Stipe Miocic, widely considered the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, shared a unique perspective on his last professional mixed martial arts bout.
In 2024, Miocic concluded his illustrious fighting career by facing Jon Jones, another prominent contender for the GOAT title, in what would be his final championship contest.
Following a hiatus of over three years, Miocic returned to challenge Jones at UFC 309. This highly anticipated pay-per-view main event was Jones`s inaugural, and ultimately sole, defense of the heavyweight title.
Due to Miocic`s age and extended absence from competition, many anticipated an easy victory for Jones, a prediction that seemed to materialize with a third-round TKO stoppage.
Despite the loss in his final UFC appearance, Miocic believes his last fight was far more competitive than the outcome suggests.
Stipe Miocic Claims Jon Jones is `Beatable` Despite TKO Loss
The heavyweight icon`s career ended after Jones delivered a powerful spinning body kick. However, Miocic, an Ohio native, asserts that he was performing well prior to the decisive strike.
In a recent interview on Sofascore`s A Guest and a Half, Miocic indicated that he identified numerous vulnerabilities in Jones`s game before succumbing to a strike he feels he should have avoided.
“We were trading blows,” Miocic recounted. “Then he caught me with a spinning kick. I had actually trained to defend that specific move, but I misjudged it by just an inch.”
“He’s exceptionally skilled,” Miocic acknowledged, “but he isn’t without flaws. I believe I managed to expose some of them. He is definitely beatable.”
UFC 320 Challenger Names `Best American Fighter Ever,` Overlooking Jon Jones
Many regard Jones as the UFC`s greatest of all time, and he too retired this year after a distinguished career, similar to Miocic.
However, Cory Sandhagen, a title contender at UFC 320, disagrees with this assessment and doesn`t even consider `Bones` to be the top American fighter.
In a conversation with TNT Sports prior to his upcoming fight against Merab Dvalishvili this Saturday, Sandhagen named Chuck Liddell as his choice over Jones.
For the overall greatest of all time discussion, `The Sandman` selected Anderson Silva.
