Jon Jones has had years to prepare for a long-awaited heavyweight clash with Stipe Miocic and he isn’t going to stop now.
While almost everyone in the combat community would rather see Jones put his UFC heavyweight title up against interim champion Tom Aspinall next, “Bones” remains steadfast that his return to the Octagon will be a legacy fight against Miocic. It may not be the most logical matchup in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but Jones, Miocic, and UFC are all onboard.
Jones’ return date is not official just yet, but all signs point to the UFC heavyweight champion making his comeback fight against Miocic at UFC 309 this coming November from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. It would be a great card for Jones to headline and to capitalize on a matchup against Miocic.
Not many people are giving Miocic a chance against Jones since he’s now 42 and hasn’t competed since a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou back in 2021, but Miocic is one of the greatest heavyweight of all time. He has fought the best of the best over the past decade and will undoubtedly deliver the best performance he can when he makes his return to the Octagon.
Jones, who has prepared for all types of opponents in the past, understands the risks in challenging someone like Miocic. “Bones” has had plenty of time over the past few years to study Miocic and put a gameplan in place to defeat him later this year, but Jones’ research remains ongoing. Just earlier this week, Jones was watching film of Miocic’s first meeting with Ngannou while sitting in his car.
Check it out below:
Jon Jones watching Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou 1
IG / @JonnyBones #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/b232T1H0IW
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 30, 2024
Jones, who may or may not be the current pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, doesn’t have much to prove at this point in his career. But if he’s able to capture a win over Miocic and push his UFC heavyweight record to 2-0 it will cement him as the greatest combat athlete of all-time and set up a massive unification bout with Aspinall (if Jones wants it).