It took a little longer than he expected, but Stipe
Miocic is excited to have a date and venue for his
highly-anticipated showdown against Jon Jones.
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Jones will defend his heavyweight title against Miocic in the UFC
295 headliner at Madison Square Garden in November, the promotion
announced last week.
“I thought it was gonna be July, but it didn’t happen that way,”
Miocic said during a backstage interview with ESPN at UFC 290.
“It’s Nov. 11. I’ve been waiting for this day. It’s the fight I
want. It’s the fight he wants. Nothing better.”
Jones returned from a three-year layoff to claim the vacant crown
with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane
at UFC 285 in March. Miocic, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since
relinquishing the belt in a knockout loss to Francis
Ngannou at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021. The Ohio-based
firefighter claims that the main benefit of his extended layoff was
recovery.
“I think just letting my body rest. I’m getting older, nothing
wrong with that,” said Miocic, who turns 41 in August. “I feel
great. But I think just letting my body rest and not taking the
pounding like I should. Obviously, just listen to your body.”
Despite that time on the sidelines, Miocic has remained active in
the gym. Now that he’s got a goal in mind, he can ramp up his
training.
“Every day. It’s always a grind, you’re always trying to get
better,” Miocic said. “Every fight’s different. You’ve got to train
for a different guy. I’m really excited and I can’t wait for Nov.
11.”
In a volatile division, Miocic still holds the record for most
consecutive heavyweight champioship defense with three. It’s part
of why Jones called him out for a legacy-defining fight.
“Style make matchups. I think we have two great styles to make
electricity and a lot of fireworks,” Miocic said. “I want to come
out on top and show people I deserve to be heavyweight champ.”