Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic Preview & Picks
Jon Jones is tipped to retain his UFC heavyweight title by stoppage.
Jones cemented his G.O.A.T. status by returning to become a two-weight world champion last time out.
He has the striking to mix it up with Stipe Miocic on the feet and the power to knock out the fighting fireman.
- Jon Jones is unbeaten in his last 16 fights
- 17 of Jon Jones’ 27 career wins have come by stoppage
- Stipe Miocic was stopped with strikes in 3 of his 4 losses
- Stipe Miocic has not fought since March 2021
Jon Jones Form
Jon Jones is the UFC heavyweight champion with a professional record of 27-1 (10 KOs, 7 Subs) with 1 No Contest.
Jones is considered by many to be the greatest fighter of all time, with issues away from the Octagon the biggest reason why he has been largely inactive for years.
The 35-year-old became the youngest UFC champion of all time when he knocked out Mauricio Rua to become light-heavyweight champion in March 2011.
‘Bones’ went on to submit Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida, before besting former champion Rashad Evans by decision.
He soon returned to his finishing ways though, tapping out Vitor Belfort before knocking out Chael Sonnen.
Jones then reeled off unanimous decision wins against Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira and Daniel Cormier, but his career soon stalled as out-of-the-ring issues began stacking up.
He ended a 15-month absence to beat Ovince Saint Preux by unanimous decision to win the interim title, only to then get stripped due to a failed drug test.
Fifteen months later he returned to knock out Daniel Cormier to regain the light-heavyweight title, but another failed drug test resulted in him losing the belt in the wake of the fight.
That did not put the UFC off putting him in another title fight when he returned 17 months later, and this time his third-round knockout of Alexander Gustafsson stood.
He went on to beat Anthony Smith by unanimous decision and Thiago Santos via split decision, and then bested Dominick Reyes on points in February 2020.
That would prove to be Jones’ final fight for over three years, but when he did return, he returned in style.
‘Bones’ made his comeback as a heavyweight back in March 2023 and submitted Ciryl Gane in 2:04 of the first round to win the vacant title.
Stipe Miocic Form
Stipe Miocic is a two-time former UFC heavyweight champion with a professional record of 20-4 (15 KOs).
Miocic suffered a couple of defeats in the first few years of his UFC stint, but soon turned it around to become a contender.
He rebounded from a unanimous decision loss to former champion Junior dos Santos with a fifth-round knockout of Mark Hunt.
The 40-year-old American then earned himself a title shot by knocking out Andrei Arlovski in the first round.
Miocic took his big chance in emphatic fashion as he stopped Fabricio Werdum in less than three minutes, and in his first defence he took out Alistair Overeem in the opening round.
He bettered that in his next defence, avenging his previous defeat to dos Santos with a first-round knockout of the ex-champion.
The fighting fireman then made it three successful defences when he outclassed Francis Ngannou to secure a unanimous decision win.
However, his reign came to an end in his next fight, as he suffered a surprise first-round knockout loss to light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Miocic rebounded immediately by knocking out Cormier in the fourth round to regain the title a year later.
He then won the trilogy fight with former Olympian in August 2020, this time winning the fight on points.
Miocic has not won inside the Octagon since though, with his last outing a second-round knockout loss to Ngannou that cost him the title in March 2021.