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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Don’t expect Stipe Miocic to lose any sleep over the criticism that he’s getting a fight against Jon Jones at UFC 309 after a three-plus year long absence while interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is left waiting in the wings.

Never mind the fact that Miocic was booked for this same exact fight almost exactly one year ago until a torn pectoral muscle knocked Jones off the card, but the former heavyweight champion reminds anybody complaining that he’s not the matchmaker. As much as Miocic has always wanted the fight against Jones, it’s still up to the UFC to book these fights and that’s completely out of his control.

“It wasn’t my choice,” Miocic told MMA Fighting. “It’s a fight I wanted, and the UFC gave it to me. They didn’t have to. They gave it to me.”

Of course, Aspinall would surely disagree after he’s amassed an impressive 8-1 resume in the UFC with all of his wins coming by knockout or submission inside two rounds.

Perhaps the biggest difference with Miocic is the legacy he’s built as arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history after breaking the record for the most title defenses in the division (three total). Miocic takes nothing away from Aspinall, but he ultimately believes his fight against Jones just means more to the sport.

“I believe so [there’s a reason why it’s happening],” Miocic said. “I believe people want to see that. I think a lot more people want to see the fight than him fight Aspinall.

“[Tom Aspinall is] tough. He hits hard. Big boy. It’s what people want, he knocks people out.”

Beyond Aspinall lurking around the corner, Miocic also faces a growing narrative that he’s destined to lose with his last fight coming all the way back in 2021 when he suffered a knockout to Francis Ngannou.

While Miocic pushed for a trilogy against Ngannou right away with the heavyweights tied at one win a piece, the UFC never ended up booking the fight. Ngannou only fought for the UFC one more time before suffering a torn ACL in his knee and then leaving the promotion in free agency.

That’s when attention shifted towards Jones after he repeatedly called for the chance to face Miocic with hopes of cementing his status as the greatest fighter in the history of the sport.

Miocic understands the task he’s undertaking with a fight against Jones after such a long layoff but don’t expect him to lay down and play dead just because some loud voices in the sport are saying he can’t win. The 42-year-old Cleveland native admits there’s a time when hearing that might have bothered him, but these days he just doesn’t pay attention to what anybody says much less let it get to him.

“I don’t listen to anything on the outside,” Miocic said. “I used to when I was younger, when I started I was like why would you say that? How dare you? I was real sensitive. I literally stopped caring anymore. I don’t care what anyone says. I really don’t care.”

Perhaps the other biggest storyline surrounding the UFC 309 main event are the persistent rumors that win, lose or draw, there’s a word where both Miocic and Jones call it a career afterwards.

Jones hasn’t exactly hidden the fact that he’s got nothing left to prove, and he’s hinted at retirement numerous times when addressing his future after facing Miocic on Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, Miocic hasn’t said nearly as much because he just doesn’t really engage on social media and he rarely grants interviews leading up to his fights.

So where exactly does he stand on this whole retirement talk after facing Jones?

“I think every fight, I’m always preparing for my last one,” Miocic said. “I always thought about retiring after my first UFC fight. I say that all the time. Who wants to get beat up for 10 weeks, 12 weeks, come back and do it again?

“I love what I do and it’s fun. So we’ll see but right now my task at hand is Jon. That’s all I care about. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

That said, Miocic clearly envisions winning, and he couldn’t fathom a much better way to end his career than becoming the first person to legitimately beat Jon Jones.

“When I do beat him, it’s going to be great,” Miocic said. “100 percent [that would be a great exclamation point on the career].”

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UFC Edmonton went down this past weekend (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024) inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Ariane Lipski da Silva, who was choked out by Jasmine Jasudavicius (see it again here).

And Marc-Andre Barriault, who was viciously knocked out by Dustin Stoltzfus in the first round (see it again here). But, which fighters are suffering from the worst post-fight hangovers now a few days removed from the show?

Amir Albazi and Rose Namajunas.

For Albazi — who was headlining the event opposite Brandon Moreno — one more win would’ve likely earned him his first-ever title shot. After all, he was on a six-fight win streak and ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds. Unfortunately for “The Prince,” he ran into the former division king who looked fresh and rejuvenated after taking a small eight-month break from action.

Indeed, “The Assassin Baby” was crisp with his striking all night, battering Albazi from start to finish.

Albazi simply couldn’t get much going, ending up with a forgettable performance that likely cost him a 125-pound title, while also being taken to the hospital afterward for precautionary measures.

“It wasn’t my night last night, but this is part of life — you win some; you lose some,” Albazi said on Instagram. “All respect to Brandon Moreno, he was the better man. I’ll be back, I promise. I’ll be back on that horse and keep improving, keep getting better. You guys will see me soon. Thank you for the support.”

As far as what could be next for him, he will have to start from scratch on his hunt back to the championship picture, and a fight against Tatsuro Taira — who is coming off a loss to Brandon Royval — seems appropriate.

Namajunas, meanwhile, was eying a title shot at Flyweight after racking up back-to-back impressive wins over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez. A win over Blanchfield would have more than likely giving the chance to win her second title in as many divisions, but “Cold Blooded” just proved to be too resilient and would not let her own championship fight aspirations pass her by.

It’s a disappointing loss for “Thug Rose,” who seemed to be in control of the fight after the first two rounds. Undeterred, Blanchfield regrouped and took over for the final 15 minutes en route to securing a unanimous decision win. Like Albazi, Namajunas couldn’t capitalize on her opportunity at hand to secure a title fight, and will now have to work a bit harder to get back into contention.

As far as what could be next for her, if Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot throw down for the title in early 2025, I would love to see “Thug Rose” take on the loser of that fight. If it’s Fiorot, it would give her the chance to avenge that loss. If it’s Shevchenko, it’s a great matchup countless fights fans have been longing to see.

Another matchup that could be interesting is a fight against Alexa Grasso, assuming Blanchfield doesn’t get her first.

For complete UFC Edmonton results and play-by-play click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul is almost upon us, and the takes are starting to fly.

On Nov. 15, Tyson and Paul face off in an eight-round boxing match broadcast live on Netflix that figures to be one of the biggest combat sports events of the year. The fight was originally supposed to take place in July until the 58-year-old Tyson suffered a medical issue, delaying the event.

The incident led many to question whether this fight should even take place given the 30 year age difference between Paul and Tyson, but for at least one combat luminary, that age gap is the thing that makes the fight interesting.

Speaking with TMZ Sports over the weekend, Paul’s former opponent Tyron Woodley said he believes the bout is actually close, because of Tyson’s advanced age.

“It’s a very even fight, to be honest,” Woodley said. “It’s even because of the age of Mike Tyson. I think it’s an even fight because of the age of Mike Tyson. He’s completely, obviously, out of his prime. In his prime most of his fights were almost attempted murder, so literally Jake wouldn’t have stood a chance. Nobody would even commission or sanction a fight between him and Mike Tyson.”

While Tyson certainly was one of the most feared fighters on the planet in his prime, that was almost 35 years ago. Tyson has no competed professionally since 2005 and was last seen in the ring four years ago for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr.

Meanwhile, Paul has had 10 professional boxing bouts in the at time, winning six of them by knockout, including a devastating finish of Tyron Woodley in their rematch in 2021. Most recently, Paul stopped BKFC star Mike Perry back in July. That was just the latest instance of what Woodley says is Paul choosing his opponents wisely.

“Jake’s always on a win-win situation,” Woodley said. “He’s fighting guys that if he loses, ‘He lost to this guy. You lost to Tyron, you lost to Anderson Silva, you lost to [Nate] Diaz.’ So he’s always in a position where if he wins he goes up, if he loses it’s like, OK, he took a risk, he took a chance.”

Paul does not appear to be taking much of a chance this time around as he’s currently a considerable betting favorite over Tyson. Still, as the old adage goes, anything can happen in the ring and so come fight night, Woodley intends to be ringside to find out exactly what happens.

“I like the fight. I’ll be at the fight,” Woodley said. “I was originally fighting on the card. We couldn’t find a formidable opponent that made sense. So now it’s just to support the event and be a part of a big event in combat sports.”

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul takes place on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

TOP STORIES

ICYMI. Michael “Venom” Page and Carlos Condit threw down on the Polaris mats and it was fun! | Live Blog | Highlights

Back At It. Brandon Moreno put on a vintage performance to snap a two-fight skid at UFC Edmonton. | Live Blog | Highlights | Pros React

Decisions. Belal Muhammad gives his side of the story regarding his withdrawal from UFC 310.

The End? Coach Brandon Gibson is preparing Jon Jones for what could be the last fight of his legendary career.

Limits. Even Alex Pereira can’t save the UFC 310 main event.

Missed Fists. One of the most disturbing KOs of 2024. Viewer discretion is advised.

HUZZAH. The Ultimate Fighter is back!

Happy Trails. All-time wrestling great David Taylor went out in style.

VIDEO STEW

UFC Edmonton post-fight show.

Coach Brandon Gibson and Damon Martin.

Classic.

Never forget your first.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

On to the Next One. Matches to make after UFC Edmonton.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Amir Albazi.

Michael Chandler appears to be in great shape.

One of many tributes to a beloved member of the UFC family.

It’s real out there.

Iron Arse.

Late, but worth it.

Six out of nine ain’t bad!

That’s, like, $ 1 million CAD.

Just kidding!

Truth.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Marcin Tybura (25-9) vs. Jhonata Diniz (8-0); UFC 309, Nov. 16

Ian Machado Garry (15-0) vs. Joaquin Buckley (20-6); UFC Tampa, Dec. 14

FINAL THOUGHTS

I guess I could always be wrong, but I truly have no idea why there are people out there who think Tyson vs. Paul could be close. This is a thing that shouldn’t even be sanctioned and will probably make us all very sad. But if you’re one of the believers, let me know why you think so in the comments. — Meshew

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Think you can figure out which UFC fighter we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.

We’re back for another day of the SB Nation UFC in-5 daily trivia game, and we’re switching to a system of a new article each day for the game.

We tried using a single article for the game, updated with the latest game each day, but it was creating a bit of an unwieldy experience in the comments. So, we’ll have the current day’s game plus the previous three days in each new article. That way, you can catch up if you miss a day.

Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game!

What we need from you

1. Play the game
2. Share your result in the comments and on social media
3. Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below)

Today’s UFC in-5 game

Sunday’s UFC in-5 game

Saturday’s UFC in-5 game

Friday’s UFC in-5 game

The goal of the game is to guess the correct random UFC fighter player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED FIGHTERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. It will be a mix of well-known players and some “that guys” that we haven’t thought of in some time. The game will appear in slot #3 of the MMA Fighting layout each morning, with occasional movement later in the day.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Injury?
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