What does one think of when the name Stipe Miocic comes to mind? ‘Greatest heavyweight of all time?’. What about his UFC 309 opponent, Jon Jones? ‘The greatest MMA fighter of all time’? What would happen when the greatest heavyweight of all time clashes with the greatest MMA fighter of all time? The former two-time heavyweight champion has some thoughts on this.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting SBN, Stipe Miocic was asked how his fight with Jones would end. A man of a few words, Miocic said the following, “Oh, of course with a knockout. There’s no question”. On being asked whether he thinks Jon Jones has fought anyone with his power, the former heavyweight champ said this – “Maybe, maybe not, I don’t know. You know, I mean, I’ve never fought those guys. But, you know, we’ll find out.”

These statements echo Miocic’s words from his last fight against Francis Ngannou, where the heavyweight champion was sure that he’d leave the octagon the winner. However, a freshly rejuvenated Ngannou had other plans for Miocic, as he knocked the then-heavyweight champion out in the second round at UFC 260. With Jon Jones as his comeback opponent, Stipe Miocic will arguably face his toughest test to date.

Stipe is all of 42 years old, going into the fight with Jon Jones, who is five years his junior. The age disparity could prove to be a massive advantage to ‘Bones’. Furthermore, Jones is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation for Stipe Miocic. While Stipe Miocic has five more knockouts than Jones, the two-weight champion has seven submission victories. With Olympic gold medalist Brandon Gibson and GOAT jiu-jiteiro Gordon Ryan in his training camp, Jones could be preparing for grappling exchanges as a counter to Miocic’s power. Sure of a win against Miocic, Jones plans to retire after his UFC 309 clash with Miocic. Win or lose – does Miocic have the same plans as Jones after their clash?

Will Stipe Miocic’s fight against Jon Jones be his last?

The age window for heavyweight fighters is much wider than that of the lighter weights. Take Daniel Cormier, for example, who was a two-weight champion at age 38. Another MMA legend that comes to mind is Randy Couture, who started competing in MMA at age 33 and retired at age 47. That being said, the clash with Jon Jones is bound to take miles off of the former two-time heavyweight champion’s career.

Some argue that Miocic should have retired after his loss to Francis Ngannou. With three consecutive title defenses and winning the heavyweight title twice, Stipe forged his status as ‘the greatest heavyweight in UFC history’.

However, the fighter spirit inside Stipe Miocic remains committed to his craft and undeterred by thoughts of retirement. In a recent conversation with Jake Paul, the Ohio native said, “I don’t know, man, after every fight I think about retiring. So we’ll see. Right now I’m just going to worry about the fight. I’m not going to worry about retirement until after the fight.”

What are your thoughts on the upcoming UFC 309 heavyweight clash? Do you think Stipe Miocic can achieve what no one else has accomplished against Jon Jones—send him into the shadows? Drop your take below.