Former UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, claims he was ready to face former light heavyweight champ, Jon Jones for the promotion's vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4.
Miocic spoke with journalist Ariel Helwani on his show The MMA Hour on Wednesday and revealed that he wanted to face Jones on the March date, but the UFC instead chose Ciryl Gane for the matchup for reasons unbeknownst to him.
“They went with Ciryl,” Miocic said (h/t MMA Fighting). "I’m not a matchmaker, I can’t tell you [why]. I don’t know. [The UFC] just went a different direction, so they said maybe July. Yeah, I definitely was [disappointed]. [Jones] is a great fight, it’s a great matchup for me, but at the end of the day, it’s not my decision, unfortunately. But we’ll see what happens. I think those two guys are going to put on a hell of a fight, they’re both gamers, and I’d love to get a crack at one of those guys, whoever wins it.”
Stipe Miocic says he was in talks to fight Jon Jones at UFC 285, but doesn't know why they went with Ciryl Gane instead -- #TheMMAHour
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 18, 2023
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