Former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic believes in himself ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 295. That is when Miocic will challenge Jon Jones for the title from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
UFC 295: Stipe Miocic Wants Finish Of Jon Jones
Stipe Miocic has faced some of the baddest fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Now, he get’s a shot at the one many considered to be the greatest of all time.
Miocic will challenge Jon Jones for the heavyweight title at UFC 295. The event takes place November 11 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
For Miocic, this will be his first fight since suffering a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in 2021 for the title. He had won the belt for a second time back in 2019 in a rematch with Daniel Cormier.
But despite the layoff, the full-time firefighter and paramedic believes he will finish Jones and improve to 21-4 overall.
“I’m walking out with the belt wrapped around my waist – and new, there’s no question about that,” Miocic said during an appearance on a podcast with Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I’m going to beat him in every aspect of the game.
“I’m going for the finish.”
Stipe Miocic Has Scored Wins Over Former Champs Before
Along with his two victories over Cormier, Miocic also owns wins vs. former UFC champion Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Andrei Arlovski. He has also bested the likes of Roy Nelson, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem Gabriel Gonzaga.
Throughout his tenure, Miocic has always balanced his fighting career with that of being a member of the emergency response team.
“I’m doing everything I’m supposed to,” Miocic said. “I haven’t changed anything I’ve done. I can still work out at the station. It’s not like every day is a sparring day or a pad day.
“It’s conditioning, lifting. There’s recovery days.”
He won his first title in 2016 with a first round finish of Werdum in Brazil, defending the belt three times over Overeem, dos Santos and Ngannou. The wins vs. Overeem and dos Santos were both first round finishes.
