UFC booking Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou next year will mark the end of Stipe Miocic's career, believes Ariel Helwani

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani believes the failure to book Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for December means he wouldn't be surprised if Miocic retired from the sport.

Jon Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020 with a desire to challenge himself against the best heavyweights in the organization. 'Bones' considers Stipe Miocic at the top of that list and has referred to him as the GOAT of the division.

According to Jones, the delay in their fight is due to an issue with Miocic and the UFC. The 35-year-old has regularly posted on social media that he's ready and willing to fight but that the 40-year-old has yet to sign the contract:

"I'm bringing all the heat @Stipemiocic, I got that fire you could never put out. Sign the contract #UFC282"

In the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani responded to a fan question about Jones vs. Miocic. Helwani stated that he believes the UFC will look to book Jon Jones against Francis Ngannou instead, marking the end of Stipe Miocic's career:

"I wouldn't be surprised if this marks the end of Stipe's career. Stipe is going to go off into the night very quietly... He's a pretty quiet guy and private guy, he was not going to make a big deal of his fighting career. I think once they didn't really come with the right offer... I think now they're going to make the fight [for Jones] against Francis Ngannou in March... It wouldn't shock me if we never see [Miocic] again."

Catch the full show here:

---

Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones is at risk of losing his relevancy

According to Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones must stop taking hiatus away from MMA to remain one of its biggest stars. It's been over 1000 days since Jones last appeared in the octagon. In that time, the UFC has continued to grow into one of the most exciting sports in the world.

Jones initially vacated the 205lbs title over a new contract dispute and insisted that he was more than willing to wait on the sidelines until he penned a new deal.

'The American Gangster' lauded Jones as a GOAT of the sport but insisted that choosing to be inactive isn't enough anymore. Sonnen believes Jones must force his next fight or risk becoming irrelevant:

"The whole thing [differences with the UFC] was over contractual dispute. It's your pie, you've [Jon Jones] got to decide how you cut it off...[but] you have a real problem on your hands. He has had three years and he has not changed that. In three more years, he's a distant memory from the sport... You've had three years and you've shown me you don't know how to build one [a fight].

Catch the video here: