Stipe Miocic, the former UFC heavyweight champion of the world has broken his silence. Miocic last fought in March against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260. The result did not go his way as Ngannou got the knockout. Stipe has been on the ice since then. In a recent edition of the ‘MMA Hour‘, Stipe commented on what he wants next.
In the interview with Ariel Helwani, Stipe Miocic spoke about his next fight and who he wants to fight next. The current heavyweight Francis will fight Ciryl Gane on January 23rd in the UFC 270 card. Although the Cleveland native wants to fight for the title after that, Jon Jones is rumoured to be in the line for a title shot.
Stipe also talked about the interim-heavyweight title fight between Derrick Lewis and Gane back in August. Ariel asked him whether the 39-year old had ever planned to feature in the fight for the interim title. Stipe cleared the air about that in the interview as well and commented on the upcoming title fight between Ngannou and Gane.
Stipe Miocic Wants a shot at the heavyweight title
Stipe Miocic got brutally knocked out by the current champion, Francis, and it does not sit right with the former champion. Miocic is currently in Cleveland, where he is hosting his podcast. Helwani asked him about the timeline for his return. Stipe revealed that he wants to make his comeback.
“Definitely get a trilogy [in 2022]. Get my shot back at the title. Get my belt back. Back to normal. Everything’s back to normal.” said Stipe. Commenting on whether he rewatched the fight against Francis, he said, “No. I watched a lot of memes and stuff. Like when I was on my knees and I was going back and I could not turn my hand, It was pretty funny.”
On being asked whether he woukd ever rewatch the fight, Stipe revealed, “I’m gonna have to. To see what I did right, what I did wrong.” He also spoke about what went wrong during the fight. “I let him dictate the pace (of the fight). I let him do what he wanted. I just did not do what I wanted. I stayed back and got hit a few times and took a terrible shot. There is a lot that I did wrong. But we all make mistakes. Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
Stipe Miocic talks about a potential fight with Jon Jones
For a while now, Jon Jones has been campaigning for a heavyweight title fight. Dana White has not secured him the opportunity to fight for the title yet. But Jones has the next best option for his heavyweight debut. Jones can fight Stipe Miocic next, and a win over Stipe will give Jones the pedigree for a championship fight.
Stipe said, “I’m down, I don’t think he wanted it. I don’t know the whole story but I’m down. Then he wants a title shot. I know he’s done well, he’s probably one of the greatest of all time but you’ve still got to wait your order. That’s like me going to light heavyweight and being like I want a shot.”
Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis had a fight for the interim title in August. Although the champion, Francis Ngannou, was not injured, the promotion went ahead with the secondary title fight anyway. When asked about his opinion on the fight, he said, “I didn’t watch it.” He also revealed that he was not asked about being a part of that fight.