Stipe Miocic isn’t messing around in his preparation for Jon Jones at UFC 295 in Madison Square Garden.
It’s been quite a while since the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Miocic entered the octagon. Last competing in March 2021, Miocic was dethroned by the powerful Francis Ngannou, suffering a second-round knockout loss in what was a sequel to their January 2018 encounter.
Miocic, 41, went 2-1 in his trilogy against Daniel Cormier between Ngannou bouts and now looks to take out another all-time great in Jones next month. The full-time fireman recently shared that he’s packed on some mass and is walking around 245 pounds in training camp. Cormier has heard the same, speaking with Miocic directly as well as those within his team who are rather optimistic about what version of the Ohioan we’ll get in his return.
“I think the best Miocic is in the mid-240s and he’s saying now that he’s back around that weight,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I spoke to someone in the Miocic camp and they told me he’s never looked better. He looks huge, he looks big, he looks strong. Now, is that gonna be enough? I don’t know. I’m just giving you this information. I’m pulling the curtain back so you guys can understand that expect the Stipe Miocic from the title run opposed to the guy we saw later. The small guy, the skinny guy.”
Miocic will once again occupy the underdog role when taking on Jones, sitting around +330 odds. It’s been a familiar spot throughout his title reigns but Miocic is no longer concerned by fan perceptions, he’s ready to play spoiler and his current attitude has given Cormier flashbacks to their second and third fights after he scored the massive first-round knockout in fight No. 1.
“Stipe Miocic isn’t a guy who lives a big life publically but he carries that chip when you start to doubt him,” Cormier said.
“I remember sitting at press conferences with Miocic and he would say these things like that. ‘Okay, doubt me,’ and he would almost smirk because he knew what most in the public didn’t know. The way he was training, the way he was preparing, and his intent in the fight. Obviously, he beat me two times back-to-back when he was saying those things and I would almost brush them off because you take his personality and you take him for granted. You forget he’s one of the most dangerous men on the planet. But again, he’s carrying that chip.”
Cormier is no stranger to the current heavyweight title holder Jones either as the duo had one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history. To win the title, Jones dispatched of Ciryl Gane with relative ease at UFC 285 this past March, submitting the Frenchman with a first-round guillotine just over two minutes in.
Despite Miocic’s time away, “DC” is expecting a much more competitive outing than what Gane gave Jones.
“How does my man Jones look in an actual fight?” Cormier asked. “Because he’ll get a fight this time. He’ll have to go rounds. If he doesn’t, boy, if this guy, if either of these guys wipes the other one out it would be jaw-dropping. I would be as shocked as I was when Sean Strickland beat Israel Adesanya.”
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VIDEO STEW
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MORNING MUSIC
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Take your pick.
Which rematch would you like to see most, being that it’s rematch szn?
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 20, 2023
Bully support.
Shoutout to all my supporters pic.twitter.com/TjCHWa6RMx
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From the cage to the ring.
It’s fight week pic.twitter.com/cmx6I7vCaj
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Clean.
That’s a creative way out of side control pic.twitter.com/17hAdorpO8
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GSP.
Posing after a 72-hour fast will make you look your best.
Time to eat now 😉 pic.twitter.com/wOAqUWDwwh— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) September 20, 2023
Education.
I was invited by the NSAC to sit in on their meeting today where the process for scoring 10-8 rounds was reviewed.
Every round with a 10-8 score from Saturday was re-watched with each individual in the meeting tasked to anonymously score each round in a poll followed by… pic.twitter.com/FQO8z8rHMF
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Nicksick.
I know I’ve been super critical about MMA judging in the past, and by no means am I saying Mike Bell’s 10-8 was correct, but I have to say that he’s been one of the most consistent judges I’ve dealt with over the years.
— Eric Nicksick (@Eric_XCMMA) September 20, 2023
MSG.
About a year ago my wife took this picture of me, she said next year when you fight in MSG you will have this picture. I was reluctant to take the pic because I had yet to fight in MSG and I thought I wouldn’t for some reason. But here we are in camp getting ready for it. I was pic.twitter.com/CXl6WrkWf7
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Moving on.
Finally…
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Rivals.
Kai Kara is a big bicth, but like big like you never see. We still waiting he sign the new contract for December
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Probably.
Dildo Dan pulling out prob
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He’s back.
I am glad to be able to face this Brazilian challenge again,even if in a different coat.But that doesn’t change the fact that I will prepare well for this challenge and go for the win. It’s not just about the belt anymore,it’s about the performance and the path to victory #ufc295 pic.twitter.com/yoLLtJEKqD
— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) September 21, 2023
Birthday.
Happy 30th birthday to Pancrase!!!
パンクラス30周年おめでとうございます! pic.twitter.com/kaHz1GV2VW
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MK Rob.
Can’t wait to throw down in the new Mortal Kombat 1!
Drop a comment below to let me know who your favourite character is!#AD #MK1 @WBGamesANZ pic.twitter.com/8D1PlD4oXu
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Noche.
Sisters.
Soon.
Spike’s lookalikes.
The Japanese fans thought Spike Carlyle resembled some celebrities, so we decided to get his opinion!
[#RIZIN44 | 9/24 | https://t.co/eEpfmslPEX ] pic.twitter.com/pYCtxFlrtB— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 21, 2023
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1) vs. Alex Pereira (8-2); UFC 295, Nov. 11
Bubba Jenkins (21-7) vs. Chris Wade (23-10); 2023 PFL Championship, Nov. 24
Khai Wu (7-4) vs. Phil Caracappa (9-3); 2023 PFL Championship, Nov. 24
Miesha Tate (19-9) vs. Julia Avila (9-2); UFC Fight Night, Dec. 2
Puna Soriano (9-3) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (14-5); UFC Fight Night, Dec. 2
Alexandre Pantoja (26-5) vs. Brandon Royval (15-6); UFC 296, Dec. 16
Leon Edwards (21-3) vs. Colby Covington (17-3); UFC 296, Dec. 16
FINAL THOUGHTS
Weirdly, I think everything worked itself out regarding the light heavyweight title because Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira is just a ridiculous matchup. The other two are also fun in their own ways but they just don’t hit the same.
Thanks for reading!
EXIT POLL
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