UFC 309 Analysis: Chael Sonnen Outlines Stipe Miocic’s Edge Over Jon Jones in Heavyweight Showdown
Chael Sonnen believes there’s a chance that Stipe Miocic could shock fight fans and sportsbooks simultaneously in his long-awaited return to the Octagon.
Nearly four years removed from his second-round knockout loss against Francis Ngannou, the former two-time titleholder will step back into the main event spotlight for a showdown with reigning and defending undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
The two combat sports icons will headline UFC 309 on Saturday, November 16 when the promotion makes its annual pit stop at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
Chael Sonnen Thinks Stipe Miocic can stop ‘Bones’ from taking him down
As it stands, ‘Bones’ is a massive 6-to-1 favorite to come out on top in his first defense of the heavyweight crown. However, not everyone thinks it’ll be a walk in the park for Jones.
That includes ‘The American Gangster‘ who offered his unique take on this month’s most anticipated title fight.
“Well, Stipe’s old, but not much older than Jon,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I won’t argue with you if you tell me that Stipe is old by fighter standards, but I would argue if you told me Jon was young.
“Do you believe that Jon can just take Stipe down whenever he wants? If you do believe that, remember, that’s something Daniel Cormier couldn’t do. In one of their fights, there were two takedowns, and Stipe got them both. I’m just reminding you: Do you believe that Jon can just take Stipe down?”
Miocic is 14-4 inside the Octagon with nine of those victories coming by KO. Miocic won two out of three in his critically acclaimed trilogy with Daniel Cormier and went 1-1 against Ngannou before walking away from the sport in 2021 to resume life as a firefighter in Cleveland, Ohio.