Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic knows that his next fight – possibly the last of the 40-year-old’s career – is against a man widely considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
When Miocic faces Jon Jones at UFC 295, he, somehow, enters the Octagon as an underdog. Miocic, on the other hand, wants to remind the world just how hard he’s ready to hit Jon Jones.
Stipe Miocic Confident Of Victory Over Jon Jones
Just because he’s not a betting favorite doesn’t mean Miocic is a genuine underdog. “It took me a couple fights, but after a while, I just stopped caring what everyone thought. I just don’t care anymore.
You think I’m going to lose? Good for you. You’re going to waste a lot of money now. You’re going to bet against me, you’re going to lose some money. Sorry for that, but onto the next.”
Miocic’s last fight, in which he lost the belt to Francis Ngannou, saw him tip the scales at 234 pounds, just over thirty pounds beneath the heavyweight division’s 265-pound limit.
Miocic is tired of fighting oversized opponents, so he’s been cultivating mass. That may be in part because Jon Jones was a natural light heavyweight who has had to pack on mass to compete at heavyweight, with Jones weighing in around 248 pounds for his heavyweight debut.
“I used to be around 240-ish, and the [Daniel Cormier] fights, I just kept losing weight. I don’t know. I was eating a ton of food, I just kept losing it.
So we changed some things up in my camp and I’m eating a lot more and doing the right things. I’m definitely over 240, so 245 [pounds].”
While Jon Jones has no actual losses in his career – his sole entry in the loss column came via disqualification – Miocic has no shortage of confidence in his own ability to get the job done.
“I feel strong, I feel good. You get some bumps and bruises along the way but it’s training camp. Honestly, I feel great. My head’s right where I need to be. I have a great team with me, we have a great team. At the gym and at home, I’m very lucky.
[I think] my speed, my angles [and] I think punching power [will give him problems]. I hit a lot harder than people think. I think I have a great IQ. I always change it up and when something happens, I’ll figure a way out.”
In the end, at this stage of his career, it’s all about legacy for Stipe Miocic. “[This fight means] everything. I think this is what it’s all about. It’s what the fans want to see. It’s a fight he wanted, a fight I wanted. Two of the best going at it, nothing gets better than that.”
