “In an ideal world, what would happen would be both guys retire on November 11th, and then me and Pavlovich compete for the vacant title. That’s the ideal situation,” Aspinall

Jones Praises McGregor

Just as Aspinall had praise for Jones, the latter also took his time out to comment on Conor McGregor’s training ahead of his potential comeback to the cage.

The Irishman hinted that he may have enrolled in USADA following reports that he was aiming to fight Michael Chandler in 2024.

And as part of his training, McGregor showed off some of his boxing skills. In the video here, McGregor can be seen using his footwork to get himself into position before unloading with his shots.

That got the attention of Jones, who was impressed by what he had seen. In response, this is what Jones had to say: “McGregor looking smooth with it,” Jones

That praise has also been there for Jones, as McGregor was impressed with the heavyweight’s return to the sport after he beat Gane. And that is something he could look to since McGregor hasn’t fought in around three years.

And given McGregor’s reaction to Jones’ return, the Irishman has a chance to silence his critics by doing the same, whoever he does face.

“That was incredible by Jon last night! Even better to see it live. The man should’ve had two belts presented to him. And both sparkling. He did it. F***ing brilliant, Jon Jones! Congrats,” Jones