Stipe Miocic calls for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane winner in July

Stipe Miocic wants the winner of Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane.

The two-time UFC heavyweight champ piped up on Twitter to call out the new heavyweight champion, who will be crowned after Jones and Gane fight for the title left vacant by the departure of Francis Ngannou.

Miocic hasn’t fought since losing the belt by knockout to Ngannou in March 2021. But the 40-year-old firefighter and paramedic thinks a summer fight with the new champ would work just fine.

“March 4th – I like it,” Miocic wrote. “I got winner in July.”

For a short spell, Miocic was attached to the welcoming committee for Jones’ debut at heavyweight. Jones indicated a bout with Miocic was in the works for UFC 282 this past December. Then UFC President Dana White threw cold water on that idea, telling reporters it wasn’t in the pipeline.

Miocic and Jones were supposed to fight at UFC 218 with Jones moving up in weight to challenge the then-champ. A failed drug test from Jones scrapped that idea, White later said.

Miocic’s return has been a question mark since his knockout loss to Ngannou. The most successful heavyweight in UFC history, he defended the belt three times during his first run as champion, including a decision over then-contender Ngannou. In his second run, he avenged a knockout loss to Cormier and won a pair of rematches before ceding the belt.