Is Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic really up in flames as Chael Sonnen suggested? UFC analyst Michael Bisping answers

Michael Bisping has addressed Chael Sonnen's recent comments regarding the potential Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup. Speaking to former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, MMA fighter-turned-analyst Sonnen suggested that the highly-anticipated Jones-Miocic fight is unlikely to materialize.

'The Bad Guy' claimed that the UFC is trying to book Jones to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Sergei Pavlovich instead, potentially in August.

Alternatively, Chael Sonnen implied that the Jones-Pavlovich fight could transpire at a UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event in Sydney, Australia. One ought to note that the UFC's Sydney PPV, UFC 293, is expected to take place in September and not in August.

My guy @ChaelSonnen says @JonnyBones v @stipemiocic is OFF Jones will fight in AUGUST! #UFC

👀 Full interview available NOW

📺 youtu.be/ORawOGa6Lrw https://t.co/EYkAQaNw7x

Taking to his YouTube channel, MMA analyst and former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has addressed the aforementioned variables at play. 'The Count' lightheartedly asserted that Sonnen's claims regarding the fight mustn't be taken seriously. He indicated that, as a UFC employee himself, he hasn't heard of Jones possibly fighting Pavlovich.

Bisping stated:

"Now, I'm just gonna say take everything that Chael says with a pinch of salt... This is me just saying I don't know where he's getting his information. And Chael doesn't even quote a source... As someone that works for the UFC, I have heard nothing of the sort. Okay?"

Bisping joked that there were no fights this past weekend and that the news flow has been a tad slow. On that note, he speculated that perhaps Sonnen was simply trying to get views for his MMA analysis/news content.

He noted that Jones would be more eager and motivated to fight heavyweight legend Miocic rather than a rising star like Pavlovich. Emphasizing that he and most others in the MMA community love to see Jones fight Miocic over Pavlovich,

Bisping added:

"The fight that I want to see -- and as I said in the beginning that I guarantee you wanna see -- is Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic. Hopefully, that is still going down in Madison Square Garden later this year. I bloody hope so."

Check out Bisping's comments at 0:56 and 8:32 in the video below:

Potential timeline for the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic dream fight

As of this time, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones' next opponent and exact comeback date haven't been officially announced. In March of this year, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jones returned from a three-year hiatus to make his heavyweight debut and capture the UFC heavyweight title.

Meanwhile, former UFC heavyweight kingpin Stipe Miocic has been out of action since March 2021.

"Y'all wanna see me beat up Stipe?"

@JonnyBones wants Stipe Miocic next! 🤯

#UFC285 https://t.co/Zinv9HssXW

Following Jon Jones' return in March 2023, the consensus was that he'd defend the title against Stipe Miocic during International Fight Week in July. However, 'Bones' subsequently hinted that he'd fight Miocic at the UFC's annual PPV event at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York in November.

It's believed that if the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup does come to fruition, it'll likely go down at MSG in November and it could be Jones' retirement fight.

Jon Jones wants to have his final fight against Stipe Miocic in NYC 🗽

(via @JonnyBones) https://t.co/3uSPxPDJFl