Stipe Miocic only wants to fight Jon Jones and if you don’t like it … well, stop crying because he doesn’t care.
The former UFC heavyweight champion has not competed in over three years and continues to hold out for his future “Bones” bash, not unlike the situation involving Michael Chandler and former two-division titleholder Conor McGregor.
The heavyweight holdup has been a major talking point among fans and continues to frustrate current interim champion Tom Aspinall. That said, it sounds like the decision to wait for Jones vs. Miocic came from the promotion and not the fighters.
“I get it. I’d feel the same way but I’m not taking anything away from him,” Miocic told CBS Sports about Aspinall. “The UFC can do what they want. It is what it is. There’s only one guy I want to fight, it’s Jon Jones. But at the same time, the UFC can pick who they want. People don’t know this, but there were a couple of other times where I was ready to fight him and they gave him another guy. What am I supposed to do? I’m not holding up any division like everyone says. I don’t care. Do what you want and stop crying. I’m not saying he’s crying. I’m just saying like fans and stuff like that.”
Blame these weirdos.
With Miocic on the sidelines until Jones fully recovers from the pectoral injury that torpedoed their UFC 295 headliner, Aspinall will move on to defend the substitute strap in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event later this month in Manchester.
The winner of that bout could face the winner of Miocic vs. Jones (barring this scenario).
“Everyone thinks he’s going to beat my ass,” Miocic said about Jones. “I don’t like being told that. I like shutting people up. He’s beatable. I know he is. Anyone is beatable and I will be the first to do this. I think I have a style that doesn’t match well with his style. If the shoe’s on the other foot, it could be me as well. He does a lot of good things. He’s good with his distance, his leg kicks and on the ground. I’m good at making it a fight. I’m technical but I can also make it into the brawl and make him feel really uncomfortable as does he. I think it depends on who does what they like. Unfortunately, I don’t like being told what to do so I’m going to do what I want to.”
Early reports point to Miocic vs. Jones at some point in November.