Stipe Miocic recently addressed criticism from MMA fans about his upcoming title fight against reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones, considering Tom Aspinall has the interim title.
Miocic is set to challenge Jones in the main event of UFC 309 to reclaim the heavyweight title. Their highly anticipated title fight will take place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ahead of the bout, the former champion discussed facing Jones in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.
Miocic revealed that it was the UFC's decision to give him the title shot despite the fact that he's coming off a loss and hasn't fought in years. The former champion said:
''It wasn’t my choice. It’s a fight I wanted, and the UFC gave it to me. They didn’t have to. They gave it to me."
Miocic then gave his take on Aspinall, who has been campaigning for a title unification bout against Jones. Acknowledging the British interim champion's potent finishing ability, the Ohio native said:
''[Tom Aspinall is] tough. He hits hard. Big boy. It’s what people want, he knocks people out.''
Check out Stipe Miocic's comments below (8:10):
Stipe Miocic previews Jon Jones clash at UFC 309: "He's an artist!"
Stipe Miocic will compete after a three-year hiatus when he takes on Jon Jones for the heavyweight title at UFC 309. In the same interview with MMA Fighting, Miocic discussed his matchup with Jones and what makes him a formidable opponent.
''We always come with a great game plan. They improvise and make everything right. As long as I go to the game plan, listen [to my coaches], we'll be good... I think he's [Jones] just good at what he does. He's an artist! He knows how to mix it up. He knows how to keep a guy guessing him, you know? That's why he's done so well." [2:47]
In his last octagon outing at UFC 260 in 2021, Miocic fought Francis Ngannou in a rematch and suffered a second-round knockout defeat, losing his title. He'll look to become a three-time UFC heavyweight champion later this month.