Stipe Miocic Will Battle Jones-Gane Winner for UFC Heavyweight Title, Dana White Says

Ancient UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will take on the winner of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the title.

UFC president Dana White confirmed at Friday’s press conference that Miocic is the next challenger for the championship after UFC 285.

“He’s absolutely the next one,” White said. “So, whoever wins on Saturday night will face Stipe subsequent.”

Miocic had been campaigning to fetch a shot at the winner of Saturday’s heavyweight showdown.

When UFC announced the Jones-Gane bout in January, Miocic tweeted he wished the winner in July.

White didn’t philosophize a doable timeline for Miocic to fetch his shot. UFC 290 is probably going to be the promotion’s marquee July 4 weekend match. It is scheduled for July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The timeline will moreover probably depend on how the winner of Jones-Gane feels popping out of the fight and the blueprint in which quickly they’re looking out to hasten attend into training for a title bout.

Jones is making his heavyweight debut on Saturday. This can also simply moreover be his first fight since defeating Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 to aid the sunshine-heavyweight title in February 2020. The 35-12 months-long-established weighed in at 248 kilos for Saturday night.

Gane is tense for the heavyweight title for the first time since shedding a unification bout to Francis Ngannou in January 2022. He did rebound with a victory over Tai Tuivasa at a UFC Battle Night time show camouflage on Sept. 3.

Miocic hasn’t fought since shedding the title to Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. He at the origin pushed to take on Jones at UFC 285, nonetheless the firm opted to hasten in a numerous direction.

Arguably the correct heavyweight fighter in UFC history, Miocic is a two-time champion and has a 14-4 profession narrative with the promotion. He’s the fully heavyweight to successfully defend the UFC title three consecutive times.