Stipe Miocic uncertain about retiring after Jon Jones bout, focused on worrying "about the fight"
Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will return to the octagon to take on reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones on Nov. 16 at UFC 309. The contest will mark his return after three years out of action.
In a recent interview with Jake Paul, Miocic was asked if this would be his last fight. To this, the veteran admitted to being unsure if he will retire after the Jones fight and insisted that he is solely focused on preparing for the clash. Miocic said:
"I don't know, man, after every fight I think about retiring. So we'll see. Right now I'm just going to worry about the fight. I'm not going to worry about retirement until after the fight.”
Check out Stipe Miocic’s comment below (29:36):
The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 295 last year but ‘Bones’ had to pull out due to a torn pectoral tendon that required surgery. Jones last fought Ciryl Gane in March 2023 at UFC 285, where he dominated the match and won in the first round via submission.
Meanwhile, the 42-year-old’s last win came in 2020 when he defeated former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier via the judges' scorecards. After that, he faced Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 and suffered a brutal knockout loss at the start of the second round.
Derrick Lewis predicts Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight
UFC heavyweight knockout artist Derrick Lewis will face off against Jhonata Diniz this weekend. During a media day interview ahead of his return, 'The Black Beast' was asked to predict the fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
Lewis said he’s backing Jones to win the fight easily and praised ‘Bones’ by calling him the true GOAT in the UFC. He said:
"I think Jon will beat him [Miocic] in the first round. It's crazy to see that a lot of people disrespect Jones like that, like he isn't the GOAT for real. A lot of people keep throwing around the GOAT term and this and that. Jones has been at the top level against all these top-ranked opponents for so many years.”
Check out Derrick Lewis’ comments below: