Stipe Miocic may get his chance to fight Jon Jones after all. All Jones has to do is get past Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 next weekend to win the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title.
According to a report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, UFC is looking to book a main event matchup between Jones and Miocic for International Fight Week this July in Las Vegas. It would be a massive fight and an all-time legendary heavyweight tilt that has been years in the making.
| Stipe Miocic is set to attend #UFC285 in person.
The UFC would likely book Jones vs. Miocic as the International Fight Week main event in July if Jones is victorious.
If Gane wins it becomes more complicated.
[per @bokamotoESPN]#UFC285 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/HvRAPRavsu
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) February 24, 2023
Unfortunately for fight fans drooling over this potential booking, Jones is currently staring down a five-round title fight opposite Gane at UFC 285 on Mar. 4. It will be the first time in over three years that Jones is competing inside of the Octagon. It will also be his heavyweight debut after taking the last 36 months to build muscle and prepare his body for the crossover.
While Jones left the sport back in 2020 as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world nobody really knows how “Bones” will look in his awaited return. It’s possible that Jones takes over right where he left off and utilizes his elite fight IQ and natural athleticism to beat every heavyweight UFC puts in his way, but there’s a chance the increased punching power and size of his opposition proves too much for the 35-year-old veteran.
That said, it appears as if UFC is already banking on Jones prevailing at UFC 285 and colliding with Miocic later this year in Las Vegas. Miocic hasn’t fought since losing his UFC heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou back in 2021, but he’s the greatest heavyweight champion in UFC history and a fighter who has a well-rounded skill set to test Jones from bell-to-bell.
UFC 285 will go down on Mar. 4 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miocic is expected to sit cageside to witness Jones’ main event title fight with Gane.
For more UFC 285 fight card news click here.