Stipe Miocic wants to prove he’s the best heavyweight in the world … and perhaps of all time.
The means to that end is a definitive victory over current division kingpin Jon Jones in the upcoming UFC 295 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, locked and loaded for Sat., Nov. 11, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
But it sounds like “Bones” wasn’t his first choice.
“I really wanted to have a rematch with Francis. Unfortunately he left for bigger and better things, so good for him,” Miocic told NY Post. “After that, all I wanted was Jon Jones. It definitely sucks, I definitely wanted that trilogy, but unfortunately, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Listen, he’s onto bigger and better things. On paper, Tyson Fury is one of the best boxers of all time, but Francis hits really hard. It’s a fight, anything can happen. I wish him all the best. I hope he shocks the world.”
Ngannou fights WBC boxing champion Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
“The Predator” lost a unanimous decision to Miocic in the UFC 220 headliner back in early 2018, then battled his way back to a second title shot at UC 260 roughly three years later. Ngannou stopped Miocic to capture the heavyweight crown, then defended the throne against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
After that, Ngannou was released amidst a bitter contract dispute with UFC.
The best way for Miocic to erase the memory of his Ngannou loss is to defeat Jones, who remains the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, a victory that can only be overshadowed by “The Predator” defeating Fury in Riyadh.
The bookies don’t like his chances.