Jones Doesn’t Need Tune-Up Fight To Beat Miocic

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

According to Jones, when the day comes, he intends to fight for the title straight away, as he says he doesn’t need a tune-up fight to get his feet wet in the land of the big men. Never lacking confidence in himself, Jones says he’s pretty sure he can beat current champion, Stipe Miocic, in his first fight in the new division.

“I feel like I really want to fight Stipe Miocic,” Jones said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “I feel like I could beat him. I don’t think I would need a tune-up, I feel like I am pretty tuned up. I am pretty in tune,” he added.

Since 2015, Stipe’s lone loss has come against former UFC “champ-champ,” Daniel Cormier, a man Jones has defeated on two separate occasions. And while Miocic did get revenge on “DC” by knocking him out at UFC 241, Jones says he’s seen enough tape to pull out the victory.

“I feel like me at a lean 230 is plenty. I feel like I could totally beat him, just based on his performances with D.C., our speed differences, my fight IQ, my versatility, my faith and confidence,” Jones added. “I think I’m the guy to beat him for sure. And I want to strike while I’m feeling hot.”

Interestingly enough, Cormier recently admitted that the only way he sees Jon ever losing inside the Octagon is if he runs into a heavy-handed Heavyweight. And with 16 knockout/technical knockout wins on his resume, Miocic definitely fits the bill.

Speaking of Cormier, he is in line to get a trilogy title fight against Stipe sometime in 2020. As for Jones, he is set to defend his 205-pound title this Saturday night (Feb. 8, 2020) against Dominick Reyes in the main event of UFC 247 inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

To see who else is fighting at UFC 247: “Jones vs Reyes” click here.