UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is supposed to take on Stipe Miocic in his next title defense. If and when the fight does happen, Jon Jones is far from guaranteed to retain the championship, according to Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou knocked out Miocic at UFC 260 to become the UFC heavyweight champion on March 27, 2021. More than two years later, Ngannou seems to think that Miocic has a real chance to beat Jones and retake the title.
“It's gonna be tough for Jones,” Ngannou told TMZ when asked if Jones would beat Miocic. “I think we all don't give the credit that is due to Stipe. Stipe is not having enough credit. For me, he's still the guy at heavyweight. He's still the most challenging guy in the heavyweight division.”
Ngannou had one successful heavyweight title defense before leaving the UFC for the Professional Fighters League. After Ngannou was forced to relinquish the belt, Jones became the UFC heavyweight champion by defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. UFC President Dana White has confirmed that Jones vs. Miocic is the plan for the next championship fight, though there are concerns that the matchup could be in jeopardy.
Jones is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time. With a 27-1-1 career record, Jones' only blemishes on his resume are a loss by disqualification and a no-contest because of a failed drug test. Jones is a heavy favorite over Miocic in a potential fight.
Ngannou lost to Miocic by unanimous decision when they first faced off at UFC 2020 in January 2018. Miocic hasn't stepped inside a UFC ring since losing the championship.