It’s been almost two years since the former UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, graced the octagon. With Jon Jones‘ return announced now on March 4, it is now in expected that ‘Stone Cold’ makes his return to the UFC, too. And it appears that this year is all about comebacks since the Ohio native green-lit the news of his comeback this year when talking to Ariel Helwani. Interestingly, his comeback would’ve been in March itself, that too, against ‘Jonny Bones’, but things didn’t go that way. Furthermore, the 40-year-old talked about the exit of his former opponent Francis Ngannou and offered his viewpoint on the happening.

He even expressed his interest in facing ‘The Predator’ for the third time. But given that Ngannou is gone, it won’t be in the UFC. But it seems that the domain they fight in is the least of concern for Stipe Miocic.

Stipe Miocic is ready to put on his boxing gloves for Francis Ngannou

When talking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Stipe talked about the tweet that he put out, where he expressed his interest in fighting the winner of Jones vs. Gane. And speaking of his comeback, he said, “That’d be awesome… I’d love that fight for Francis and that belt, but that’s not gonna happen.”

When asked about his thoughts on Francis Ngannou‘s exit, Miocic answered, “It’s his decision. I wish he would have stayed. I would have liked another crack at him, you know. Unfortunately, it just didn’t pan out that way. He’s doing what’s best for him and his family. I wish him nothing but the best. And, hope it works out.”

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Moreover, before concluding their conversation, Helwani asked the 40-year-old about a third go with the Cameroonian fighter. But given his exit, boxing could be an open door. Responding to that, Miocic said, “That would be fantastic.” It appears that the former Golden Gloves champion is ready to scratch his itch of boxing and shine those gloves back on for Francis Ngannou.

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Having said that, these are exciting times for the UFC since Jon Jones is returning to the octagon to fight Ciryl Gane. However, not many might know, but Stipe Miocic was the first choice for Jones’ comeback fight. But apparently, Dana White had different plans.

The UFC didn’t let Stipe Miocic vs. Jon Jones happen

Jon Jones told MMA Underground that he wanted Stipe Miocic for his comeback fight. That was his preference. But that didn’t work out, unfortunately. And when Ariel Helwani asked about it to Miocic, he confirmed the news and said, “Yeah… (But) They went with Ciryl,”.

Upon being asked whether he was down to fight Jon Jones, Miocic said, “Yeah, definitely 100 percent (I was open to it),”

He continued by saying that he didn’t quite know why that didn’t transpire. “Not a matchmaker, couldn’t tell you. I don’t know. They just went in a different direction and said, ‘Maybe July.’”, said Miocic.

Additionally, he agreed with the fact that Jon Jones was a great fight for him. ‘Stone Cold’ said, “Yeah. Definitely was. It’s a great fight, a great match up for me. But at the end of the day, not my decision, unfortunately. But you know, we’ll see what happens… I’d love a crack at one of those guys, whoever wins it.”

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Well, now it’s about time to see how the bout between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane goes. And if the UFC pits Stipe Miocic against the winner thereafter.