Such is the health of the sport these days that there appears to be a never-ending selection of hugely intriguing fights taking place in the UFC. One of them that is potentially on the cards is Jon Jones’ highly anticipated return to the Octagon against another much-loved fighter in Stipe Miocic. But is it actually going to take place?
After taking two years out from fighting, the former long-reigning light-heavyweight king will be aiming to make a statement when he takes on a former heavyweight champion in Miocic, a devastating fighter who hasn’t been seen in the cage since his loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 over a year ago. Although Jones is hard to write off despite taking some time out from the sport and potentially making the jump up to the heavyweight division, Miocic is a fearsome opponent who will serve up a real test for the New York-born fighter. Miocic will have the whole of Ohio behind him too, with people making the most of Ohio sports betting bonuses ahead of the big fight and cheering on their man in one of the biggest fights of the year. For fans of MMA, should the fight fail to materialise, then it would certainly feel like a missed opportunity to put two big names up against each other in a massive comeback fight for both men.
Jones has tweeted
Despite the evident excitement surrounding this match-up among the UFC community, there hasn’t been any official confirmation that it’s actually taking place. Jon Jones is already dropping hints, though, suggesting that he’ll be gracing the Octagon once again on December 10 at UFC 282 in Las Vegas. After several suggestive tweets, he eventually said: “My goal, my dream is to have my first heavyweight title fight look like my first light heavyweight title fight. Pure domination.”
Stipe Miocic is a different beast
While Jones has taken some well documented time out from the sport, Miocic’s break has gone under the radar somewhat. His close friend, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman, says the former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion has bulked up ahead of a potential return and is looking in great shape. Speaking to The Schmo, Weidman said: “I see Jon Jones really working to gain size and Stipe was smaller. I’ve trained with Stipe, he’s one of my boys, I was hanging out with him last night. Bro, he got big and he’s been doing it quietly. He’s like a solid 250 right now. Whenever he decides to come back, he’s a problem.”
Miocic capable of ruining Jones’ return
Jones Jones’ UFC résumé is certainly up there with the very best of them after he completely dominated the lightweight division, earning himself the record of the UFC fighter with the most title defenses in history alongside Demetrious Johnson. All things considered, though, Jones is coming up against a different animal in a different weight class should the fight against the American Croatian professional mixed martial artist go ahead. Make no mistake about it, Miocic will be desperate to avenge his loss against Francis Ngannou and remind everyone just how dominant he can be.
