Michael Bisping thinks it would be a mistake to heavily underestimate Stipe Miocic against Jon Jones.
Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It’s been almost four years since Miocic last competed – a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. Jones on the other hand, made it look easy against Ciryl Gane when he returned from his own long layoff at UFC 285 in March 2023. Jones is a heavy favorite over the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion.
“I’m telling you right now, everyone’s overlooking Stipe Miocic, and these people are absolutely out of their minds,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Right now, according to DraftKings sportsbook, Jon Jones is a -600 favorite. Stipe Miocic is a +440 underdog. This guy is a massive underdog. He is being overlooked, disrespected, completely forgotten about in the heavyweight division, and this man has an opportunity to go out there and shock the entire world, beat Jon Jones, and become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
“People are underestimating Stipe Miocic, and why is that? It’s because the last time we saw Stipe Miocic was UFC 260, March 2021 at the UFC Apex when he went up against Francis Ngannou. We all know how that ended. It was a brutal punch, a vicious knockout. … That’s what people remember. This sport is about what have you done for me lately, and people forget everything Stipe did. People forget that Stipe, on paper, is the greatest heavyweight to ever fight in the UFC’s octagon. He defended the belt three times, which is something nobody else has ever done.”
Bisping thinks the lengthy layoff could play in Miocic’s favor, explaining how there won’t be an physical or emotional trauma after his brutal knockout loss to Ngannou.
“This man feels disrespected,” Bisping said. “He feels overlooked. He knows the entire world is talking about Jon Jones, will he or won’t he fight Tom Aspinall, the interim champ. Don’t tell me that doesn’t piss you off.
“When you’re somebody like Stipe Miocic, a proud man, a very capable man, a former champion, a two-time heavyweight champion of the world and people are just overlooking you? Jesus Christ, that is a powerful motivator.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
