Tag: UFC 295

Dominick Cruz concerned with Stipe Miocic’s training for Jon Jones: ‘You’re not fighting a fire’

Dominick Cruz questions Stipe Miocic’s preparation for his return to the UFC against Jon Jones.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] questions [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag]’s preparation for his return to the UFC.

Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Miocic hasn’t competed since losing the belt to Francis Ngannou by knockout in March 2021. Meanwhile, Jones returned from a more than three-year layoff to quickly submit Ciryl Gane and capture the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 in March.

Having not seen or heard much from Miocic during his time away, Cruz expressed concern over his firefighter duties and the impact it could have on his training.

“Am I the only one who doesn’t know how much Stipe’s been training?” Cruz told ESPN. “Have we been seeing videos of him training a lot? Where’s he been? Is he doing martial arts against trees? Because he’s facing a giant, giant man that can fight, and it’s not a fire. I’m just wondering. You’re not fighting a fire. Have you been fighting humans in the woods? I’m just trying to understand what you’re doing to prepare.”

Miocic holds wins over Ngannou, Daniel Cormier twice, Fabricio Werdum, and slew of other heavyweight greats. But Cruz pointed out that was back when he was active and not coming off a long layoff.

“He was training a lot consistently and fighting a lot consistently,” Cruz said. “What has he been doing now? Fighting fires, right? I’m just curious.”

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Daniel Cormier: If Stipe Miocic is still fast, he could give Jon Jones problems

Daniel Cormier sees Stipe Miocic potentially posing issues for Jon Jones.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] sees [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] potentially posing issues for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Jones made his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March, and needed less than a round to submit him and claim the vacant heavyweight belt. Based off what he saw, Cormier thinks Jones isn’t as fast as he was at light heavyweight.

“This fight will be determined very early, at least in my opinion, because we will know from the very start of the fight whether or not we are seeing the Stipe Miocic from before or if we’re seeing a slowed down version of the former champion,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We’ll know that very quick because what we already know is that we do get a little bit of a slower version of Jon Jones.

“He is a little bit different than he was when he was a light heavyweight. No one could watch that fight against Ciryl and think anything different, because the left hand that he threw that ultimately led to the takedown was a lot slower. He even admits it. He goes, ‘I gained 30 pounds, of course I’m going to be slower.’ But if Miocic is fast – if Miocic with his boxing background, Golden Gloves, is still fast – that could give Jones problems.”

Cormier fought Miocic three times, and Jones twice, so has added insight into both fighters. But with Miocic returning to competition for the first time in more than two years, Cormier wonders if he’ll be the same version.

“The one thing that I learned in the fights with Jones and I was that he’s very good with his timing. He’s very good at fighting his spots, but nothing is overly fast or overly quick,” Cormier said. “His punches, his kicks are fast. His shots aren’t as fast, but he’s got great timing and a great ability to really pick and find those moments that he can land. But Miocic is fast.

“You’ll be fighting Stipe, and he’ll throw something and he’ll land and you’re like, ‘How did he get to me?’ He is fast, and if he’s still fast, he can get the job done. But if he’s slowed down – he’s almost 41 years old, I think – if he’s slowed down, even a little bit, it could be a problem.”

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

Stipe Miocic: ‘I’m going to come out on top’ against Jon Jones in UFC 295 title fight

Stipe Miocic has the utmost confidence he will defeat Jon Jones and become a three-time heavyweight champion at UFC 295.

[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has been dialed in on a title fight with [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] for months, and now that the date and location is official, his focus is unflappable.

Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will return to competition for the first time in more than two years when he meets Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It’s the promotion’s 30th anniversary celebration event, and one of the most significant fights that can be made in the sport gets top billing.

“I thought it was going to be July, but it didn’t happen that way,” Miocic told UFC’s Megan Olivi during a backstage interview at UFC 290 on Saturday in Las Vegas. “It’s Nov. 11. I’ve been waiting for this day. It’s the fight I want. It’s the fight he wants. Nothing better.”

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Jones returned from a three-year layoff of his own in March to defeat Ciryl Gane by first-round submission and claim the vacant heavyweight strap. It was a near-flawless performance, and added to the legacy of arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.

It’s a tall task for the 40-year-old Miocic to get through, but he promises he’s up for the challenge and thinks his team will assemble the game plan to hand “Bones” his first true defeat.

“I think it’s just the two styles – styles make matchups – we have two great styles to make electricity, a lot of firework,” Miocic said. “I’m going to come out on top and show a lot of people that I deserve to be the heavyweight champ.”

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

Dana White: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic a legacy fight ‘that had to happen’

For Dana White, more than just the heavyweight belt is at stake when Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic meet at UFC 295.

LAS VEGAS – When UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] thinks about a fight between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], the word “legacy” immediately comes to mind. And for that reason, it’s a matchup that couldn’t get away.

“This is a fight that had to be done,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Friday night.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and Miocic (20- 4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) are set to headline UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden. Jones, a two-time light heavyweight champion with a record 11 title defenses, will attempt to make his first heavyweight title defense against Miocic, a two-time heavyweight champ with the most title-fight victories (6) in UFC heavyweight history, which includes a record three consecutive defenses during his first reign.

A fight between Jones, who turns 36 later this month, and Miocic, 40, has been talked about ever since Jones announced his intention to move up to heavyweight in 2020. An interim title fight was rumored to be in the works late last year while then-champ Francis Ngannou was in contract negotiations with the UFC, but when Ngannou couldn’t reach a deal and left the promotion, talks of a Jones vs. Miocic vacant title fight ramped up.

Ultimately it didn’t come to fruition as Jones ended his three-year layoff by meeting Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut this past March and claimed the vacant belt with a first-round submission win at UFC 285. Afterward, Jones wasted no time declaring himself the greatest of all time and called out Miocic, who was cageside at T-Mobile Arena.

Eight months later, they’ll finally throw down in a sort of dream matchup for fight fans that White is happy to have made.

“When you think about the legacy of Jones, the legacy of Stipe: the greatest mixed martial artist of all time vs. the greatest heavyweight of all time after (Jones) moves up to heavyweight,” White said. “It’s a fight that had to happen, and no better place for it to happen than Madison Square Garden.”

For Miocic, it’ll be his first fight since March 27, 2021, when he was knocked out by Ngannou in the second round of their rematch to lose the heavyweight title. Prior to that, Miocic went 2-1 in a trilogy with eventual UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier.

Miocic won his first UFC heavyweight belt with a first-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum in 2016. He then defended the title against Alistair Overeem, Junior Dos Santos and Ngannou before losing to Cormier in the first fight of their trilogy.

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

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight title fight set to headline UFC 295 in November

One of the most anticipated fights in UFC history is finally happening. It’ll be Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] finally has a date and location.

After years of discussion about a potential matchup, the two combat sports legends will square off in the headliner of UFC 295, a pay-per-view event Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Promotion president Dana White announced the news Friday in a video package played prior to the UFC 290 ceremonial weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

Hinting it could be his final MMA bout, Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) will seek his first successful UFC heavyweight title against former champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC).

Since the time their title reigns coincided in 2016, Miocic and Jones have largely expressed interest in a potential fight against one another. When Jones shifted to heavyweight, the public buzz amplified as the fight seemed to take one step closer to being a reality.

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When Francis Ngannou left the promotion in early 2023, Jones instead challenged Gane for the vacant heavyweight title in March at UFC 285. Jones won the bout quickly by first-round submission. The bout was his first since February 2020 – and was his first at heavyweight in the UFC.

Miocic, 40, most recently competed in March 2021 when he lost the title to Ngannou by first-round knockout. Due to personal reasons and injuries, Miocic has not competed since.

Check out White’s announcement in the video below:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuafwgWAwJm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

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