Jon Jones Vs. Stipe Miocic Is Not The Fight To Make

It’s been over a year since UFC CEO Dana White announced that UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones would face ex-champ Stipe Miocic. That fight didn’t make sense in July 2023 and it doesn’t make sense in July 2024.

“This is the fight that Jon Jones wanted. It’s the fight that Stipe wanted. It is a legacy fight for both of these guys,” White claimed when making the announcement.

No one can dispute that it's the fight Jones and Miocic wanted. However, one could argue that the matchup is a legacy bout. Also, the fans' wants were missing from White's proclamation.

At the time the UFC put together the Jones vs. Miocic fight, Jones was coming off an easy win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in June 2023. It was Jones’ first trip to the Octagon since he defended the UFC light heavyweight crown with a decision win over Dominick Reyes in February 2020. As for Miocic, he hadn’t competed since Francis Ngannou knocked him out to become UFC heavyweight champion in March 2021. Miocic’s most recent victory is his August 2020 decision win over Daniel Cormier, who retired after that fight.

Somewhat shockingly, when White announced the Jones vs. Miocic matchup for UFC 295, Miocic was the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, despite not competing for more than two years and not having a victory in nearly three years. Today, Miocic is No. 6 in the rankings, which makes one wonder what criteria some of the media are using to rank fighters, especially when it comes to activity.

Jones vs. Miocic at UFC 295 Falls Apart

With UFC 295 fight night just a few weeks away, Jones was injured while training for his matchup opposite Miocic. A torn pectoral tendon required surgery.

With Jones off the card, the UFC opted to book an interim title fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich.

At the time of the announcement, White said Jones would be out for eight months.

While it might have made sense to book Aspinall vs. Miocic for the interim title, that matchup was one White dismissed without asking Miocic.

"Stipe's not fighting for an interim title," White said. "Jones said, 'I want to fight Stipe.' I said, 'You're fighting Stipe.' You have the greatest heavyweight of all time versus the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. This is a legacy fight for both of those guys. To even call Stipe and ask Stipe to fight for an interim title is complete disrespect.

"This is a fight for two legends, legacy, two of the greatest to ever do it. Fans want to see it, I want to see it, and they both want to do it."

At UFC 295, Aspinall claimed the interim crown with a 69-second knockout win over Pavlovich. Ideally the UFC would have moved on from Jones vs. Miocic and scheduled a title unification bout between Jones and Aspinall. However, White remained steadfast in saying the fight to make was Jones vs. Miocic.

“No, you do those two,” said White following Aspinall’s win at UFC 295. “Those two both deserve that fight. That’s the fight they want.”

A Legacy Fight?

White is selling Jones vs. Miocic as a legacy fight, but that phrase rings hollow when it comes to the matchup in 2024. Had this fight been made in 2020 after Jones defeated Reyes and Miocic bested Cormier, then it would have been a legacy fight. You would have had two of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the official UFC rankings facing off in a meaningful fight. Instead, in 2024, we’re getting two men who might retire after they meet, and who have not been very active over the past few years.

That's not to say the fight isn't meaningful. It is. But it's meaningful in a way that allows two of the best to ever do it in the heavier weight divisions to get one more significant paycheck before they walk away from the sport. That's not a legacy fight.

A legacy fight for Miocic would have been matching up against the best up-and-coming heavyweight, which is Aspinall, and besting him to set up a title unification bout with Jones. As for Jones, of course facing the interim champ and getting the best of a fighter who many see as the prototype for the future of the heavyweight division would add much more to his legacy as the best fighter in the history of the UFC.

Speaking of Aspinall. He joined the UFC in July 2020. Since then, he has gone 7-1. Jones’ record since Aspinall’s debut is 1-0, while Miocic is 0-1.

It’s More Nostalgia Than Legacy

White can attempt to spin Jones vs. Miocic any way he wants, but the fact of the matter is this fight feels like the UFC is looking back instead of forward. That’s surprising when it comes to both White and the promotion, as neither tend to spend too much time, if any, reflecting on the past.

One has to wonder if this is White remembering a time when he was 100 percent invested in the UFC because telling everyone how important Jones vs. Miocic is in 2024 feels as if White is looking at the matchup from a 2020 MMA fan’s point of view and not as a 2024 businessman.

In 2024, one has to wonder how many UFC fans were even around when Jones was defending his UFC light heavyweight title and Miocic was the UFC heavyweight champion. The UFC fan turnover rate is very high, and there’s a strong chance that more current fans have enjoyed Tom Aspinall’s run than were tuned in when Jones and Miocic were the biggest thing in the sport.

What If?

One of the big questions surrounding Jones vs. Miocic is, what if both men decide to walk away from the sport after they meet?

That’s a worst-case scenario for the UFC, and for the victor of the fight.

If the champ refuses to unify the title with the interim champ, which will be decided when Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes meet at the end of July at UFC 304, that will be a hit to the legacy of that competitor. While it will be understandable that a by then 42-year-old Miocic or a 37-year-old Jones would want to call it a day, the MMA fans have never been a considerate group. To many, a retirement while there’s a title to be unified will look like the champ is avoiding that fight.

As for the UFC, there’s the unification bout to consider and also a possible matchup for the winner of the Jones vs. Miocic scrap against UFC light heavyweight titleholder, Alex Pereira, who just might be the biggest name in the sport right now. A fight between the victor of Jones vs. Miocic and Pereira would be an enormous draw, and gate, for the UFC. That fight does not happen if the winner of Jones vs. Miocic retires.

When?

What makes things even more confusing is that no one knows when Jones vs. Miocic will happen. The fight is expected to take place in November at Madison Square Garden, but the UFC has not confirmed that date at this time.

In The End

Jones vs. Miocic would have been great in 2020, but it wasn't the fight to make in 2023. It's still not the fight to make in 2024, even though Jones, Miocic, and White all want it.

Yes, Jones vs. Miocic is a serviceable fight that will draw a good crowd, but it’s not a legacy fight, at least not in a meaningful way, and it doesn’t move the division forward, especially if the winner retires after his victory.

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