What Could Get in the Way of Jones and Miocic Fighting?

This Saturday, Stipe Miocic will look to add to his already legendary resume by earning another heavyweight title defense over Francis Ngannou. It’s a huge fight for the division and could set the winner up for a fight with Jon Jones later this year. Of course, there are many things that could get in the way of Jones and Miocic ever meeting in the cage.

The most obvious is Francis Ngannou, who most agree is the scariest knockout artist in UFC history. Today, we’ll talk about the upcoming bout between Miocic and Francis. Later, we’ll discuss what else could get in the way of Stipe fighting against Jones.

Let’s get into it!

Only a Few Days Remain Until Miocic vs. Ngannou 2

Stipe Miocic has never really been given credit for what he has accomplished in the UFC. He’s the most successful heavyweight champion in history and has already set the record for most consecutive title defenses. Most recently, he won a thrilling trilogy fight against Daniel Cormier.

Miocic isn’t the flashiest fighter in the division. He’s effective, though, and has managed to finish many of the greatest heavyweights of this generation. Many now question how he will fare against Ngannou in their rematch.

MMA fans have never seen a fighter like Francis Ngannou before. He has been on a tear over his past four fights with each victory coming by knockout before the two-minute mark. He now has victories over fighters such as Curtis Blaydes, Junior Dos Santos, and Cain Velasquez.

Miocic and Ngannou first competed in 2018. On Saturday night, they will meet in the cage for a second time. Fans around the world are now trying to predict how this bout will play out. That’s not easy when considering how skilled both Stipe and Francis really are.

This entire card is loaded with exciting matchups. Unfortunately, the originally scheduled co-main event between Alex Volkanovski and Brian Ortega has been postponed. A welterweight clash featuring Tyron Woodley and Vicente Luque now takes its place.

There is some exciting action taking place in just a few days. Interestingly, many are still looking ahead to a possible showdown between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones.

Here’s Why Jones and Miocic May Never End Up Fighting

Jon Jones is generally considered the greatest mixed martial artist in UFC history. He won the UFC light-heavyweight title at 23 years old and defended it time after time against the best challengers in the division. After a win over Dominick Reyes, he vacated the 205-pound belt in order to move into the heavyweight division.

Miocic is facing an extremely dangerous challenger this Saturday. The first fight with Ngannou went well for the heavyweight champion. Francis claims that he learned from that bout, however, and seems confident that he will earn a stoppage victory in the rematch.

If Ngannou manages to win, Miocic may decide to retire from the sport. He’s already one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC heavyweight history and is now 38 years old. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him hang up the gloves with a win on Saturday.

This week, Miocic took part in a media scrum and claimed he will not even think about booking a fight against Jon Jones until the fight with Francis Ngannou has concluded.

“Right now all I’m worried about is the fight coming up with Francis,” Stipe said. “That’s all I care about. I’m not going to worry about Jon Jones until I take care of business.No question [Jon Jones is a big fight for my legacy], definitely but all I’m worried about is Francis. That’s all I care about. The task at hand right now. He’s the only one.”

That is exactly the kind of response that fans would expect from Stipe Miocic. Of course, a loss may push him to simply retire from the sport. It seems unlikely that he would make another title run in the weight class.

Hopefully, Jones and Miocic end up competing sometime down the line. Both of these men are superstars and it would be fascinating to see how they match up from a stylistic point of view.

Who is Favored in Saturday’s Heavyweight Title Fight?

MMA fans love to see the best heavyweights in the UFC fight one another. This Saturday’s fight has a particularly large amount of hype surrounding it. Just about everyone is curious to see if Miocic manages to once again pull off the victory against the most dangerous fighter in the sport of MMA.

Initially, Francis Ngannou came into this bout as a massive favorite. Many were surprised at that fact. Miocic dominated their first bout, yet fans cannot ignore the fact that Ngannou can score a knockout at any second.

These odds are beginning to narrow, though. BetOnline currently has Stipe Miocic as just the +103 underdog. Some still believe he should be favored in this matchup. At least he is not coming in as a massive betting underdog, though.

Francis Ngannou has looked nothing short of perfect over his past four bouts. He seems ready to win a world title and claims to have learned a lot from the first fight with Stipe. Now, he is listed as the -123 favorite to secure his first world championship.

This should be an amazing bout and will have a big impact on the heavyweight division moving forward. Stay tuned for an in-depth betting breakdown of this matchup over the next few days!

Do you think we’ll ever see Jones and Miocic competing? If so, who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments section below!