According to former champ Francis Ngannou, if Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ever fight, it would be anything from a cakewalk for Bones.
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According to former champ Francis Ngannou, if Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ever fight, it would be anything from a cakewalk for Bones… who thinks the firefighter from Ohio is “still the most challenging guy” in the division, NOT the current champ!
“It’s gonna be tough for Jones. I think we all don’t give the credit that is due to Stipe. Stipe is not having enough credit. For me, he’s still the guy at heavyweight. He’s still the most challenging guy in the heavyweight division,” Ngannou, 36, recently informed TMZ when we questioned if Jones will beat Miocic.
Of course, Francis and Stipe fought twice, both winning once. Miocic won the first bout at UFC 226 in 2018 by unanimous decision. The two fighters fought again at UFC 260 in 2021, with Ngannou winning by 2nd round knockout.
Stipe hasn’t entered the Octagon since that fateful night. Despite the 27-month hiatus, Francis clearly feels Miocic is still the heavyweight champion. Jon is 1-0 at heavyweight after beating title rival Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 earlier this year… a bout the former light heavyweight champ made seem simple.
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The date of Jon Jones’ first UFC heavyweight championship defense is unknown. Jones has made it plain that he wants to face Stipe Miocic since earning his second divisional title this past March with a first-round guillotine choke on Ciryl Gane. All signals led to the showdown of all-time greats at UFC 290 on July 8 as International Fight Week. Regrettably, the boat was missed for that event, and there hasn’t been any clarification on reaching a new perspective arrangement for that matchup, or Jones in general.
Daniel Cormier, who is familiar with both fighters in the octagon and who has been paying more attention to the heavyweight class, thinks it is time to be worried. Jones made his three-year comeback during the Gane fight, and Miocic could retire as a result.
“Still nothing. It really just feels like we’re gonna miss this one too and that’s unfortunate,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We just missed Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones, one that we’ve wanted for a long time. Now we got Jon Jones talking to Tyson Fury, which Dana said, ‘We’ll make it happen.’ But now we got those guys talking, Tyson Fury and Jon Jones, and for the record, Tyson Fury in a full-on fight has no chance against Jon Jones. That’s no knock on Fury. In a singular skillset with boxing gloves, Tyson Fury will beat Jon Jones every day of the week. But if by chance they ever go into a full-on fight, Fury has about as much of a chance as a guy walking into a convenience store at the end of your block to beat Jon Jones in a free fight. It’s not gonna happen.”
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