UFC 295: First look and fight keys to Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Their matchup is set to be one of the biggest MMA fights of the year and one of the biggest heavyweight MMA fights in some time.

Jones is the longtime former UFC light heavyweight champion and the most acclaimed light heavyweight fighter in the sport’s history. He is now the UFC heavyweight champion after having taken three years off to bulk up to stop Ciryl Gane via first-round submission at UFC 285 in March.

Miocic, meanwhile, is the most successful heavyweight fighter in UFC history. He has four UFC heavyweight title defenses over two reigns, the most ever in the division. He has also beaten the likes of Ngannou, Daniel Cormier (twice) and other former champs like Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum.

Jones vs. Miocic has long been a dream matchup, and fans will finally get to see it later this year. Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Ian Parker look at the fight, its significance, how it got made and how it might go down in the Octagon in November.

What has Stipe been doing since fighting Ngannou? Will he be ready?

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Raimondi: Working as a firefighter and paramedic in the Cleveland area. No, seriously. Miocic was promoted to a full-time firefighter last year and got a job at a new station. That and spending time with his young family have been Miocic’s focus since he dropped the title to Ngannou in March 2021. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been training or ready to fight, though. There was one point last year when the UFC wanted Miocic back, but he had to ask for more time for a full training camp and the UFC went in another direction. He has obligations with the fire department, and Miocic takes them very seriously. He would not have been…