Stipe Miocic wants either Francis Ngannou or Jon Jones next.
Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion and top-ten pound-for-pound great Stipe Miocic was disappointed he was never offered an interim title fight following his crushing knockout defeat to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.
The UFC went ahead and booked an interim title bout between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis, but Miocic feels he should have been a prime candidate for a rematch with Ngannou given they are currently tied 1-1.
“I would have loved to have been asked,” Miocic said during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Fighting). “I feel like I understand what the UFC’s doing, it’s a business, but at the same time I think that I deserved a trilogy fight.
“I wasn’t even asked for the interim fight. Who knows if I would have taken it but just it would have been nice to be asked. Just toes in the water. I don’t know [if I would have taken it]. We don’t know. It’s over with.”
“Listen, I’m used to it,” he added. “It is what it is. It’s business. I get it but at the same time, I feel like I was deserving of a trilogy fight. Everyone else has gotten one but me.”
Miocic is set to meet with the UFC brass in December to discuss his next fight and the 39-year-old is going to try to negotiate either a trilogy fight against Ngannou or a heavyweight matchup with former light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound king Jon Jones.
“I’m down,” Miocic said about fighting Jones. “I don’t think he wanted it. I don’t know the whole story but I’m down. Then he wants a title shot. I know he’s done well, he’s probably one of the greatest of all time but you’ve still got to wait your order. That’s like me going to light heavyweight and being like I want a shot.”
“I’ll fight anyone like I always say [but] I really want that trilogy fight,” he continued. “That [title] was mine. I want it back. Definitely get a trilogy [in 2022]. Get my shot back at the title. Get my belt back. Back to normal. Everything’s back to normal.”
Miocic is currently #2 in the UFC heavyweight rankings and is considered by many to be the UFC heavyweight GOAT. He holds notable stoppage victories over Daniel Cormier, Junior dos Santos, and Alistair Overeem to name but a few.