"Stipe is motivated" - Chael Sonnen reveals Stipe Miocic has gained '20 pounds of muscle'

Chael Sonnen has revealed that Stipe Miocic has gained 20 pounds of muscle ahead of his highly-anticipated return to the octagon.

Miocic’s last fight was a second-round KO loss against Francis Ngannou in March 2021. The former champion weighed significantly less than Ngannou heading into the fight. With the current champion sidelined due to a knee injury, many believe the Cleveland native could fight Jon Jones for the interim UFC heavyweight title upon his return.

In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen discussed a possible Miocic-Jones matchup. Recalling that he texted Miocic’s wife Ryan Marie Carney about how much he (Miocic) weighs, Sonnen stated:

“She texts me back, ‘Haha. His latest is 249.’ I’m gonna call that 250 for the rest of this talk. 'So, he’s naturally lean, which is good. He doesn’t puff up like a lot of heavyweights.’ Now, that’s huge.”

Chael Sonnen recalled that he was worried Miocic would be much lighter than Jones if and when they eventually fight. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Furthermore, Sonnen noted how Carney highlighted that Miocic looks great despite having gained a considerable amount of weight. Emphasizing how tough it is for an athlete to gain weight the right way, ‘The American Gangster’ said:

“She [Miocic's wife] said he’s 249, and he’s not puffy like most heavies. That tells me a lot. That’s worth a thousand words; that simple message right there. It means Stipe is training. It means Stipe is pi**ed off. It means Stipe is motivated.”

Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Stipe Miocic’s weight gain, and more, in the video below:

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John McCarthy foresees Jon Jones beating Stipe Miocic in a potential heavyweight fight

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been bulking up for his heavyweight debut. The consensus in the MMA world is that the 34-year-old’s divisional debut could be an interim UFC heavyweight title matchup against Miocic later this year.

Former MMA referee John McCarthy addressed this on the Weighing In podcast and picked Jones to beat Stipe Miocic. Noting that Miocic, 39, could face problems against the younger Jones, McCarthy said:

"Stipe is getting older and it's the wrestling that usually works for him… He's not going to be able to threaten it in any fashion with Jon. That's going to cause a problem and Jon can do it in reverse to him."