“Not Sure What’s going on” Jon Jones reveals his fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 282 is being delayed by the former champion
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Jones and Miocic
Seems like Jon Jones can’t wait to return to the Octagon but it is former champion Stipe Miocic who’s currently an obstacle to those plans. Recently Jones revealed his plans to return by the end of the year on Twitter while hinting that Miocic might possibly be the reason for the delay.
Jones has been out of the UFC octagon for more than two years now. His last fight against Dominick Reyes was one that had many fans questioning the end result with the ultimate query being whether it was the division that caught up with Jones or time itself. Since then Jones has made his mind to finally make his long-awaited heavyweight debut.
Answering a fan about the possible date for his next fight, Jones wrote, ” I’m preparing to fight Stipe December 10 in Las Vegas. Not really sure what’s going on between Stipe and the UFC but I’m ready to compete! I’m going to control what I can and stay in shape.” Jones expressed that he wishes to be on the year-ending card of UFC 282.
Jones’s reply also hinted at Miocic being the problem behind the delay. Since his loss to Francis Ngannou, Miocic has been out of the spotlight, choosing instead to focus more on his responsibility as a firefighter. There have been no official statements by Miocic himself about his possible return.
Another popular option for Jones to face in his heavyweight debut has been current champion, Francis Ngannou, however, Ngannou’s been recovering from knee surgery and will only be available by early 2023.
Jon Jones’s long road to the Heavyweight Division
Jones has teased a move up to heavyweight since as early as 2014. However, he only started taking concrete steps towards the move since his controversial win over Reyes. He vacated the belt, shortly after this fight and promised to make his return at heavyweight.
Since then there have been many delays in getting the fight to fruition both due to the UFC’s stubbornness on pay and Jones’s own troubles outside the octagon. During the pandemic itself, Jones was arrested multiple times for reasons ranging from a DUI to reckless use of a firearm.
Also Read: Michael Chandler refuses to add Jon Jones to his list of greatest fighters for this reason
The most infamous of these arrests came shortly after the 2021 Hall of Fame night when he was arrested over charges of domestic violence in Las Vegas. As a direct result of this, he was removed from his gym, Jacksonwink MMA .
Since the Jones has managed to mostly stay out of trouble and seems more poised than ever to make his triumphant return to the octagon.
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Jerin Mathew
(713 Articles Published)