'I don't think Stipe Miocic wanted to do this'… Former UFC star gives tough assessment as he explains why the icon is hanging up the gloves

11/20/2024 11:12 AM

Stipe Miocic looked a long way from his brilliant best in his losing effort to Jon Jones at the weekend, with a former contender saying he doesn’t believe the legend wanted to be in the octagon.

The Croatian-American has proven beyond doubt that he’s one of the best heavyweights to have ever graced the octagon.

Brendan Schaub thinks Stipe Miocic didn’t want to fight Jon Jones at UFC 309

At the peak of his powers, Stipe Miocic was a truly terrifying individual, blessed with incredible wrestling skills and the ability to render unconscious any opponent he touched with a single shot.

Alas, following a magnificent run, at the age of 42, he’s not quite the man he was in his prime.

Following the fight with Jon Jones, the icon told Joe Rogan that he was done with the sport in which he’s left such a remarkable legacy.

After listening to the greatest heavyweight of all time speak in the cage for potentially the final time, Brendan Schaub surmised that he didn’t actually have any desire to be there in the first place.

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In a clip uploaded to his Twitter, the former contender said: “I don’t think Stipe really wanted to do this. I think he’s been done for a long time; he knows his body is a fraction of what it used to be. He can’t really put his best foot forward; he’s just lucky he can move his foot forward at all at this point.

“Have you ever heard, in any sport, especially mixed martial arts, a guy of that caliber, you’re talking about an all-time great first ballot Hall of Famer, they give him the mic, there’s no special thing, there’s nothing there, he goes, ‘I’m done, thank God. Get me the f**k out of here, I don’t want to here in the first place, give me my check, I want to go back, fight fires, raise my kids’.

“That’s how he felt about it, ‘What did you think was going to happen? I’m 42. I don’t feel great, I don’t want to do this. It hurts to get up in the morning, it’s miserable going to camp, doing roadwork, getting in shape. I haven’t done this in four years. Now, I have to fight Jon Jones. Get me out of here, you can keep this bulls**t’. The greatest American heavyweight we’ve ever seen.”

Stipe Miocic breaks silence for the first time since Jon Jones loss, as he reveals whether he's really retired

In the days since the defeat to Jones, Miocic has had time to gather his thoughts and make a final decision as to whether he wants to continue with the sport.

In a testament to his incredible ability, while no longer in his heyday, he still had success on Saturday, and would likely still give a lot of good heavyweights a run for their money.

However, at the same time, having already achieved everything there is to do in the game, there could be little point in carrying on.

Regardless, with the dust settled, the Cleveland warrior has broken his silence, and opened up about whether it’s really the end.

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