Tag: Stipe Miocic

Photos: UFC, Bellator stars throw out first pitch at MLB games

Check out these photos highlighting UFC stars past and present who threw out the first pitch at MLB games – and hopefully didn’t embarrass themselves.

Check out these photos highlighting UFC and Bellator stars past and present – including Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Paige VanZant, and more – who threw out the first pitch at MLB games … and hopefully didn’t embarrass themselves.

Michael Bisping: Stipe Miocic has no business fighting Tom Aspinall

Michael Bisping believes Stipe Miocic should avoid Tom Aspinall at all costs.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] believes [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] should avoid [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] at all costs.

According to interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), Miocic turned down a fight with him at UFC 300 on April 13 in favor of keeping his title fight with heavyweight champion Jon Jones intact.

Bisping thinks former champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) would be risking too much if he entertained the idea of fighting Aspinall.

“The man’s 42 years old in August. He hasn’t fought since he got knocked out against Francis Ngannou almost three years ago,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “And in that three years, let’s be honest, you’re declining, you’re getting older, so yeah, go fight Tom Aspinall, everyone thinks you’re the man, but what’s at risk? Well, the fight with Jon Jones.”

Miocic hasn’t competed since losing his heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. He was scheduled to challenge Jones last November at UFC 295, but a torn pectoralis tendon forced “Bones” out of the bout.

Both Jones and UFC CEO Dana White seem intent on keeping the fight between Jones and Miocic alive, and Bisping agrees.

“Now I’m a fan of Tom Aspinall, OK, but if I’m managing Stipe, I say you sidestep Tom Aspinall all day long,” Bisping said. “Even if Stipe looked kind of interested, I would give him a slap in the face. I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ Fighters need to be protected from themselves, and if Stipe was thinking about that, it just doesn’t make smart business sense.”

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Tom Aspinall says Stipe Miocic turned down UFC 300 fight, pledges to stop ‘crying’ about legends matchup

All signs are pointing toward Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, and Tom Aspinall realizes he’s likely the UFC’s odd man out.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] has accepted it. He’s the odd man out.

UFC CEO Dana White hasn’t publicly given an inch to any idea other than UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. former champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] as the promotion’s next heavyweight title fight.

However behind the scenes has been different, according to Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who revealed Tuesday on X that the promotion offered him Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) for UFC 300, to which he said yes and his proposed opponent said no.

“While we are talking about @StipeMiocic, my manager was contacted by the UFC asking if I’d like to fight him on Apr 13th,” Aspinall wrote. “I, of course, accepted.

Aspinall continued, “A little later, we were told @StipeMiocic doesn’t even want to fight me, and (is) only interested in fighting @JonnyBones.”

Aspinall has voiced frustration with the UFC’s matchmaking meritocracy, or lack thereof, in recent weeks. Aspinall earned the interim UFC heavyweight title in November, but is in limbo as Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) is out until at least mid-2024 as he recovers from a torn pectoral muscle and elbow surgery.

Perhaps feeling like he wasted his breath, Aspinall said he’s done complaining about the unfortunate situation.

“On that note. I will stop crying, accept it ain’t gonna happen and enjoy the fight that me and all the other fans want to see,” Aspinall wrote. “Legend vs legend for the heavyweight title. Maximum respect guys. Yay”

Aspinall’s tweets Tuesday come days after a back-and-forth with Jones over what the next title fight should be. Jones responded to critics’ calls for a different fight by downplaying Aspinall’s resume. Aspinall said Tuesday he understands Jones’ position and lack of eagerness to change course away from Miocic.

“Since me and Jon had our little twitter beef I see Jon’s point of view,” Aspinall wrote. “… Believe it or not I respect @JonnyBones and everything he has done. So impressive. I wish him all the best in his recovery and return against @StipeMiocic.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Ex-UFC champ Junior Dos Santos says hardest punch he ever took was from Stipe Miocic

Junior Dos Santos’ pick for hardest hitter he’s ever faced might surprise a lot of people.

[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]’ pick for hardest hitter he’s ever faced might surprise a lot of people.

Dos Santos, the former UFC heavyweight champion, fought the who’s who of big men during his octagon tenure. From devastating knockout artist Francis Ngannou, to Cain Velasquez, to Mark Hunt, and the UFC record holder for most knockout wins, Derrick Lewis, Dos Santos has faced it all.

But it was none of those names who stand out to Dos Santos as the man who landed the hardest punch on him. Dos Santos revealed to MMA Junkie Radio that another ex-champ, [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], landed a punch in their first fight in December 2014 that impacted him more than any other he’s ever been hit with.

“The hardest was Stipe Miocic in the first fight that I won,” Dos Santos told MMA Junkie Radio. “In the second round of the first fight, he connected with a cross on my face. It was very, very hard. I couldn’t see, and I couldn’t even hear. I was there, I was fine, I knew what was happening, but my vision was very blurry, almost black.

“The noise was bing (makes ringing noise) in my ear, and I couldn’t hear. I was trying to find him. Where is he? Luckily, he came closer to me, so then I held him for a little and I was breathing and kind of recovering. So, that was the hardest punch I ever took from a fighter. When they ask me this question, who hit me the hardest, it was Stipe Miocic who’s a very, very hard hitter of course.”

After earning a split decision win over fellow ex-UFC titleholder Fabricio Werdum last September, Dos Santos is set to take on former BKFC heavyweight champ Alan Belcher for the inaugural heavyweight title of Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on March 2 at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla.

Meanwhile, Miocic is expected to challenge UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones next – a rebooking of their UFC 295 matchup that fell apart after Jones withdrew due to injury.

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Video: From Jones-Miocic to Edwards-Strickland, what’s the worst fight booking idea for 2024?

From ignoring interim titles to jumping weight classes, our “Spinning Back Clique” discuss the worst fight ideas to take place in 2024.

A new year brings new fights, but some of the proposed matchups ahead for 2024 don’t exactly make the most sense.

Perhaps the shining example, for better or worse, is the UFC’s plan to stick to having the heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ next fight be against [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag]. The fight scheduled for UFC 295 was scrapped due to a Jones injury that will likely have him sidelined until Q4, led to the creation of an interim title that Tom Aspinall won.

But the UFC wants to overlook Aspinall’s piece of gold, and forgo unifying the title at the next opportunity? Red card! 

As has been the recent trend in the UFC, whenever a fighter wins a title, they want to jump to the next division to capture a second quickly. Chasing title defense records seems to be a thing of the past, with a few exceptions.

In 2023, we saw featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] attempt to win lightweight gold twice and come up short. Heading into 2024, multiple champions including [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] have expressed a desire to move up to the next weight class to chase champ-champ status.

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Which of these ideas prompted by the promotion or the fighters worthy of a yellow or red card?

That’s what we asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura, who tackled the topic with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their conversation above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

Stipe Miocic preaches patience to frustrated Tom Aspinall, open to unification bout after Jon Jones

Stipe Miocic was classy in response to Tom Aspinall’s fiery argument about who should be next to face UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] displayed class in the wake of a fiery argument from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] about who should be next to face UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Interim titleholder Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has been campaigning hard for the UFC to change course away from a Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) matchup and instead give him the opportunity to unify belts with Jones next.

The Brit expressed anger and frustration Thursday over social media, unleashing a string of messages as to why Miocic, who hasn’t fought since a March 2021 knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260, should be put on the backburner so he can instead realize his dream fight with Jones, who is targeting a mid-2024 return after injury and surgery delayed his original UFC 295 showdown with Miocic on Nov. 11 (via X):

Miocic, who often stays quite over social media, was prompted to reply to Aspinall’s rant.

The former three-time UFC heavyweight king was quick to remind Aspinall that he was not responsible for the bout postponement, which ultimately afforded Aspinall the chance to fight Sergei Pavlovich on short notice and claim the interim belt with a 69-second knockout.

Additionally, Miocic, who many have speculated would retire win or lose against Jones, did not close the door on a fight with Aspinall should he emerge victorious against “Bones” (via X):

I have never caused a delay in the Jon fight.

Tom, once I get this win, let’s talk to unify the belt.

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Dana White ‘absolutely’ open to Tom Aspinall defending UFC interim title – but not vs. Stipe Miocic

Dana White has no issues keeping Tom Aspinall busy but insists that Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic must happen.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] has no issues keeping [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] busy, but he insists that [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] must happen.

Heavyweight champion Jones was forced to withdraw from his first title defense vs. Miocic at UFC 295 due to injury. The promotion replaced that matchup with an interim title fight between Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich, which Aspinall won by first-round knockout.

Up next, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) hopes to unify his belt with undisputed champ Jones or fight Miocic while Jones recovers, but White shot down both suggestions. He is, however, open to Aspinall defending the interim title in the meantime.

“Aspinall could possibly fight again,” White told TNT Sports. “I don’t know. We’ll see how this plays out going into the next year, but Jones and Stipe, the fight, they both deserve it. Jon Jones got injured. There’s nothing he can do about it. We’ll see what happens in 2024. If Aspinall wants to fight before that fight happens, why not? Why not let him defend it.”

White argues that Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) makes the most sense for both fighters.

“If you look at what Stipe has accomplished in this sport, what he’s done, where he’s at in his career, he wants the Jon Jones fight, and I get it,” White said. “Arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time vs. the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. He wants that fight, it’s a big legacy fight for both guys.”

With White teasing the UFC’s potential return to Aspinall’s hometown of Manchester in 2024, he doubled down on the possibility of Aspinall defending his interim title.

“While Jon Jones is injured, if he wants to defend the title, we’d absolutely do it,” White said.

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Daniel Cormier thinks Tom Aspinall should be promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion

Daniel Cormier thinks the heavyweight division is being held up by rebooking Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks the UFC’s heavyweight division will be held up by rebooking [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

Heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) was scheduled to make his first title defense against Miocic in the UFC 295 headliner. However, a torn pectoral muscle forced Jones out and the bout was scrapped. Replacing them was an interim title fight between Tom Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Sergei Pavlovich, in which Aspinall won the belt by first-round knockout.

Aspinall’s win won’t lead him to a title-unification bout. Instead, the UFC has plans to rebook Jones vs. Miocic in 2024, leaving interim champ Aspinall in a peculiar position. Cormier says Aspinall vs. Pavlovich should have been for the undisputed title and he would like to see Aspinall upgraded.

“If Jones and Stipe are only going to fight each other, you cannot have Tom Aspinall defend the interim championship,” Cormier said on The MMA Hour. “Jones and Stipe don’t need the title to be on the line. They can just fight, and that’s enough. Call it for ‘The Greatest of All Time.’ It doesn’t matter. Create a belt.

“Tom Aspinall is the guy who’s going to lead the heavyweight division for years to come. So yes, I believe that he should be the undisputed champ. Jones is the undisputed champion – he earned it in the octagon by beating Ciryl Gane. But if he’s only going to fight Stipe, and that’s not for another seven months? You put Tom Aspinall as the champ, and I don’t think anybody would bat an eyelid.”

Aspinall shares the same sentiment. The Brit called for Jones to be stripped of his title while he recovers, and that he should be the undisputed champion and defend against Stipe Miocic while he waits for Jones.

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30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Which top-10 ranking is most questionable?

Did Stipe Miocic or anyone else take somebody’s rightful spot among the top 10 greatest UFC fighters?

The UFC’s 30th anniversary date has come and gone, and in the build-up to the milestone date, MMA Junkie counted down its 30 greatest fighters of all time to compete for the promotion.

There was plenty of debate about the entire list from top to bottom, and one of the major discussion points was about our top 10: Who doesn’t belong there?

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The final list was tabulated through a points system after voting from MMA Junkie’s 12-person staff. Two names brought up as being too high were [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] at No. 9 and [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] at No. 10, a major point of conversation on MMA Junkie’s special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” where the majority of our staff came together to discuss and debate the finer points of the list, including which top-10 fighter is ranked too high.

Check out the discussion in the video above, or watch the entire 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time podcast below.

Henry Cejudo ‘jumping ship,’ wants Jon Jones to fight Tom Aspinall next – not Stipe Miocic

Tom Aspinall has made Henry Cejudo lose interest in Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] has made [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] lose interest in [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

Heavyweight champion Jones was scheduled to make his first title defense against Miocic this past Saturday at UFC 295, but the bout was scrapped when Jones tore his pectoral muscle. The promotion opted to book Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title, a fight in which Aspinall claimed gold by first-round knockout.

With Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) looking so impressive, Cejudo is ready to see him fight Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) next.

“A Tom Aspinall like that, who is able to do that to somebody like Sergei who only has one loss, 19 (15) knockouts, it says a lot,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “What’s next for a guy like Tom Aspinall? How will he do against a guy like Jon Jones? How will he do against a guy like Stipe Miocic? Only time will tell. I personally think I like this fight better now for Jon Jones, and that’s Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones.

“I like that better than the Stipe fight. I’m jumping ship. Why? Because this fight, the Jones/Stipe saga, has gone on for several years now that I’ve lost interest. But that new kid on the block, Tom Aspinall, that people are super high about, that has knockout power, that has agility – he reminds me of Ciryl Gane but with bigger power. He’s dangerous. He is super, super dangerous.”

Aspinall called for Jones after his win. However, UFC CEO Dana White previously said that the plan is to rebook Jones vs. Miocic when Jones returns from injury, with the winner hopefully fighting Aspinall.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.