Tag: Stipe Miocic

How old is Stipe Miocic?

Three-and-a-half years since he last competed, Stipe Miocic has a chance to reclaim the heavyweight title at UFC 309 – just a little bit older.

How long has it been since [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] last competed in the octagon? It’s been so long that the former UFC heavyweight champion’s resume doesn’t include a fight – yet alone a win – against a currently active UFC fighter.

And yet, despite being out of action for a little more than three-and-a-half years, Miocic is stepping right back into a title shot Saturday at UFC 309 (ESPN+ pay-per-view), where he’ll challenge champ Jon Jones in the night’s headliner from Madison Square Garden in New York.

Miocic’s long layoff and his age no doubt are big reasons why Jones is a 6-to-1 betting favorite. Miocic, who was born on August 19, 1982, is 42 years old.

Miocic’s UFC title run

Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) holds the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses at three, a streak that took place from September 2016 to January 2018 with wins over Alistair Overeem, Junior Dos Santos and Francis Ngannou.

After that run, Miocic fought Daniel Cormier three times in a row between July 2018 and August 2020, first losing the belt to Cormier before reclaiming it and winning the next two bouts to close their trilogy.

The last time Miocic competed in the octagon was on March 27, 2021, when he was viciously knocked out in a rematch with Ngannou to lose his title at UFC 260.

All these years later, Miocic has a chance to reclaim it against Jones – this time just a little bit older.

Jones vs. Miocic preview video

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Jon Jones explains why Stipe Miocic should not be ‘counted out’ at UFC 309

UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones explains why he views Stipe Miocic as a worthy opponent at UFC 309.

Ahead of his first heavyweight title defense at UFC 309, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] justifies [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] as his worthy opponent because he believes legacy trumps activity.

Former heavyweight champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) has not won a UFC fight since defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 in August 2020. His last fight was a brutal outing as former UFC champ Francis Ngannou knocked him out at UFC 260 in March 2021.

For Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), the last image of Miocic should not be the thought on everyone’s mind ahead of their main event clash at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.

“I feel that it’s unfortunate that we live in a world where one bad performance discredits a person so much,” Jones told Kevin Iole. “Stipe has beat everyone. I mean, Junior dos Santos, Francis Ngannou, Daniel Cormier – some of the biggest names, you know? Many champions he’s defeated. I feel like I’m wise enough to know that one bad night doesn’t make a man or break a man. Stipe is every bit of worthy as my opponent.

“It’s not easy winning championships back-to-back, especially in the heavyweight division. What he’s done is truly special, and I just want to give the man his opportunity. I know fighting me, for a lot of athletes, is a really big deal. If anyone deserves to be in there with me, it’s Stipe Miocic.”

During his first run as champion, Miocic set the UFC heavyweight title defense record with three. That’s why so many view him as the greatest heavyweight champion. He furthered that legacy by regaining and then defending the title in a trilogy with Cormier.

However, among the biggest complaints about the matchup with Jones is that many believe Miocic’s best days are behind him and that he lacks activity. There’s also Tom Aspinall, who currently holds the interim heavyweight title, but that’s a completely different aspect of the matchup.

It will be nearly 44 months between fights for Miocic. Jones, who was away for almost 37 months preparing to make his heavyweight debut, points to his successful return against Ciryl Gane as a reason not to dismiss Miocic.

Despite the inactivity and Miocic not having won a fight in over four years, Jones also believes fulfilling a dream MMA matchup is well worth it.

“What it shows me is our boss’ loyalty to his athletes,” Jones said. “I mean, Stipe Miocic vs. Francis back in the day, it had the whole world excited. How would this ‘firefighter,’ what people like to call him, how would this 240-pound athlete go up (against) a guy like Francis, this larger-than-life character? They gave us a great little saga or whatnot, you want to call it. Dana White doesn’t forget that, you know? I believe guys like Stipe and I, we help take the UFC to a new level, and just because we’ve been out for a while doesn’t mean we’re not great athletes and we don’t have strong fanbases.

“… I’m 37 years old and I’m not a person to be counted out, and at 42, I don’t believe Stipe is a person to be counted out. Styles make matchups, and for the real long-term MMA fans who grew up watching both Stipe and I compete, I think this fight is always going to be intriguing to them.”

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Michael Bisping: ‘Everyone is overlooking Stipe Miocic’ at UFC 309

Michael Bisping thinks it would be a mistake to heavily underestimate Stipe Miocic against Jon Jones.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks it would be a mistake to heavily underestimate [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] against [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

It’s been almost four years since Miocic last competed – a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. Jones on the other hand, made it look easy against Ciryl Gane when he returned from his own long layoff at UFC 285 in March 2023. Jones is a heavy favorite over the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion.

“I’m telling you right now, everyone’s overlooking Stipe Miocic, and these people are absolutely out of their minds,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Right now, according to DraftKings sportsbook, Jon Jones is a -600 favorite. Stipe Miocic is a +440 underdog. This guy is a massive underdog. He is being overlooked, disrespected, completely forgotten about in the heavyweight division, and this man has an opportunity to go out there and shock the entire world, beat Jon Jones, and become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

“People are underestimating Stipe Miocic, and why is that? It’s because the last time we saw Stipe Miocic was UFC 260, March 2021 at the UFC Apex when he went up against Francis Ngannou. We all know how that ended. It was a brutal punch, a vicious knockout. … That’s what people remember. This sport is about what have you done for me lately, and people forget everything Stipe did. People forget that Stipe, on paper, is the greatest heavyweight to ever fight in the UFC’s octagon. He defended the belt three times, which is something nobody else has ever done.”

Bisping thinks the lengthy layoff could play in Miocic’s favor, explaining how there won’t be an physical or emotional trauma after his brutal knockout loss to Ngannou.

“This man feels disrespected,” Bisping said. “He feels overlooked. He knows the entire world is talking about Jon Jones, will he or won’t he fight Tom Aspinall, the interim champ. Don’t tell me that doesn’t piss you off.

“When you’re somebody like Stipe Miocic, a proud man, a very capable man, a former champion, a two-time heavyweight champion of the world and people are just overlooking you? Jesus Christ, that is a powerful motivator.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic share videos of late-stage UFC 309 training

Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are putting the finishing touches on their UFC 309 training camps. Here’s a glimpse into what that looks like.

UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and former champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] are little more than a week away from squaring off, which means their training camps are starting to wind down.

Jones puts his title on the line against Miocic in the UFC 309 main event on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN+ pay-per-view). The matchup is being hyped as an important legacy fight for both men, with Jones, who spent the vast majority of his career ruling the light heavyweight division, widely considered the greatest fighter of all time and Miocic, who holds the UFC record for consecutive heavyweight title defenses (3), widely regarded as the promotion’s greatest heavyweight of all time.

The pause, however, is that neither Jones nor Miocic has been very active in recent years.

Starting with 37-year-old Jones, he had just one fight in the past four-and-a-half years, and that was 20 months ago when he submitted Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut for vacant title at UFC 285. Jones also is coming off a torn pectoral tendon one year ago and has had multiple surgeries since then.

For Miocic, the layoff has been even longer. Now 42, Miocic hasn’t competed since being knocked out in a rematch with Francis Ngannou to lose the title on March 27, 2021 at UFC 260.

Suffice to say, it’ll be interesting to see how Jones and Miocic look when they step inside the octagon for a scheduled five-round fight. In the buildup to UFC 309, both men have offered glimpses into the late stages of their training on social media.

You can watch their videos below:     

Nov. 5: Jones cracks mitts, shows off spinning back kick

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCBGA_VRkFB/?img_index=1

Nov. 6: Jones hits bag, works ropes, does cardio in snow

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCDKSoOPYfn/?img_index=3

Nov. 6: Miocic works intense gym cardio

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCAW4l4SM33/

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Overreaction Time: UFC drops the ball, Colby Covington’s time up, DDP makes a big mistake, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Mike Bohn cover big UFC event developments and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC dropped the ball by not booking [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] at UFC 310.
  • [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] should be cut from the UFC.
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] has another UFC flyweight title run in him – and this one will last a while.
  • [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] wanting [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] instead of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is a big mistake.
  • Just a reminder: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has no chance of beating [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Chael Sonnen thinks Stipe Miocic has two things going for him against Jon Jones at UFC 309

Chael Sonnen believes Stipe Miocic has a couple of advantages over UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] believes [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has a couple of advantages over UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Miocic, a former two-time UFC champ, is widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight of all time. But heading into his title fight vs. Jones, he is a big underdog.

Sonnen broke down certain aspects of the fight, starting with the grappling. Jones ran through Ciryl Gane for a first-round submission to capture the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285, but Sonnen doubts Jones would be able to do the same to Miocic.

“Well, Stipe’s old, but not much older than Jon,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I won’t argue with you if you tell me that Stipe is old by fighter standards, but I would argue if you told me Jon was young. Do you believe that Jon can just go take Stipe down whenever he wants?

“If you do believe that, now that’s something that Daniel Cormier couldn’t do. In one of the fights, there were two takedowns, and Stipe got them both. I’m just reminding you: Do you believe that Jon can come just take Stipe down?”

In terms of the striking, Sonnen said the much more longer-tenured heavyweight should have the advantage, too.

“Do you think Stipe is the guy who will jump out of that window? I’m talking about the window of quitting,” Sonnen said. “Do you think that’s going to happen to Stipe? If you don’t, we’re left back in the stand-up realm.

“Do you think that Jon Jones can knock out Stipe Miocic? And that is the one place where that size does actually come in, where the power actually comes in. It would move in Stipe’s favor. Am I wrong about that? Do you believe Jon is the better stand-up fighter?”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Derrick Lewis: Jon Jones for sure No. 1 pound-for-pound, finishes Stipe Miocic in first round at UFC 309

Derrick Lewis thinks Jon Jones makes quick work of Stipe Miocic.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] makes quick work of [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title against former champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Jones is a massive betting favorite over Miocic, and Lewis thinks the odds will accurately depict the outcome.

“I think Jones will beat him in the first round,” Lewis told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 246 media day. “It’s crazy to see a lot of people just disrespect Jones like that, like he ain’t the GOAT, for real. A lot of people keep throwing around these GOAT terms and this and that. Jones has been doing this for so many years at the top of the level against all these opponents, like top-ranked guys.

“Even though he have been having all this trouble outside of the UFC, it’s like people outside of the UFC don’t know, it’s 80 percent mental that you got to go into these fights, and it’s like 20 percent physical. If you don’t have the mentality going into these fights, you’re not going to do well. For him to be going through all that stuff that he’s been going through, and still beaten these guys like this, it says a lot.”

Heavyweight champion and former light heavyweight champ Jones is currently the No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. Lewis echoes Dana White’s same sentiment on the rankings.

“Of course, he’s for sure pound-for-pound (No. 1),” Lewis said. “It’s crazy how a lot of these guys keep getting (ranked) pound-for-pound and they ain’t even had that many fights. Think about my run when I had six-fight winning streak going on and they ain’t even mentioning me being in pound-for-pound.

“It’s crazy that these guys come into the UFC now, they get two or three fights, and already pass up everyone who has been fighting for years and already ranked pound-for-pound. I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s just complete disrespect.'”

Former title challenger Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) returns against Jhonata Diniz (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 246 (ESPN+) main card at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.

Stipe Miocic: ‘I’m going to do what I want to do’ at UFC 309 against Jon Jones

Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic says he won’t wait for Jon Jones to implement his gameplan in the UFC 309 main event.

While everyone in the MMA space has had their say about the upcoming UFC heavyweight title fight at UFC 309, [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has laid low, preparing for the biggest fight of his career.

On Nov. 16, Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will return to the octagon for the first time in 1,330 days. It’s not just any return. It’s the return. The man who many consider to be the greatest MMA fighter ever, Jon Jones, will stand across from Miocic, who is regarded as the greatest heavyweight, inside the cage at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The UFC heavyweight title will be on the line in what could be the last fight for both Miocic and Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC).

“I’m excited, honestly,” Miocic said on “BS w/ Jake Paul.” “It’s finally here. It was supposed to happen last year, unfortunately an injury took it away, but here we are. We’re three weeks away. I’m ready, man. I’ve been pumped. I keep quiet. I focus on task at hand, just worry about my fight. That’s all I worry about.”

Throughout the discourse about the heavyweight title picture, Miocic has largely kept his head down working. The fight was initially set to occur last November at UFC 295, but Jones tore his pectoral muscle, delaying the fight.

As a replacement for the lost fight, Tom Aspinall was crowned interim champion by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich. Aspinall, who has felt like the odd man out as he’s been denied an opportunity to unify the title, went on to record a rare interim title defense by stopping Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.

Some believe Miocic, who returns from a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou, doesn’t deserve to fight for the title while Aspinall is on such a roll. The UFC decided that a “greatest vs. greatest” fight was the way to go and has stuck with it despite heavy criticism.

Meanwhile, Miocic has remained relatively quiet while preparing to defeat Jones, who became heavyweight champ by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last March.

With the fight now just around the corner, Miocic is confident he will be able to take control of the fight, and won’t wait around to find out what type of gameplan Jones will bring.

“Jon Jones does a lot of things good, but I have great coaches, great teammates, and they make me prepared for whatever happens,” Miocic said. “I’m not going to wait for what he’s going to do, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

At 42, Miocic knows he doesn’t have many days left in the sport. However, he’s not ready to say UFC 309 will be his last walk to the octagon.

“I don’t know,” Miocic said when asked about retirement. “I say it after every fight, I think about retiring. So, we’ll see. Right now, I’m just worried about the fight, and I can worry about that after it until it happens.”

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UFC 309 full fight card announced for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic event

How would you rate UFC 309 on a scale of 1-10?

With UFC 308 in the books, the promotion’s attention turns to its yearly New York pay-per-view.

UFC 309 takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and former champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

During the UFC 308 broadcast Saturday, the promotion officially announced the full 13-fight lineup with five main card fights and eight prelims. The main card takes place on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

In the co-main event, lightweight stars [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] and [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] throw down in a five-round bout. The main card rounds out with [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], and [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag].

The featured prelim is currently half-unknown with [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] in need of a replacement for the withdrawn [autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag].

Other notable prelims include [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag], [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag], and [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag].

Check out the full UFC 309 lineup below:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira – five-round bout
  • Viviane Aruajo vs. Karine Silva
  • Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Mauricio Ruffy vs. TBA
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller

EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Lucas Almeida vs. David Onama
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
  • Oban Elliott vs. Bassil Hafez
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Donn Davis: PFL will have world’s best heavyweight after Saturday, not UFC

In one man’s opinion, talk of the world’s top heavyweight should be focused on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, not New York in November.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – As far as [autotag]Donn Davis[/autotag] is concerned, talk about the world’s top heavyweight should be focused on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, not New York in November.

Put simpler, the promotion’s co-owner thinks the PFL will have the best heavyweight in MMA after Saturday, not the UFC. And further, Davis implied that disputing that claim would take a cross-promotion of some kind with the UFC – an idea CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] essentially never has been keen to.

At PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (17-3) takes on [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (13-3) in a PFL heavyweight superfight title bout. Ngannou has boxed twice since he left the UFC, but hasn’t fought an MMA bout since January 2022 before he left the UFC for the PFL after a contract dispute.

At UFC 309, which takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is a massive favorite upwards of 7-1 against former champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC). Jones won the UFC heavyweight title after Ngannou vacated it.

And naturally, depending on which side is asked, the other side is ducking – either Jones or Ngannou.

“Our focus is on this Saturday,” Davis said after a Thursday news conference in Saudi Arabia for the pay-per-view. “This is the biggest fight in MMA in heavyweight this year. Francis, when he left the UFC, he was the pound-for-pound No. 1 and the heavyweight champion. And then Ferreira is the biggest rising star … This is the fight everybody wants to see. Whoever comes out of this fight is the No. 1 in the world. Whoever wants to claim the No. 1 spot goes through the winner of this fight, not through the UFC – this fight. Whoever wants to claim that position better be calling us after Saturday, not calling them.”

Jones has suggested his fight with Miocic might be his swan song. Ngannou is in his late 30s, as well. Absent cross-promotion, and reasonably soon, it seems like a Jones-Ngannou fight is a longshot at best.

But Davis implied it could happen if White wanted it to.

“We’ve said at the PFL we want to give the fans what they want, and that’s the best fights in the world,” Davis said. “Francis Ngannou? He said he’ll take on all comers. I think Jon Jones wants to cement his legacy. There’s only one obstacle to that fight, and we know who that is.”

After the UFC 309 heavyweight title fight between Jones and Miocic, the UFC has interim champ [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] waiting in the wings, as well.

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hubs for PFL: Battle of the Giants and UFC 309.