"Thank God" - Fans cheer on as Stipe Miocic announces it's "far from over"

Stipe Miocic is one of the most likeable fighters in the UFC today. At 41 years of age, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion is at the tail end of his storied MMA career. So, when his UFC 295 title fight against Jon Jones was cancelled, many fans wondered if this would usher the end of Miocic’s fighting career as well.

Jones will be out of action for eight months according to UFC CEO Dana White. The time frame could greatly diminish the chances of Miocic’s return, given his age.

However, Miocic recently took to his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) handle and clarified that he is far from done with his fighting career. In a short but inspiring message, the former heavyweight kingpin gave fans hope, saying:

“Far from over.”

Stipe Miocic fans were relieved to see the post and dropped wholesome messages of support in the comments section. Meanwhile, others reacted with wit and humour.

Here are some of the top comments:

Fan reactions to Stipe Miocic's post

Stipe Miocic is widely regarded as the most accomplished heavyweight fighter in UFC history. He holds the records for most consecutive title defences in the division's history (three) and most title fight victories (six) spread across two separate title reigns.

Meanwhile, Jon Jones ruled the light heavyweight division for nearly a decade before vacating the title in 2020. He captured the vacant UFC heavyweight title by defeating Ciryl Gane in March 2023. The winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic has the opportunity to cement his legacy as arguably the greatest fighter in the UFC’s upper weight classes.

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Dana White explains the reason for removing Stipe Miocic from the UFC 295 main event

Jon Jones was set to attempt the first defence of the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 PPV event on November 11, 2023. Surging knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich served as the back-up fighter for the main event. After Jones was forced out of the fight due to a serious injury in the pectoral region, Miocic was removed from the card as well.

UFC CEO Dana White explained the reason for not offering an interim title fight to Miocic while speaking to the MMA media. He explained:

"You have the greatest heavyweight of all time versus the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. This is a legacy fight for both of those guys. I mean, to even call Stipe and ask Stipe to fight for an interim title is, you know, complete disrespect."

Watch Dana White make the statement below:

With Jones and Miocic out of the picture, Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall will fight for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295. The light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka has now been promoted to the UFC 295 main event slot.