Ex-Heavyweight Champ Stipe Miocic Believes ‘Thunder Fist’ Francis Ngannou Beats Jon Jones if They Ever Fight

Stipe Miocic, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is one of the few fighters who’s faced both Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou in the Octagon, so when he weighs in on the long-awaited potential showdown between the two, we listen closely. And he thinks Ngannou is the baddest man on the planet, who finishes Jon Jones courtesy of his ‘thunder fists’. 

While the fight is no closer to happening than it was a few years ago, Miocic’s statement does ring true. Every single person who has been at the receiving end of a proper Ngannou punch has fallen; even the great Tyson Fury. Jones has, of course, gone through 3 generations of UFC champions and at this moment, continues his reign in the heavyweight division.

But having faced  Ngannou while still being in his prime, Miocic believes Ngannou keeps on reinventing himself. In their first encounter at UFC 220 in January 2018, Miocic successfully defended his heavyweight title against the Cameroonian, securing a unanimous decision victory.

However, in their rematch at UFC 260 in March 2021, Ngannou won by knockout in the second round, claiming the heavyweight title. Explaining the Cameroonian’s metamorphosis in a conversation with ‘The Schmo’, Miocic said,

“Well Francis he has got great power you know. He is getting better every fight. Jones is one of the best of all time. Francis always comes with a game plan but he also has thunder in his fists. I think Jon would keep his distance, do well get him down to the ground. But if Francis connects, its all over.”

Jones, obviously, wasn’t too happy with Miocic’s choice and posted the response in an Instagram story, sarcastically captioned, ‘Of course’.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Jones and Ngannou will fight each other. However, Jones can put all doubts about his greatness to rest if he agrees to fight interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall.

He has long been dodging the question of unifying the heavyweight title and has even refused interviews where he believed questions about Aspinall would be asked. Since his win against Miocic at UFC 310, Jones has also maintained that the only way he would fight Aspinall was if the UFC paid him well enough to not care for the consequences.

Aspinall, meanwhile, has remained hopeful that the fight will materialize and asserted that the talks with the UFC were in progress. If the fight actually does materialize, however, he will have a real task on his hands! Fortunately, Miocic has some words of advice for the would-be undisputed champion.

‘Keep calm’, suggests Stipe

Aspinall might be tough and represent a new generation of heavyweights, but historically speaking, Jones has made a habit out of chewing out championship prospects. That said, Aspinall is extremely well-rounded and is really fast for a man weighing 250 lbs.

Miocic highlighted these points and said, “Tom is super tough and he hits hard, moves well, he’s a big man,” adding that staying calm under pressure would be key.

He continued with a bit of humor, “Don’t do what I did,” referring to his own struggles in their fight. 

Miocic believes that if Aspinall is smart with his shots and maintains composure, he has a good chance. Whether or not his faith is misplaced will have to be seen once Jones signs on the dotted lines.