Hungry to beat Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic unbothered by criticism of UFC 309 title shot
NEW YORK – In the buildup to UFC 309, there’s been a lot of criticism surrounding Stipe Miocic’s upcoming fight against Jon Jones. But to the former heavyweight champion, it’s all white noise.
Miocic returns to the cage this Saturday in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden where he challenges Jones for the heavyweight belt. The championship opportunity comes after Miocic spent more than three-and-a-half years inactive, with his last win coming in August 2020.
Lots has been said about the making of this fight, especially with UFC interim champion Tom Aspinall being available, but it hasn’t bothered Miocic one bit.
“I don’t really worry about that,” Miocic said at Wednesday’s UFC 309 media day. “That’s one thing I learned in this career. I stopped caring what people think. You have your opinion, you have your opinion, I’m not going to change it. I really don’t care.”
Miocic blocking people out isn’t exclusive to UFC 309. Miocic hasn’t really paid attention to critics for quite some time.
“In the beginning of my career, I was a little sensitive about it. Like you don’t know me, I don’t know you, so why are you saying sh*t about me?” Miocic said. “I would get terrible DMs and stuff like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ You don’t know me. I literally just stopped caring because I realized they don’t know me, and I don’t know them. They’re just pissed off about something, and they’re trying to take it off on me. I couldn’t care less, honestly. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
In terms of the fight, it’s been sold and promoted as one of the biggest legacy bouts in UFC history. For Miocic, a win is a win, and that’s all he’s focused on.
“They’re all special,” Miocic said. “I like winning, so every win, like between all three (title reigns), they’re all wins. That’s all I care about. To me, they’re all special. But maybe this one a bit because it’s the Mecca (MSG), and it’s Jon Jones. It doesn’t get bigger than that.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.