Is Joe Rogan right about Jon Jones' next fight? Breaking down the UFC heavyweight triad

Joe Rogan recently chimed in with his analysis of Jon Jones' potential next fight. Rogan seemingly lent his support to UFC CEO Dana White's stance that Jones' upcoming fight should be against Stipe Miocic.

Former UFC light heavyweight (205-pound) champion Jones went on a three-year hiatus from professional MMA competition after his final light heavyweight title defense in Feb. 2020. His comeback fight witnessed him make his heavyweight (265-pound) divisional debut in March 2023, defeating Ciryl Gane via first-round submission to capture the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

Jones was to make his first heavyweight title defense against former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 (Nov. 2023).

Nevertheless, a pectoral injury sidelined Jones, and the UFC roped in Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich to clash for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Aspinall bested Pavlovich via first-round KO and won the interim belt. The Briton then defended it by defeating Curtis Blaydes via first-round KO in their rematch in July 2024.

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Joe Rogan's stance on Jon Jones' next fight

Jon Jones will likely defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Nov. 16, 2024. Tom Aspinall has relentlessly campaigned for the UFC to scrap the Jones-Miocic fight and have him face Jones in a title unification matchup.

Aspinall's sentiments have been echoed by many in the MMA community. Regardless, UFC head honcho Dana White has consistently maintained that Jones would fight Miocic next, with the winner possibly fighting Aspinall in a title unifier.

On episode 2186 of the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast, Joe Rogan's fellow comedian Ari Matti spoke about being uninterested in the Jones-Miocic fight. Rogan disagreed and alluded to Miocic's accomplishments, including the highest consecutive title defenses (3) and total defenses (4) in UFC heavyweight history.

The veteran UFC color commentator deemed Miocic an all-time great who deserves a title shot against Jones. Rogan has often acknowledged the young Aspinall's greatness as well.

Rogan and Matti concurred that the Jones-Ngannou dream matchup, unfortunately, slipped away. Ngannou departed the UFC in Jan. 2023 after failed negotiations. Well, Rogan appeared to defend Dana White's and the UFC's position of having Jones fight Miocic next and stated:

"I feel like you got to give Stipe one more shot. I feel like the guy has been strung around for this long. If you want to respect the history and the lineage of the UFC heavyweight championship, he's the most accomplished UFC heavyweight of all time."

He added:

"He defended the title more than anybody. And, you know, he stopped Daniel Cormier. He's a legit killer. He stopped a lot of, like, very, very good people. He stopped Junior dos Santos. Yeah, he [Miocic] beat Francis [Ngannou] the first fight ... The second time was a different Francis [Ngannou]."

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (2:40):

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A look at the UFC heavyweight triad

With Francis Ngannou out of the UFC equation for the foreseeable future, the three names in the UFC heavyweight title picture are Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, and Tom Aspinall.

To play devil's advocate, Joe Rogan's point about Stipe Miocic is valid. Miocic's accolades warrant an immediate title shot. Moreover, he's an intriguing stylistic matchup for Jones, possessing the size and well-rounded MMA arsenal to take on a fellow all-time great like 'Bones.'

However, two key variables severely dent Joe Rogan's argument. Miocic is 42 years old and hasn't competed since his second-round KO loss in his rematch against Ngannou in March 2021.

Miocic's last win came in Aug. 2020 against an aging Daniel Cormier who retired thereafter. On the contrary, the 37-year-old Jones still has a few years left before age presumably diminishes his athleticism and speed.

Honestly speaking, Rogan's stance may be in line with what White and the UFC are planning, but is in stark contrast to what the vast majority of MMA fans want. The fight world is demanding that Jones fight Aspinall next. It'll generate significantly greater buzz than the Jones-Miocic fight at this point in the trio's respective careers.

In addition, the Jones-Aspinall winner could then fight Miocic, thereby ensuring that the heavyweight icon gets one last shot at reclaiming the heavyweight championship.