Stipe Miocic has weighed in on Jon Jones’ dominant performance against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, which saw him earn a first-round submission to become the new heavyweight champion.
Miocic was in attendance for the fight and was impressed that Jones was able to win as easily as he did. During his appearance on The MMA Hour, the 40-year-old mentioned that he originally predicted ‘Bon Gamin’ to win the vacant heavyweight championship as he felt that his striking would determine the outcome.
He said:
“I thought I was going with Ciryl [Gane]… I just said if Ciryl keeps it on the feet and picks him apart, him all day, it’s still gonna be a good fight… But I thought Jon use his wrestling, it’s gonna be a long night for Ciryl, but yeah, I was not ready for that. I thought it was gonna be a good decision, I thought it was gonna get a big war for 5 rounds…I was definitely wrong.”
The former UFC heavyweight champion was in for quite a surprise as ‘Bones’ made the fight look easy, especially in how he took Gane down and secured the choke that won him the fight.
Miocic mentioned that Jones’ win was a surprise but that he wasn’t exactly blown away by it like others were, saying:
“I mean, not blown away by the performance but by him winning like that, yes…I mean, it’s a win, good for him, I don’t know…No, I do [rate Ciryl Gane high]. I think he’s a hell of a fighter. I think he’s great, I just was…you know, [a loss] it happens.”
The fight only provided a small glimpse of what Jones is capable of at heavyweight because he won quickly. However, Miocic is confident in his abilities, saying he can defeat him to regain the UFC heavyweight championship.
Stipe Miocic vs. Jon Jones set for UFC 290?
During his post-fight interview at UFC 285, Jon Jones called out Stipe Miocic, who was in attendance, for a fight during International Fight Week in July.
The heavyweight clash is expected to headline UFC 290, which will see the most successful light heavyweight champion and most successful heavyweight champion share the octagon and determine who the better fighter is.
During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Miocic told Ariel Helwani that he believes he will defeat ‘Bones’ and that he’s going to be the one that hands him his first legitimate loss. He said:
“I’m gonna win, there’s no question. There’s no question about it…I know that [he’s never lost]. It sucks that he’s going to lose…No, I’m not gonna imagine it, it’s gonna happen.”
It will be interesting to see whether the former champion will fare better than Gane or if Jones will continue his dominance with another win against arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
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