While hosting a press conference at the latest episode of his Contender Series, Dana White bit back at fans who questioned his decision to pit Jon Jones against Stipe Moicic in their upcoming UFC bout.
Dana White Defends Jon Jones…. Again
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic were set to face off at UFC 295 in November last year but their bout was cancelled just weeks before it was expected to happen, with Jones forced to withdraw thanks to a pectoral injury.
Now he has finally recovered, Jones is reportedly taking on Miocic in November this year – a whole year after the pair were supposed to do battle for the heavyweight title.
🚨 Dana White says Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is targeted for November and will announce it once the rest of the card is finalized. pic.twitter.com/BDgZLUH0l2
— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) August 28, 2024
Questions were raised at Dana White’s Contender Series this week, with the media questioning why Jones is still set to fight Miocic when the likes of Tom Aspinall are ready to go toe to toe with the heavyweight champ.
“What do I do?” White said to the media.
“A guy who is looked at as the greatest heavyweight in the UFC, this fight is set up, Jon Jones gets hurt, it’s not his fault. He has to wait and go back into f*cking training camp again. He was training. So do I just yank it away from Stipe and say go f*ck yourself and sit on the sidelines for two more years?”
Miocic hasn’t entered the Octagon in over three years, with his last fight coming in a title bout against Francis Ngannou where he lost his belt to the formidable ‘Predator’.
Tom Aspinall on the other hand would make for one of the best heavyweight matchups in MMA history, with the Manchester born star only losing one fight in his UFC career to date which came via an unfortunate injury that forced him to forfeit against Curtis Blaydes.
Stipe Miocic Expected To Retire After Jones Fight
White continued: “If Stipe was 32 years old, then yeah, [an interim title fight] is probably what we do. But this is probably Stipe’s last fight, win or lose, and I’m not going to disrespect the guy. He accepted the fight, he was ready for the fight, and Jon got injured.”
Dana White reveals that it will probably be Stipe Miocic's last fight, win or lose. 🥊👑
via: @ufc / #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/BorBnXE5Vb
— MMA.PROS.PICK (@MMAPROSPICK) August 28, 2024
With this potentially being Miocic’s farewell tour from the UFC, it is hard to see the fight getting cancelled or swapped for Jones-Aspinall instead.
Although we may not get Jones vs Aspinall just yet, it seems more and more likely with each fight that passes by that we will eventually see the heavyweight matchup.
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