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Stipe Miocic | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jon Jones has made it clear the has no plans to fight Tom Aspinall anytime soon. But would Stipe Miocic take on the interim heavyweight champion?
Miocic is currently scheduled to challenge Jones for the undisputed heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16. UFC CEO Dana White has designated Aspinall as the backup, but some have questioned whether Jones or Miocic would accept such a dangerous opponent on short notice, including analyst Daniel Cormier, who doesn’t “believe that either of them will do it.”
On the Believe You Me podcast, Cormier’s fellow UFC analyst Anthony Smith is confident at least one side of the UFC 309 matchup would fight Aspinall.
“I think [Miocic] will,” Smith said. “Anytime I’ve ever had conversations about this kind of stuff with Stipe, I know that I think in this whole media world—not just [BYM host Michael Bisping] and I, but the media in the general and the UFC and everyone that talks about it—they make it seem like Stipe really gives a shit. He doesn’t really give a shit. He’s barely a fighter. Like, he doesn’t have the mentality of a fighter unless he’s in there actively fighting. He doesn’t talk about fights, he doesn’t really watch them that much. He trains every single day, but he’s just not immersed in this world at all. He wants to beat Jon because everyone else says that Jon is the best. He couldn’t care less about Jon Jones.
“He just doesn’t. Whether it’s Jon or it’s Tom Aspinall, he’s going to train about the same. It’s not going to really change much. He has that mentality where it’s not about what that guy is going to do and how I’m going to react to it, his whole mindset is flipped. Here’s what I’m going to do and he has to deal with it. That’s how Stipe’s mindset has always been, so whether it’s Jon or whether it’s Tom, it doesn’t change anything for Stipe.”
Jones and Miocic are both coming off of long layoffs, with Jones having last fought in March 2023, when he defeated Ciryl Gane to win a vacant heavyweight title, and Miocic out of action since March 2021, when he dropped his belt to Francis Ngannou.
The UFC 309 main event has been billed as a battle between legends with Jones being arguably the greatest fighter of all time based off of his exploits at 205 pounds, and Miocic owning the record for the most consecutive successful defenses of the UFC’s heavyweight belt (3). Despite all the hoopla, Bisping is convinced Miocic is content with his life and legacy, and that’s why he might not care who he ends up fighting in November.
“He’s like, ‘It’s not my identity,’” Bisping said, taking Miocic’s perspective. “‘I am who I am. Yeah, OK, I was the champion of the world and yeah, I want to be that. I want to beat Jon Jones and yes, I want everything that comes with it. But I’ve also made some money, I’ve done my thing, I’m a fireman, I’m a regular guy. I’m a blue-collar guy. I’ve got money in the bank, I’ve got a wife, I’ve got children. I’m not concerning myself with this circus on social media and all of this bullshit.
“I’ll be out doing my thing, I’ll be looking after my family, and then when the time’s right, I’ll jump on a plane and I’ll fly to New York and I’ll fight the greatest fighter that’s ever lived. And if I beat him, whoop-dee-[expletive]-do, and if I don’t, so be it.’”
Bisping and Smith agreed Jones is less likely to accept Aspinall as a replacement opponent, given how much time Jones has invested into the Miocic matchup. However, Bisping cautioned against throwing Jones under the bus should the scenario arise where he passes on fighting Aspinall, since Jones is simply looking after his best interests.
“That’s what I liken it to, or compare it to, somebody getting married and everything’s all there,” Bisping said. “That’s kind of the pressure you feel as a fighter as well to pull out. Some people might say, ‘That’s a bitch move.’ ‘You’re a p*ssy.’ But that’s having the balls to say, ‘Hold on a minute’—and by the way, I’m not advocating for Jon Jones to do this and saying, ‘Understand why’—what I’m saying is it’s really hard in these kinds of situations to be like, ‘No, I’m going to do what is best for me. I’m not here to do what’s best for you, the fans, or the company, or whatever. I’m going to do me and right now, I think what’s best for me is if I fight Tom Aspinall after a full camp.’”
After calling Hooker ‘easy money,’ Moicano declared the Kiwi fighter didn’t deserve his lightweight ranking in the most Moicano way possible.
Renato Moicano has come a long way over the past two years since his infamous expletive filled “Moicano wants money!” speech at UFC 281. The fighter had been a favorite of hardcore fans for years, but since then he’s made himself impossible to ignore lately with his wild performances and outspoken ways.
Moicano is now on a four fight winning streak after smashing Benoit Saint-Denis’ face to a bloody pulp. The ringside physician stopped their fight after the second round because the damage was so bad. It was another wild performance, and then Renato got on the mic and called the president of France a corrupt globalist.
‘Outspoken’ really doesn’t begin to cover that latest post-fight interview. And he’s continuing to say whatever’s on his mind as he hunts down his next big exposure opportunity.
During the UFC Paris post-fight show on ESPN, “Money” threw some more shade at fellow lightweight Dan Hooker, who shot up the 155 pound rankings to No. 5 after defeating Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.
“I don’t know how he’s in the top five, that’s unbelievable,” he exclaimed. “It’s like seeing a turtle in a tree. Have you seen a turtle in a tree? Somebody put him there. That’s the whole thing, you know? He didn’t climb the tree, but he’s on the tree.”
“So if they want to give me an easy pass for the title shot, then Dan Hooker is easy money. Imagine if I take him down, what I’m gonna do to him! He has no ground game.”
“Patrick Pimblett is another easy money, but I respect him a little bit more,” Moicano added. “You know why? Because he has a lot of followers. If you have followers, you have my respect. People want to see Patrick Pimblett, and I respect him.”
Paddy Pimblett would certainly be a lucrative opponent and both men have been angling to fight for a while, potentially as the culmination of a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter. That matchmaking certainly beats fighting tough relative unknowns like Rafael Fiziev again, Moicano said.
“I cannot afford to lose,” he joked. “I’m telling everybody I have a house to pay. I just bought a new house. Dumb decision, but we don’t do decisions by head. We do by heart. I want to see my kid grow in a great backyard with a pool, and then I did that mistake. So until the house is paid, until all my debt is paid, I cannot afford to lose. Doesn’t matter if even Khabib come back, I will beat Khabib.”
Alex Pereira | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The UFC 307 Countdown video features the two title fights at the top of the anticipated fight card next Saturday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defends against Khalil Rountree, a challenger on a five-fight win streak that has a knack for beating high-level kickboxers. “Poatan” has emerged as one of the faces of the UFC and a successful title defense could vault him towards another marquee matchup.
UFC 307 also sees Raquel Pennington go for her first bantamweight title defense after claiming the belt with a win over Mayra Bueno Silva this past January. “Rocky” has won six straight fights, but has a tough test ahead of her as she faces former champion Julianna Peña.
Peña has not competed since losing to Amanda Nunes in their rematch in July 2022, but as the only woman to defeat “The Lioness” during Nunes’ legendary run from 2015 to 2023, she’s poised to shake the apple cart again.
UFC 306 | Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
UFC 306 promised to be the greatest live sporting event of all time and the pay-per-view certainly delivered action in a major way.
Earlier this month, UFC 306 took place at Sphere in Las Vegas with Merab Dvalishvili and Valentina Shevchenko claiming titles after beating Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso, respectively. Now you can watch all the best highlights from the evening in slow motion on the latest episode of Fight Motion.
UFC 306 Fight Motion captures all the biggest moments from “Noche UFC,” including Dvalishvili’s dominant display against O’Malley, Shevchenko’s near-perfect performance against Grasso, as well as the feature fight between Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega.
Fight Motion also highlights the two finishes on the card by Ketlen Souza and Ignacio Bahamondes, the gruesome cut suffered by Irene Aldana in her battle with Norma Dumont, and a bevy of brutal highlights from the Fight of the Year contender between Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber.
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