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It’s no secret the general MMA fanbase has been less than enthused with the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s plans for its heavyweight title. Rather than acquiescing to the fans’ desires to see interim champion Tom Aspinall challenge incumbent titleholder Jon Jones for the undisputed heavyweight crown, the organization is dead set on Jones defending his belt against Stipe Miocic.
The organization isn’t alone in that decision, though I’m only referring to a single person in that sentiment. Jones has been insistent that he defends his title against Miocic, a two-time champion. On paper, it would appear to be a generational clash. Jones, considered by many to the be the sport’s greatest of all-time regardless of weight class, would take on the man whom many believe is the greatest heavyweight in the history of the sport. It should take minimal promotion to sell this to fans, right?
Under different circumstances, that would be true. Instead, Jones has fought a total of 124 seconds over the last four and a half years, and it will have been over three and a half years since Miocic stepped into the Octagon if the two men collide at UFC 309 in November. Given that the sports world is very much a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately place, neither Jones nor Miocic has done much for fans, nullifying the excitement that should be there.
It’s because of the slated participants that the enthusiasm is dead. Jones decided he didn’t want to defend his light heavyweight title anymore around the middle of 2020, allowing himself to be stripped of the championship in a supposed move up to the heavyweight division. Rather than jump right into the heavyweight title picture, Jones waited. Not that he wouldn’t have had to wait some in the first place. Miocic was the champion when Jones surrendered the belt and was destined to have a rematch with Francis Ngannou. Jones would have to wait for the outcome of that showdown. Once it happened—and once Miocic lost the belt to Ngannou—Jones wasn’t exactly eager to jump off the sidelines.
This is hardly an argument that Jones was scared to fight Ngannou. Rather, it’s an argument that Jones has been interested in protecting his “undefeated” record as much as possible, given that few count his disqualification loss to Matt Hamill as a legitimate defeat. A loss isn’t likely to do much to tarnish his legacy; Fedor Emelianenko is still considered an all-time great despite several losses in the twilight of his career. Nevertheless, Jones does appear to be very protective of his record as his career winds down, not unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr. Thus, after Ngannou’s unceremonious exit from the UFC, Jones saw a favorable matchup in Ciryl Gane for the title and took advantage, winning the heavyweight championship at UFC 285 in March 2023.
As for Miocic, he has been insistent that he’s only fighting for the title. While I do believe he had a fair argument for an immediate rematch with Ngannou given that he won the first matchup between the two, the UFC didn’t want to go in that direction. Miocic decided he would play the waiting game, a game that is not without risk. When Jones won the title and labeled Miocic as his next opponent, it looked like his gamble had paid off. The two were scheduled to collide at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in November 2023.
Had the fight happened as planned, the present backlash would have been nonexistent. Jones and Miocic would have done the damn thing, and the heavyweight division would most likely be moving along in one form or another. Instead, Jones tore his pectoral muscle, and rather than have Miocic fight a replacement for the interim title, Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich were plucked to square off against one another. It was a true unstoppable-force-meeting-an-immovable-object contest, as they had blasted through each of their opponents whenever their appendages weren’t giving out on them.
After Aspinall proved to be the truly unstoppable object by disposing of Pavlovich in 69 seconds, he then avenged his lone UFC loss when he plowed through Curtis Blaydes in a minute flat. That proved to be Aspinall’s seventh win since Miocic last won a fight. To put it this way, Aspinall has won seven times more fights than these two all-time greats have combined in the last four years. If they weren’t considered active fighters, that wouldn’t be a problem. Given that they are active fighters, it’s a major issue in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business.
This isn’t meant to disparage the legacies of Jones or Miocic. It’s merely a matter of fact. The truth of the matter is Jones and Miocic have given the fans a big middle finger. I won’t say whether it was done purposefully, as I can’t do so with certainty, but like any sport, the fight game is more entertainment business than anything else. If people aren’t entertained, they won’t care who is the best in any athletic venture. Over the last several years, Jones and Miocic haven’t given a care to entertaining those who they expect to fork over their hard-earned money for what they hope will be the biggest payday of their careers.
That isn’t to say I don’t understand their stances. The fight game is hard on the brain and the body. There are only so many fights in their bodies before they give out. They want to be selective of their paydays. With that said, how much has Miocic made fighting over the last three and a half years? Given that he hasn’t fought, he hasn’t made anything. It has been long enough that Miocic hasn’t fought a single person on the active roster; all his previous opponents either retired or are fighting in other organizations. He’s now 42, has zero wins over the last four years and was never a particularly endearing figure to fans in the first place. It isn’t hard to see why fans don’t care to see him fight when they’ve seen Aspinall obliterate everything in his way the last several years.
Every time a fighter steps into the cage, he is taking a risk—I will never say otherwise—but to say there is no risk in stepping aside and waiting for what one believes he deserves is ludicrous. Opinions are going to vary over what is deserved for each fighter, and more opinions are going to sour if they haven’t seen that fighter perform recently. By not throwing the fans a bone and reminding them of who he is, Miocic has made himself one of the more reviled members of the roster. It’s unfortunate, given that Miocic is a stand-up guy.
Had Miocic played the game some—he could have taken a fight with Blaydes or with even someone more favorable, such as Derrick Lewis—he could have had enough of an argument to fend off the all the hate he is currently receiving. As much as I dislike all the hate Miocic is getting, I happen to agree with the majority: Jones should be fighting Aspinall next.
After Aspinall disposed of Blaydes, Daniel Cormier brought up an excellent point. When World Wrestling Entertainment announced it was going to do Roman Reigns vs. The Rock in the WrestleMania 40 main event, there was severe fan backlash. The WWE backtracked and returned it to what the fans were originally getting, with Reigns defending against Cody Rhodes. The beloved Rhodes had been present for the entirety of the year, week in and week out. He was the one the fans wanted to see finish the storyline. Every aspect of this fight matches up with that. The uncrowned upstarts who have answered the call at every opportunity (Rhodes and Aspinall). The part-time champions who have already achieved legendary status (Reigns and Jones). The inactive legends returning to the chagrin of the fans (The Rock and Miocic). If UFC President Dana White wants to maximize the return on UFC 309, he needs to give the fans what they want: Jones vs. Aspinall.