Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic set for delayed UFC heavyweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK (AP) - Stipe Miocic chewed on his place in UFC history as he picked at a plate of food in between - and even during - questions ahead of his heavyweight clash with champion Jon Jones that should satiate the palate of most fight fans.

After a year delay, and MMA pundits would argue this fight should have gone down much earlier than Saturday night, Miocic gets his shot at a third heavyweight championship reign when he fights Jones at UFC 309.

Win or lose, Miocic isn't thinking retirement just yet.

Oh, as a fighter? Sure, the prospect of the 42-year-old Miocic hanging up the gloves after his fight at Madison Square Garden looms as a talking point ahead of the showdown with Jones.

As a firefighter and paramedic in Ohio, Miocic isn't ready to retire his hose.

"Oh, that's a long time away,” Miocic said.

Almost as long as Miocic (20-4) has had to train - and stew for more than three years since his last fight - for his shot at Jones.

The heavyweights were slated to fight last November at the Garden until Jones, widely considered the greatest fighter in the world, tore a tendon during training and was forced to withdraw. UFC President Dana White deemed an interim championship fight was beneath a fighter of Miocic's stature.

"Of course," Miocic said, "I wanted Jon Jones more than anything."

Miocic would join MMA great Randy Couture as the only UFC fighters with three title reigns in one division. Miocic beat Fabricio Werdum and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier to win his previous two heavyweight championships.

A win against Jones might top the exhilaration of the previous title wins.

"They're all special," Miocic said. “But maybe this one, I think, because it's the Mecca; it's Jon Jones. It doesn't get any better than that. Or bigger."

Cormier knows the feeling about as well as any fighter of the thirst to fight Jones. Cormier, who now calls fights for ESPN, is also forever connected to Miocic thanks to their epic UFC trilogy. Cormier also fought Jones (27-1-0; 1 NC) twice.

Cormier lost to Jones at light heavyweight in 2015 and again in 2017, though the latter was overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinabo. He beat Miocic for the heavyweight crown with a first-round knockout in 2018, then lost consecutive fights to him in 2019 and 2020 before he retired.

Cormier wanted to stay neutral because of his commentary role and declined to pick a winner. A former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, Cormier did break down the fight for The Associated Press.

Jones is a 15-1 favorite, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

"Jones' best weapons are that he's so diverse, man. And he's tough," Cormier said. "You can hit him with some really big shots, hard shots, and he just doesn't get deterred. He's very tough, diverse weapons, well-rounded, great cardio, fight IQ is really high."

Jones reclaimed his UFC light heavyweight title in July 2017 by stopping Cormier in the third round with a vicious head kick and a finish on the ground at UFC 214.

"I couldn't even touch Jones," Cormier said, laughing. "I'm like, diving at him, throwing lunging punches and he's kneeing me the whole time."

Cormier abruptly flattened Miocic in July 2018 with a right elbow out of a clinch in the first round of their first fight and was crowned heavyweight champion.

“He's got a championship mind," Cormier said. "He can adjust on the fly, which is very important."

Cormier lost the title back to Miocic in 2019 and was defeated via unanimous decision in the final fight of his career a year later.

"He's very fast for a big guy," Cormier said. "He's going to be faster than Jones this weekend in terms of hand speed. He's freaking strong, man. Like, physically just strong. When he grabs you, it's very difficult to get away from that dude."

Both fighters are 6-foot-4, though an 84-inch reach could actually hinder Jones if they go deep into the five-round bout.

"When he's in close, he's not as good," Cormier said. "When you get inside of his range, he's not as good because his arms are so long. He's almost limited to kneeing and trying to elbow. If you're a guy that's good in the clinch, you can get some punches off on him."

Both fighters have had little to do but train over the last five years.

Jones hasn't fought since he ended a three-year sabbatical and choked out Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. Miocic last fought when he dropped the belt to Francis Ngannou at UFC 280 in March 2021.

Cormier compared Miocic to retired New England Patriots QB Tom Brady in the sense that they were both athletes who thrived - and took hard hits - from their late 30s and into their 40s.

"Stipe Miocic is tasked with going out there for 25 minutes and doing something he's done his entire adulthood," Cormier said. "He's big now. He's 250! He's huge. He doesn't even look like the same guy I fought. When I fought him he was 230 because he wanted to be faster because I was fast. Jon's not as fast with his hands. But if you stay in range, Jon will kick you, and he will kick you a lot and hard."

Both fighters have teased retirement, though a fight with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looms for the winner.

No matter the outcome, Miocic said he was reporting back to duty later in the week with his Ohio fire department. Jones’ legacy as one of the great mixed martial arts fighters of all time is secure.

"I think for Stipe it will be tough to continue," Cormier said. "If the sport wants Jon Jones around, Stipe needs to win. I think there's a better chance Jones fights again soon if he loses. If he wins, he has nothing to prove. He's done everything."