Jon Jones has made it clear the has no plans to fight Tom Aspinall anytime soon. But would Stipe Miocic take on the interim heavyweight champion?
Miocic is currently scheduled to challenge Jones for the undisputed heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16. UFC CEO Dana White has designated Aspinall as the backup, but some have questioned whether Jones or Miocic would accept such a dangerous opponent on short notice, including analyst Daniel Cormier, who doesn’t “believe that either of them will do it.”
On the Believe You Me podcast, Cormier’s fellow UFC analyst Anthony Smith is confident at least one side of the UFC 309 matchup would fight Aspinall.
“I think [Miocic] will,” Smith said. “Anytime I’ve ever had conversations about this kind of stuff with Stipe, I know that I think in this whole media world—not just [BYM host Michael Bisping] and I, but the media in the general and the UFC and everyone that talks about it—they make it seem like Stipe really gives a shit. He doesn’t really give a shit. He’s barely a fighter. Like, he doesn’t have the mentality of a fighter unless he’s in there actively fighting. He doesn’t talk about fights, he doesn’t really watch them that much. He trains every single day, but he’s just not immersed in this world at all. He wants to beat Jon because everyone else says that Jon is the best. He couldn’t care less about Jon Jones.
“He just doesn’t. Whether it’s Jon or it’s Tom Aspinall, he’s going to train about the same. It’s not going to really change much. He has that mentality where it’s not about what that guy is going to do and how I’m going to react to it, his whole mindset is flipped. Here’s what I’m going to do and he has to deal with it. That’s how Stipe’s mindset has always been, so whether it’s Jon or whether it’s Tom, it doesn’t change anything for Stipe.”
Jones and Miocic are both coming off of long layoffs, with Jones having last fought in March 2023, when he defeated Ciryl Gane to win a vacant heavyweight title, and Miocic out of action since March 2021, when he dropped his belt to Francis Ngannou.
The UFC 309 main event has been billed as a battle between legends with Jones being arguably the greatest fighter of all time based off of his exploits at 205 pounds, and Miocic owning the record for the most consecutive successful defenses of the UFC’s heavyweight belt (3). Despite all the hoopla, Bisping is convinced Miocic is content with his life and legacy, and that’s why he might not care who he ends up fighting in November.
“He’s like, ‘It’s not my identity,’” Bisping said, taking Miocic’s perspective. “‘I am who I am. Yeah, OK, I was the champion of the world and yeah, I want to be that. I want to beat Jon Jones and yes, I want everything that comes with it. But I’ve also made some money, I’ve done my thing, I’m a fireman, I’m a regular guy. I’m a blue-collar guy. I’ve got money in the bank, I’ve got a wife, I’ve got children. I’m not concerning myself with this circus on social media and all of this bullshit.
“I’ll be out doing my thing, I’ll be looking after my family, and then when the time’s right, I’ll jump on a plane and I’ll fly to New York and I’ll fight the greatest fighter that’s ever lived. And if I beat him, whoop-dee-[expletive]-do, and if I don’t, so be it.’”
Bisping and Smith agreed Jones is less likely to accept Aspinall as a replacement opponent, given how much time Jones has invested into the Miocic matchup. However, Bisping cautioned against throwing Jones under the bus should the scenario arise where he passes on fighting Aspinall, since Jones is simply looking after his best interests.
“That’s what I liken it to, or compare it to, somebody getting married and everything’s all there,” Bisping said. “That’s kind of the pressure you feel as a fighter as well to pull out. Some people might say, ‘That’s a bitch move.’ ‘You’re a p*ssy.’ But that’s having the balls to say, ‘Hold on a minute’—and by the way, I’m not advocating for Jon Jones to do this and saying, ‘Understand why’—what I’m saying is it’s really hard in these kinds of situations to be like, ‘No, I’m going to do what is best for me. I’m not here to do what’s best for you, the fans, or the company, or whatever. I’m going to do me and right now, I think what’s best for me is if I fight Tom Aspinall after a full camp.’”
