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Jon Jones called out Stipe Miocic after a dominant first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last weekend.
The fight also marked Jones' return to the octagon after a hiatus of three years. UFC president Dana White claims that he wouldn't be shocked to see 'Bones' retire after defending his title against Miocic. The 53-year-old recently told TMZ Sports:
"I wouldn't be shocked either if he fights Stipe and then retires and doesn't fight again."
Talk of Jones' potential retirement popped out of nowhere as White was discussing the outcome of a potential outing between 'Bones' and Francis Ngannou. According to the UFC president, Ngannou's UFC 270 clash against Gane is proof that 'The Predator' also wouldn't have stood much of a chance against Jones. White told TMZ:
"Let me tell you what, I think, a lot of other people feel this way, I think that's exactly the way the fight would've gone if [Ngannou] was in there, too. [Francis] and Ciryl had a five-round war, and if Ciryl doesn't go for that submission, Ciryl probably wins that fight. At the end of the 5th round there."
Catch White's interview with TMZ below:
UFC 290 on July 8 in International Fight Week is reportedly the date being targeted for the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight.
Francis Ngannou responds to accusations of 'running' from Jon Jones
Francis Ngannou vacated his heavyweight title and exited the UFC earlier this year after failed contract negotiations spanning over a year. The hopes of a potential outing between Ngannou and Jon Jones were forever shattered after Dana White recently dismissed the possibility of 'The Predator' returning to the UFC.
While Dana White is known to have pushed the 'running' narrative with several fighters, Jones also recently blamed Ngannou for their fight falling through. However, the former heavyweight champ claims to have done everything in his capacity to make the fight come to fruition.
According to Ngannou, the UFC used Jones' matchup as a bargaining chip to try and keep him in the promotion. The 36-year-old told ESPN:
"I did everything to have that fight...It didn’t just happen, but at the end I felt like that was the bargain [chip for the UFC] to keep me, maybe [to convince me to] do something that I don’t want just because I want that fight. Yes, I wanted that fight, but not at any cost.”
Catch Ngannou's comments below:
