The UFC heavyweight division is probably in its most exciting state in many years. The Cyril Gane vs Jon Jones fight had been leaked by the T-mobile arena and UFC promptly confirmed the fight for March. With all this happening, former champion Stipe Miocic has finally decided to break his silence and announce a return.
Earlier Dana White talked about Francis Ngannou’s release, “We offered Ngannou a deal that would make him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time. He turned it down. We’re gonna release him from his contract. He can go and do whatever he wants.”
He talked about the leadup to the event, “We’ve been working on a new agreement with Francis for like two years now. We had gotten to a point where he was going to fight Jon Jones, many who believe he’s the best of all time for the heavyweight championship. And Jon Jones has been willing, ready, and able to fight anybody. He didn’t care who it was. Could have been anybody in the heavyweight division, he was ready to go.”
As for why Francis turned the offer down, Dana thinks, “He can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants. I think Francis is at a place right now, where he doesn’t want to take a risk. He feels like he can fight lesser opponents and make more money. The guy weighs over 300lb, just had knee surgery, and hasn’t had a real training camp. I think that probably has a lot to do with it.”
Now that the Cyril Gane vs Jon Jones fight is booked, Stipe has finally announced on Twitter, “March 4th – I like it. I got winner in July.”
March 4th – I like it.
I got winner in July.
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic) January 15, 2023
Stipe might be looking for another title fight but the UFC might have other plans.
