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“I Deserved a Trilogy Fight”- Stipe Miocic Disappointed at UFC for Not Offering Him an Interim Title Shot

Published 11/23/2021, 11:30 AM EST

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The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has been out of action since March 2021. His last fight was against Francis Ngannou, which he lost via second-round knockout and dropped his title. Miocic had revealed that he wanted some time off from fighting but was surprised when UFC did an interim title fight.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he said that he was not even asked about the fight. Helwani asked him if he wanted to be in the fight and he said, “I would have loved to have been asked. I feel like I understand what the UFC’s doing, it’s a business, but at the same time I think that I deserved a trilogy fight.”

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“I wasn’t even asked for the interim fight,” Miocic said. “Who knows if I would have taken it, but just it would have been nice to be asked. Just toes in the water. I don’t know. We don’t know. It’s over with.”

The interim title fight happened between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis, which Gane won via TKO at UFC 265. He will face Ngannou at UFC 270.

“I Watch Him Train”: Stipe Miocic Says He’s Very Impressed with Jake Paul

What’s next for Stipe Miocic?

The former two-time heavyweight champion is definitely the greatest in UFC history. He holds the record for the most consecutive heavyweight title defenses, has four ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses, and always puts on a show. Currently, he is waiting for his next fight. He last entered the octagon at UFC 260, where he lost his title.

Many believed that he deserved an immediate rematch against Ngannou, but that didn’t work out. He said, “Listen, I’m used to it. It is what it is. It’s business. I get it, but at the same time, I feel like I was deserving of a trilogy fight. Everyone else has gotten one but me.” However, a trilogy fight is still his top priority.

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One more name that popped up to face Miocic was Jon Jones. Jones is a former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion and considered one of the greatest of all time. Last year, he decided he will move up to the heavyweight division in 2022. Miocic, when asked about that matchup said, “I’m down. I don’t think he wanted it. I don’t know the whole story, but I’m down. Then he wants a title shot. I know he’s done well, he’s probably one of the greatest of all time but you’ve still got to wait your order. That’s like me going to light heavyweight and being like I want a shot.”

Miocic vs. Jones will be an intriguing matchup and will get the fans hyped. However, Miocic wants the trilogy fight as well. It will be interesting to see how the UFC books Miocic in the future.

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Do you think UFC should’ve booked a trilogy fight? Let us know in the comments!

WATCH THIS STORY – “I Watch Him Train”: Stipe Miocic Says He’s Very Impressed with Jake Paul

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Written by:

Arunaditya Aima

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Arunaditya is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Multimedia Journalism from IIJNM, Arunaditya aspires to be an important voice in the world of MMA and interview the likes of Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, and other such superstars of the sport. He has followed the sport for over a decade and is an ardent fan of Georges St-Pierre, who he believes is the greatest of all time.
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