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Stipe Miocic: Fans Are More Excited for My Fight With Jon Jones Than Tom Aspinall

Miocic boldly believes his showdown with Jones is what UFC fans prefer.

Mathew Riddle

Aspinall (DAZN), Miocic (MMA Fighting), Jones (BBC Sport)

Stipe Miocic (20-4-0) fights for the UFC heavyweight title against current champion Jon Jones (27-1-0 1NC) in the main event of UFC 309 on November 15.

Miocic hasn't fought in the UFC since March 2021, when he lost the heavyweight title by knockout to Francis Ngannou. Since then, British phenom Tom Aspinall has gone 5-1 in the promotion, winning and defending the interim title.

Stipe Miocic being knocked out by Francis Ngannou in their UFC 260 rematch, March 27, 2021.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

For this reason, fans believe Aspinall holds the stronger claim to the Jones fight, but Miocic believes otherwise, telling MMA Fighting that "a lot more people want to see the [Miocic vs. Jones] fight than him [Jones fighting Aspinall.]"

Miocic and Jones are each rumored to retire after their Madison Square Garden finale.

Tom Aspinall Determined to Earn a Shot at UFC 309 Winner

Aspinall (15-3-0) is the official backup fighter for the UFC 309 main event. In a YouTube video on October 31, he announced his plans to convince the winner to stick around for a fight.

"What's the plan?" Aspinall remarked. "Turn up [to UFC 309], do some media, cause a few scenes here and there, and try to make the winner stick around and fight me, hopefully."

Regardless of the outcome of UFC 309, Aspinall told TNT Sports that he has spoken to the UFC and put together a "roadmap" for the heavyweight title in 2025. This will likely involve the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov at UFC 310.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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