Why Jon Jones is both right and wrong for facing Stipe Miocic next

Earlier this year, Jon Jones reemerged after a long hiatus to make his highly anticipated octagon return. 'Bones' had relinquished his title at light heavyweight in pursuit of divisional glory at 265 pounds, and after Francis Ngannou's public departure from the UFC, the heavyweight throne was vacant.

To stake his claim over the division, Jon Jones faced former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, who happened to be a past teammate of Francis Ngannou's, and the latter's last UFC fight. Their showdown took place at UFC 285, and 'Bones' was victorious, courtesy of a first-round submission.

After enthroning himself, the new heavyweight champion issued a public challenge to Stipe Miocic, who sat in attendance. While fans were excited, the thrilling emergence of Sergei Pavlovich as a destructive force in the division left many clamoring to see Jones face the hulking Russian.

Instead, Jones chose to face Miocic, and the two will clash at UFC 295, as was recently announced. While many don't care to see him fight Miocic due to the latter's age and other factors, there are things to consider. So, with that in mind, here's why Jon Jones is both right and wrong for facing Stipe Miocic.

---

Why Jon Jones is right

Prior to his return and without the heavyweight title that has made him one of the few two-division champions in UFC history, Jon Jones already boasted a résumé worthy of arguable GOAT status. The number of former UFC champions on his record is countless.

During the height of Khabib Nurmagomedov's popularity, questions asking whether the Dagestani was the greatest fighter of all time arose, prompting Jones to remind everyone that he has more UFC title fight wins than Nurmagomedov has UFC fights. It is clear that Jones' legacy is of great importance to him.

He is well aware that his past PED scandals have tainted his standing in the all-time great conversation, but he understands that no one can dispute his dominance. For his legacy as a mixed martial artist to look as good as possible, he is better off facing Stipe Miocic.

Stipe Miocic is a former UFC heavyweight champion and holds the record for the most title defenses in the division. Furthermore, he is one of only two fighters to defeat former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier, with Jon Jones being the other. Despite Miocic's age, he is a big name to have on one's record.

In 10 years, most of the fanbase won't remember that Miocic was in his 40s when he and Jones fought. All they'll do is hear about Jones' greatness from those who watched his career, then take a look at his record and notice that Miocic is among one of the many UFC champions 'Bones' has beaten.

While Sergei Pavlovich is certainly a worthy foe, he is no champion, and facing him does far more for the Russian's legacy than Jon Jones'. The former 205-pounder correctly pointed out that Pavlovich is an unknown. His name doesn't resonate with anyone outside of the hardcore MMA fanbase.

With his 36th birthday this coming Sunday, Jones is battling Father Time and is not in the business of doing favors for others. He is here to strengthen his legacy. A win over Stipe Miocic would mean that he has beaten 9 former UFC champions (including Ciryl Gane, a former interim champion).

Furthermore, it would count as a win over the greatest heavyweight in UFC history in a matchup that's already being billed as the light heavyweight GOAT versus the heavyweight GOAT. By contrast, a potential loss to a non-champion with no name value like Sergei Pavlovich would stain his legacy.

At this stage in his career, he no longer needs to prove himself to anyone.

---

Why Jon Jones is wrong

While fighting Stipe Miocic is the most sensible option for 'Bones' in terms of enhancing his legacy, it is a poor choice in terms of competitive merit. Most people predict a non-competitive fight for Jones against Miocic, and with good reason. The former heavyweight champion will be 41 years old by the time they fight.

Not only is he past his prime, but he hasn't fought in over two years, so cage-rust may well be a factor in how he performs against Jones. While 'Bones' managed to shake off the rust and score a dominant win over Ciryl Gane, he was not 41 when he did so, and he was given a favorable matchup.

The Frenchman's defensive wrestling and grappling are poor, such that even a severely compromised Francis Ngannou, with an injured knee, managed to outwrestle him. Yet, even Jones confessed to feeling some rust in the striking department after his return.

The case is different for Miocic. Worse still, besides his age and potential cage-rust, he is coming off of a loss to the only other man except Sergei Pavlovich that fans want to see Jon Jones fight: Francis Ngannou. The real contender in the division is Pavlovich, who is on a six-fight win streak, all knockouts.

He is the division's #1 ranked heavyweight, above Miocic, who is undeservedly ranked #3 despite two years away. The three remaining men in the top five are Ciryl Gane, who Jon Jones just beat, Curtis Blaydes, who Sergei Pavlovich just beat, and Tom Aspinall, who is returning from injury against Marcin Tybura.

There is no one else who deserves a bout with Jones more, and no one else who is similar enough to Ngannou in size and knockout power for 'Bones' to point to as evidence of how easily he would have beaten the Cameroonian, especially after his much greater performance over a mutual opponent in Ciryl Gane.

Choosing an over-the-hill 40-something year old coming off of a knockout loss, with two years away from active competition, over the #1 ranked heavyweight with a six-fight win streak has led to a tremendous amount of criticism.