Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: Why Should We Care?

Dana White hinted that one of the biggest names in the UFC might return to the Octagon soon in an interview earlier this week. Jon Jones hasn’t fought since February 2020, but we could see him back in the UFC this summer. White stated that he is hoping to set up a comeback fight against two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in what would be one of the biggest events of the year. No paperwork has been signed yet, but this would be a very big fight even if Jones is one of the most unpopular athletes in the UFC.

Is Jon Jones Still the Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the UFC?

For all of his baggage and out of the ring problems (and there are a lot), there is no denying that Jon Jones is an extremely talented fighter. Jones is 26-1-1 in the MMA, and he was the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC a couple years ago. The two-time UFC Light Heavyweight champion made 11 successful title defenses, and his only loss came all the way back in December 2009. That loss was a disqualification due to illegal elbows, so no one has been able to actually defeat Jones in the ring.

Jones’ stamina and ability to finish his foes has been impressive too. That led to him dominating the lightweight division for over six years, and he only lost the belt due to a failed drug test at UFC 214. He immediately reclaimed the title after serving his mandatory suspension with a third-round knockout of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232. Jones defended the belt three times and won all three bouts by decision (although his win against Thiago Santos came by split decision) before vacating his title in August 2020.

We haven’t seen Jon Jones in the Octagon since February 2020. He has been dealing with multiple arrests and the fallout from multiple failed drug tests, but Jones was clean in his last couple fights. Although he would be making the move up to heavyweight for this potential fight, Jones is still a sizable favorite over Stipe Miocic per the UFC betting odds.

Does Stipe Miocic Still Have Something Left in the Tank?

Two-time UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic lost his title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 last year. Miocic has been proclaimed the greatest heavyweight in the history of the UFC by multiple sources, but he had a tough time dealing with Ngannou’s raw power and was knocked out in the second round. He was the first heavyweight to successfully defend the belt three consecutive times before losing the belt to Daniel Cormier, but he defeated Cormier in the next two fights of their trilogy to reestablish himself.

Miocic will turn 40 in August, and he hasn’t fought someone other than Ngannou or Cormier in the last five years. That has led to some real concerns about his ability to deal with Jones’ explosiveness, as Jones is five years younger than Miocic. Still, few fighters have been better at using their size than Miocic as 15 of his 20 wins have come by knockout. He has shown a lot of stamina too, so Jones couldn’t just wait for him to wear down.

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