Daniel Cormier believes Stipe Miocic’s layoff has been too lengthy for him to come back again in opposition to somebody the caliber of Jon Jones.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), the UFC heavyweight champion, is insistent on rebooking his title combat in opposition to Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) upon his return from damage. Jones was scheduled to face Miocic within the UFC 295 primary occasion however withdrew after tearing his pectoral tendon. He additionally lately had surgical procedure on his left elbow.
Not solely does Cormier desire Jones to combat interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as an alternative, he doubts Miocic will probably be in prime kind in opposition to Jones. Miocic hasn’t competed since shedding his heavyweight title by knockout to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
“The hardest combat and essentially the most significant combat in all of preventing proper now could be Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall,” Cormier stated on his “Funky and the Champ” present with Ben Askren. “I don’t even know at this level if it needs to be Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, and I like Stipe. Stipe’s a fantastic man, however at that age, with that a lot day off – look, I fought till I used to be 41, and I used to be comparatively lively earlier than I had again surgical procedure. I fought 3 times in 2018 after I was 39 years outdated as a result of I used to be heathy.
“However to go that lengthy and not using a combat, and the final combat being a brutal knockout, right into a title combat with a man like Jones? I don’t know. I don’t know what Stipe appears to be like like in the present day. For 4 years, he’s lived the lifetime of a traditional particular person. Certain, he could go to the health club and prepare, however Ben, since you’re in there wrestling with these youngsters each day, does that make you a aggressive wrestler nonetheless? It doesn’t. Can Stipe nonetheless compete at that stage, is the query.”
Jones was in a position to efficiently return after greater than three years away when he wanted lower than a spherical to submit Ciryl Gane and declare the vacant heavyweight belt at UFC 285 in March 2023.
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