Junior dos Santos gives his prediction for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (Video)
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has weighed in on the upcoming fight for the title he once held.
UFC 295, the organization's marquee event at Madison Square Garden, will be headlined by a fight between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champion, Stipe Miocic.
"It's a great fight," dos Santos told FanSided MMA. "That's the fight for them (UFC) to be doing right now in the heavyweight division. Jon Jones is amazing, everybody knows. Miocic hits very hard, [has] good grappling and wrestling skills, and is very motivated. He's very motivated. The fire in the heart of the fighter to go for things."
After over three years of inactivity, Jones returned at UFC 285 in March. In his heavyweight debut, Jones submitted Cyril Gane in just over two minutes and became the undisputed champion. Meanwhile, Miocic, another former heavyweight champion, a loss to then-champion, Francis Ngannou in 2021.
Jones called for a fight with Miocic after his return, and the UFC obliged.
Miocic and dos Santos have split their two meetings in the Octagon. Dos Santos won their first fight in a Fight of the Night in 2014. The two met again in 2017, and Miocic evened the score in his second title defense.
"If there's someone in the heavyweight division that can give Jon Jones some serious trouble-- this guy is Stipe," dos Santos said.
Junior dos Santos makes his bare-knuckle MMA debut against Favricio Werdum
Dos Santos has a 21-10 MMA record, 16-9 in the UFC. He won his first five pro bouts and went on a 10-fight win streak after losing to Joaquim Fererria.
After leaving the UFC in 2020, he returned to action in 2022, fighting in Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC. Unfortunately, he lost in his return against Yogran De Castro via TKO.
Despite five consecutive losses across two promotions, the 39-year-old continues to fight. Dos Santos will be headlining Jorge Masvidal's Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5 on September 8 in Jacksonville, FL where he will face former UFC rival, Fabricio Werdum.
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