Jon Jones to defend heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic

Don't get too excited if you are really looking forward to this bout because it isn't going to happen until November. There are a lot of things that could happen between now and then including injuries that could wipe it out altogether, but at least for now the contracts are signed and on the 11th of November, 2023, we are going to maybe see if Jones truly belongs at the top of the heap that he was basically thrust straight into.

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While I was happy to see Jon Jones finally return to the UFC I was a bit upset about how it happened. I do not like it when the ranking system gets completely bypassed by certain individuals because of the hype train or because UFC knows that it will be a big draw with audiences. Yes yes, I realize that UFC is first and foremost a business that wants to make as much money as possible, but it is irritating to me when a guy, even a legend like Jones, gets to completely bypass the entire heavyweight roster in a weight division that he has never fought in before.

The fact that it was against Cyril Gane - who I think is just terrible - made that bout even more of a letdown to me and many other fans of MMA.

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I hadn't expected Gane to put up much of a fight anyway but Jones kind of forced him to engage which is something that Gane tends to try to avoid. Jones swarmed him for most of the very short fight and then submitted Ciryl in a pathetic 2 minutes.

This fight should have been against Francis Ngannou but for whatever reasons Francis departed the UFC just in time to avoid fighting against Jones.

Does Jon Jones deserve to be champion simply because he thrashed a paper interim "champion" like Cyril Gane? Well maybe. I think we will find out in November if Miocic can manage to stay uninjured.

Miocic is certainly a much more well-rounded fighter than Gane is but he is also quite old and this is problematic in many of the UFC's top fighters.

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At 40 years old, Miocic's best years are most likely behind him and we are going to have to wait and see if he has the hunger necessary to become heavyweight champion for a 3rd time. The last time he was in the octagon was a bit embarrassing for him as he was KO'd in rather glorious fashion and ended up on the wrong end of a highlight reel.

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There is one thing about this fight that I think fans need to keep close in mind: It is rumored and hinted at that at least one of these guys is going to retire after this fight. Miocic toyed with retirement after his last fight and it has been 31 months since he was last in an event of any kind. Jones, who's word can't really be depended on a great deal since he frequently changes his mind and Tweets like a madman, has indicated in at least one instance that he would retire after defending the heavyweight belt just one time. This is complicated by his 8-fight contract of course but UFC can't force the guy to fight.

I am quite certain that this fight will be really good but a lot of it depends on whether or not Miocic is turning up for a paycheck or if he is turning up to have a go at returning to his former glory. For the sake of the sport, I hope he is turning up for the latter.