New UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones won his highly anticipated return bout in short order Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time believes history will repeat itself the next time he steps in the octagon.
Competing in his first UFC fight since Feb. 2020 and his first in a new weight class, Jones needed only two minutes and four seconds to defeat Cyril Gane via submission and claim the promotion's vacacant heavyweight championship. The legend's victory set the stage for a title bout with Stipe Miocic, who Dana White identified as the belt's No. 1 contender the day before UFC 285.
Speaking with Joe Rogan moments after choking out Gane, Jones said he wanted the fight with Miocic "real bad." At his official post-fight press conference, "Bones" took his bravado to the next level.
"I say it respectfully to Stipe: I would take time off from being a firefighter right now," Jones told reporters, per MMA Junkie. "I mean that with all due respect. My whole world is going to be focused on him. This is the biggest opportunity in my life, to be the heavyweight GOAT, and I'm going to give it everything I've got -- absolutely everything I've got. Stipe is talking about how he's heavier than me right now. His head is already in the wrong spot if he thinks weightlifting is going to beat me. He'll never be younger than he is right now. He'll never be faster. I'm going to not only beat Stipe Miocic, I'm going to finish Stipe Miocic before the championship rounds."
Miocic hasn't faught in the UFC since March 2021 when he lost the heavyweight championship via knockout to Francis Ngannou, who proceeded to leave the promotion and vacate the title. Miocic is five years older than Jones, turning 40 this past August.
It remains to be seen when Jones and Miocic will battle for the gold, but the latter on Friday revealed a July bout during International Fight Week is being discussed.
