Stipe Miocic would fight Tom Aspinall if needed, ‘Doesn’t Care’ about Jon Jones says former UFC contender
With Tom Aspinall expected to serve as the official backup for the UFC 309 headliner, Stipe Miocic would hold no reservations to fighting the British favorite in November, according to former title challenger, Anthony Smith.
Miocic, a former undisputed heavyweight titleholder twice under the banner of the promotion, still retains the number eight rank in the official heavyweight pile — despite remaining sidelined since he suffered a thunderous knockout loss against Francis Ngannou back in 2021.
As for Rochester native, Jones, the current heavyweight kingpin and former two-time light heavyweight gold holder, is set to return to action in a rescheduled pairing with Stipe Miocic in November at UFC 309, having remained sidelined since he won vacant gold against Ciryl Gane back in March of last year.
Stipe Miocic backed to fight Tom Aspinall if needs be
And despite his lack of interest in a title unification fight with Aspinall in his return to action in favor of a rebooked fight with Miocic, unlike Jones — according to Smith, the Ohio veteran would not think twice about accepting a bout with the interim champion at UFC 309 if needs be.
“I think (Stipe Miocic) will,” Anthony Smith said on the Believe You Me podcast. “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 (Michael) Bisping and I, but the media in general and the UFC and everyone that talks about it — they make is seem like Stipe really gives a sh*t.”
“He doesn’t really give a sh*t,” Smith explained. “He’s barely a fighter. Like, he doesn’t have the mentality of a fighter unless he’s in there actually 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 (Jones) because everyone else says that Jon is the best. He couldn’t care less about Jon Jones.
Without a win since 2020, Miocic’s most recent success came in the form of his trilogy rubber match with former two-division champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Daniel Cormier in a decision win at UFC 252.
