Jon Jones gives two-word response to Stipe Miocic who snubbed UFC rival when naming ‘baddest man’ on the planet

Jon Jones wasn’t happy with Stipe Miocic, who snubbed him when naming his ‘baddest man’ on the planet.

Jones locked horns with Miocic at UFC 309 in November, stopping the his fellow heavyweight legend with a brutal spinning back kick.

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The main event clash marked Miocic’s last-ever MMA bout, as he subsequently announced his retirement after the fight.

‘Bones’ is the UFC heavyweight champion and his clash with Miocic was his first defence of the belt since winning it from Ciryl Gane in March 2023.

Since his victory, Jones has been linked with a mega-fight against UFC interim heavyweight champion, Britain’s Tom Aspinall, who hasn’t fought since stopping Curtis Blaydes at UFC Manchester in July.

In an interview with The Schmo, Miocic, who is a former champion in his own right, with the most consecutive title defences in UFC heavyweight history, was asked who he would describe as the ‘baddest man’ on the planet.

“I mean, I would go with Francis [Ngannou],” he said. “Just because he’s doing great and with his boxing.

“I would go with Francis.”

This prompted a reaction from Jones, who didn’t take to kindly to Miocic’s words, responding to his former UFC rival on Instagram.

“Of course,” Jones said, sharing a graphic which displayed Miocic’s pick as the ‘baddest man’ on the planet.

Miocic traded victories with Francis Ngannou between 2018 and 2021, dropping his UFC heavyweight title to the Cameroonian at UFC 260.

Ngannou left the UFC in 2022 as the heavyweight champion and fought Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the squared circle before signing for the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

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Having shared the octagon with both men, Miocic was then pressed on who he thought would win a potential tasty clash between Jones and Ngannou.

Both heavyweight giants never met in the UFC, much to the disappointment of MMA fans, who viewed it as the best fight Dana White’s promotion could put on for years.

“Well Francis, you know, he’s got great power, and he’s getting better every fight.” Miocic added. 

“With Jones, he’s good, one of the best of all time if not the best of all time. He’s smart, real tricky but with Francis, he always comes with a good game plan.

“But also he’s got thunder in his fists so that’s a tough fight. I think Jon would keep his distance, he’d do well, get him down to the ground but if Francis connects – all over.”

Miocic also had some advice for Aspinall, who has been calling for a fight with Jones for the last year to no avail.

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“Don’t do what I did!” he said. “Tom is super tough and he hits hard, moves well, he’s a big man.

 “If he stays calm under the situation and whatever happens, he just stays calm, I think he’ll be fine. If he picks his shots and he’s smart with what he does, I think he’ll do fine.”

UFC President offered a rare guarantee in November that Jones vs Aspinall would ‘100 per cent’ happen.

However, there is yet to be any official announcement from White or any senior UFC matchmakers.