Stipe Miocic is preparing for his last stand. The former UFC heavyweight champion is widely believed to retire after his marquee fight with Jon Jones at UFC 309. Mixed martial arts retirements are often short-lived, but Miocic, 42, says he has had it on his mind for a while.
“I think every fight, I’m always preparing for my last one,” Miocic told MMA Fighting on Monday. “I always thought about retiring after my first UFC fight. I say that all the time. Who wants to get beat up for 10 weeks, 12 weeks, come back and do it again?
“I love what I do and it’s fun. So we’ll see but right now my task at hand is Jon. That’s all I care about. That’s what I’m thinking about.”
Miocic’s apprehension toward MMA’s wear and tear is remarkable considering he fought 17 times after his UFC debut. Miocic won the UFC heavyweight title five years after joining the promotion, going on a tear that earned him records for most consecutive and combined UFC heavyweight title reigns.
Jones vs. Miocic headlines Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16. It’s a fight between the most dominant light heavyweight and heavyweight champions in UFC history with the heavyweight title at stake. But there’s a lot of pushback against despite the legacy involved. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been unjustly pushed to the side in favor of Jones vs. Miocic despite Miocic being inactive since a knockout loss to PFL champion Francis Ngannou more than three years ago.
“I believe so [there’s a reason why it’s happening],” Miocic said. “I believe people want to see that. I think many more people want to see this fight than [Jones] fighting Aspinall.
“I don’t listen to anything on the outside. I used to when I was younger, when I started I was like why would you say that? How dare you? I was really sensitive. I literally stopped caring anymore. I don’t care what anyone says. I really don’t care.”
Miocic is a significant +470 underdog against Jones. Proving people wrong fuels Miocic’s final rally. Lingering joy for his complicated line of work also gives him some juice.
“When I do beat him, it’s going to be great. 100 percent [that would be a great exclamation point on the career].”
