Before Jon
Jones was paired with Ciryl Gane
at UFC 285,
it was
rumored that “Bones” would make his heavyweight debut against
Stipe
Miocic in late 2022.
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While that bout didn’t come to fruition, Miocic took notice when
Jones vs. Gane was announced for the vacant heavyweight crown on
Saturday.
“March 4 — I like it,” Moicic wrote on Twitter. “I got winner in
July.”
March 4th – I like it.
I got winner in July.
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic)
January 15, 2023
A two-time UFC champion regarded as one of the greatest
heavyweights in the history of the sport, Miocic is nearing two
years of inactivity. The Ohio-based firefighter hasn’t competed
since March 27, 2021, when he relinquished the heavyweight crown in
a second-round knockout loss to Francis
Ngannou at UFC 260. The 40-year-old Strong Style Fight Team
product apparently isn’t ready to hang up his four-ounce gloves
just yet — a fact that was confirmed by UFC president Dana
White.
“Stipe is still obviously very much in the mix,” White said at the
UFC Fight Night 217 post-fight press conference. “He’s going
through some stuff right now that he’s dealing with. The timing
just didn’t work for him.”