Jairzinho Rozenstruik: Stipe Miocic Should Only Return For A Title Fight

UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik believes former champion Stipe Miocic should only return for a shot at the belt.

Rozenstruik is set to make his Octagon return at UFC 273 against Marcin Tybura. Like Miocic, Rozenstruik is looking to get back in the thick of things in the heavyweight division following a recent loss.

Miocic hasn’t fought since he lost the belt to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260. He’s been linked to a potential fight with Jon Jones for an interim title while Ngannou recovers from his knee surgery.

Miocic has a history of waiting for title fights instead of taking bouts against other top contenders. He followed this pattern after he lost his first fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 226.

During an exclusive interview with MMANews’ James Lynch, Rozenstruik gave his thoughts on whether or not Miocic should wait for a title fight.

“If I were Stipe, I’d want to do that,” Rozenstruik said of Miocic. “So I think that’s the idea. (At this) stage of his career, (coming) back for a title fight is the only thing that makes sense.”

Miocic is arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history after multiple title runs and five successful defenses. He first earned the title over Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 and won the last two fights of his trilogy with Cormier.

Miocic doesn’t appear to be in any rush to make his Octagon return and could wait and see what the UFC opts to do with Ngannou sidelined. While an interim title is more than likely not at the top of his list, earning a win could get him a third matchup with Ngannou.

Who do you want to see Stipe Miocic fight in his return?

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