Dana White defends Jon Jones' fight against Stipe Miocic: “I should just give a shit on Stipe because Jon got hurt?”

UFC CEO Dana White is not giving up and is still waiting for the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight.

Jones and Miocic were originally scheduled to fight for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 295 in November 2023. But shortly before the event, Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle that forced him out of the race, and instead of having backup fighter Sergei Pavlovich step in to face Miocic, the UFC decided to postpone the fight altogether. The two now finally want to face each other in November, and although the fight has attracted increasing criticism recently, White is not convinced.

“What should I do?” White told the media after the latest episode of The Contender Series. “A guy who is considered the greatest heavyweight in the UFC, this fight is scheduled, Jon Jones gets hurt, it's not his fault. He has to wait and go back to damn training camp. He's been training. So should I just snatch the fight away from Stipe and say fuck you and sit on the bench for two more years?

“If I did that, you'd say, 'Oh, you cursed and disrespected the greatest heavyweight of all time!' And the damn fans too. So should I just give a shit on Stipe because Jon got hurt and not fight the fight he was supposed to fight anyway?”

The growing criticism of the Jones-Miocic matchup has to do with both the rise of interim champion Tom Aspinall and Miocic's recent past. Although Miocic is considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, the 42-year-old hasn't competed since over three years, when he was brutally beaten by Francis Ngannou, and has no wins over current UFC fighters. In contrast, Aspinall has five wins over currently ranked heavyweights in that time, including his last-minute announcement to fight for an interim title when the UFC postponed Jones-Miocic at UFC 295.

But when reporters refused to give Miocic a title shot under these circumstances, White maintained that this was the only realistic way to handle this scenario.

“I've got two legends of the sport that wanted to fight each other,” White said. “These guys are lined up, one gets hurt and this is the fight they both want. What do you do? Do you not give the guys the respect they deserve? I guarantee you, if Stipe wins, he's going to quit. This will be Stipe's last fight. So are you, the media, telling me to just tell Stipe to fuck off? 'Good luck Stipe, ride off into the sunset, go put out some fires and that's it for you, buddy, because Jon got hurt.' Or do I give this guy the respect I should give him and give them both the fight they want? That's the position I'm in.

“If Stipe were 32 years old, then yes, [an interim title fight] is probably what we're doing. But this is probably Stipe's last fight, win or lose, and I'm not going to disrespect the guy. He took the fight, he was ready for the fight, and Jon got hurt.”

Of course, that's little consolation for Aspinall, who has been fighting for a shot at the undisputed title since winning the interim belt, but White says his turn will come eventually.

“Aspinall is a young, tough guy,” White said. “He's got plenty of time. These guys are going to face each other in November and if he wins, he'll face Jon Jones, I almost guarantee you that. And if Stipe wins, we'll find out what's next for Aspinall.”

Although it is not yet official, Jones and Miocic are expected to face each other in the main event at UFC 309, which takes place on November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.