This past Saturday evening, Stipe Miocic made his controversial return to the UFC Octagon at UFC 309 where he took on Jon Jones for the undisputed heavyweight title.
Despite having been inactive for the past three years, the UFC granted Stipe Miocic an immediate title fight upon his return, causing uproar amongst the UFC fanbase.
However, the 42-year-old’s inactivity became extremely apparent early on in his UFC 309 main event against Jon Jones, as the commentary team constantly pointed out how slow the former champion looked.
Francis Ngannou sends heartfelt message to Stipe Miocic following retirement
Even though the consensus before the event was that Miocic would retire regardless of the result, he confirmed his plan following his disappointing loss in the third round, announcing his retirement.
Miocic will go down as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, and still holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses in the division, with three.
One of which, came against Francis Ngannou back in 2018, when he dominated ‘The Predator’ to a unanimous decision win.
The two went on to rematch in 2021, in what will go down as one of the biggest rivalries in UFC heavyweight history. Ngannou scored a huge KO putting their rivalry to 1-1, however, following his win, he left the promotion abruptly.
Reacting to the 42-year-old’s retirement, Ngannou sent Miocic a heartfelt message, thanking him for the rivalry they shared inside the cage.
“Thank you, champion, for all you’ve done for our sport and, above all, for the class you embody and the example you set. I’m grateful for how our battles have shaped me into a better fighter; those moments taught me more than years in the sport,” Ngannou said.
“Enjoy your well-earned retirement and best wishes for all your future endeavors,” the former champion continued.
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Francis Ngannou sends a message to Jon Jones following his UFC 309 win
Since walking away from the UFC in 2022, Ngannou has received continuous criticism from the UFC CEO, Dana White, with the boss claiming that ‘The Predator’ ran away from a potential fight against ‘Bones’.
The two have continuously gone back and forth with each other in interviews, with Ngannou claiming that it was Jones’ fault the fight didn’t ever come to fruition.
Considering Jones’ recent attitude towards a potential title unification fight against Tom Aspinall, MMA fans have begun to take the side of Ngannou.
Although he is no longer part of the UFC’s heavyweight roster, Ngannou kept a keen eye on the UFC 309 main event and sent the champion a short but poignant message following his win.
“Jones looked great out there tonight. Congrats Jonny boy. I see you,” Ngannou said on X.
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