UFC fighter Jon Jones Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Chael Sonnen explains why Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic fight may under-deliver

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 7/10/23

After months of trash talk and years of playing cat-and-mouse, the long-awaited UFC heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones (27-1) and Stipe Miocic (20-4) will officially happen at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.

And while most fans have been asking for the heavyweight super fight for some time, former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen believes the bout has the potential to seriously under-deliver.

“When two guys don’t want to fight, I don’t want to see it,” Sonnen said on “The MMA Hour.” “Jon Jones and Stipe clearly don’t want to fight—which one it is, I don’t know. They clearly don’t want to fight each other, so that’s very hard to get interested in. And I just can’t imagine…how the hell we’re going to light a fire under that when you’ve got two guys that don’t want to fight.”

UFC president Dana White maintained that he’s tried to get Jones and Miocic to agree to fight for some time. He even attempted to sign the fight for UFC 290 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8, but it never materialized.

Dana White reacts to booking Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 and said the fight "had to happen."

Full interview: https://t.co/qINXkEf4K3 pic.twitter.com/UAtKkSFCQS
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 8, 2023

The two took shots at one another via social media over the last few months. Jones called out Miocic in March for ducking the fight, while White admitted in April that it was Jones who he couldn’t get ahold of while trying to finalize the fight contract.

Despite Sonnen’s belief that neither fighters actually want to fight each other, Miocic told UFC’s Megan Olivi on Saturday that he’s been waiting to get the Jones fight finalized.

“I thought it was going to be July, but it didn’t happen that way,” Miocic said. “It’s Nov. 11. I’ve been waiting for this day. It’s the fight I want. It’s the fight he wants. Nothing better.”

Jones’ first-round submission win over Cyril Gane at UFC 285 in March was his first fight in nearly three years. It also marked a successful debut at heavyweight in which he won the vacant heavyweight title.

Miocic hasn’t fought in over two years, last losing to former champion Francis Ngannou via second-round knockout at UFC 260 in March 2021. Prior to that, he won eight of nine fights, including a 6-1 record in heavyweight title fights with four successful title defenses.

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