Don’t expect Stipe Miocic to get drawn into a war of words with Jon Jones.

With just days remaining until they meet in the UFC 309 main event, the seemingly respectful showdown took an odd turn after UFC Countdown aired prior to fight week. In the feature, Miocic said “bring it on, bitch” when addressing Jones and that apparently upset the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, who took to social media to fire back at his upcoming opponent.

“Hiring black fighters to mimic me will not help you, Stipe,” Jones wrote. “And you shouldn’t have called me a bitch, the disrespect wasn’t necessary. Let’s play.”

Miocic has no idea why Jones got so rattled by such an innocuous comment, but he’s not spending a lot of time thinking about it.

“I keep talking about that,” Miocic said during UFC 309 media day. “He was literally telling everyone he was going to beat my ass. I’m almost positive. Did he not say that before [I called him a bitch]? Sorry. Talk shit about me but whatever.”

If anything got Miocic heated it was Jones’ claim that he was “hiring Black fighters” to help him prepare for the fight.

“That was bullshit because they’re my teammates,” Miocic said. “They’re like, ‘We’re not getting paid?’ Apparently, I’m hiring people, too. Whatever.”

Throughout his career, Jones has engaged in a few tense rivalries, perhaps none uglier than his longstanding feud with Daniel Cormier. He also went through something similar with former teammate Rashad Evans after Jones became UFC champion while they were originally training under the same coaches.

Perhaps Jones’ comments towards Miocic are a way to get him more amped up for the fight or maybe it’s just a promotional tool to stir up more pay-per-view buys. Whatever the case, Miocic doesn’t really care much about what Jones has to say about him.

“Maybe [that’s what he needs to get motivated], maybe not,” Miocic said. “I don’t know what he’s thinking but some of the stuff, I’m just like OK. I literally had no idea [what he said] until somebody told me. It’s funny. It’s just comical. It’s actually very funny.”

It turns out his philosophy of not paying much attention to what’s said about him was an epiphany for Miocic that changed his career forever.

In the past, he admits that off-handed comments from fighters or fans would get under his skin, but Miocic learned over time that none of it really matters.

“In the beginning of my career, I was a little sensitive about it,” Miocic said. “You don’t know me, I don’t know you but why are you saying shit like that to me? I would get terrible [direct messages] and stuff. Like what is wrong with you? You don’t know me.

“But I literally just stopped caring because I realized, they don’t know me, I don’t know them. They’re just pissed off about something and they’re just trying to take it out on me. I could care less honestly. It’s the best thing I ever did in my life.”

Just because he doesn’t give fiery comments any oxygen doesn’t mean that Miocic has escaped that kind of vitriol coming his way. The difference these days, much like with what Jones had to say about him, is that Miocic pretty much just ignores it and moves on.

“You get hate all the time,” Miocic said. “You get DMs all the time [saying,] ‘You’re a piece of shit, I hope you die.’ Whatever. It is what it is.”

NEW YORK – In the buildup to UFC 309, there’s been a lot of criticism surrounding Stipe Miocic’s upcoming fight against Jon Jones. But to the former heavyweight champion, it’s all white noise.

Miocic returns to the cage this Saturday in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden where he challenges Jones for the heavyweight belt. The championship opportunity comes after Miocic spent more than three-and-a-half years inactive, with his last win coming in August 2020.

Lots has been said about the making of this fight, especially with UFC interim champion Tom Aspinall being available, but it hasn’t bothered Miocic one bit.

“I don’t really worry about that,” Miocic said at Wednesday’s UFC 309 media day. “That’s one thing I learned in this career. I stopped caring what people think. You have your opinion, you have your opinion, I’m not going to change it. I really don’t care.”

Miocic blocking people out isn’t exclusive to UFC 309. Miocic hasn’t really paid attention to critics for quite some time.

“In the beginning of my career, I was a little sensitive about it. Like you don’t know me, I don’t know you, so why are you saying sh*t about me?” Miocic said. “I would get terrible DMs and stuff like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ You don’t know me. I literally just stopped caring because I realized they don’t know me, and I don’t know them. They’re just pissed off about something, and they’re trying to take it off on me. I couldn’t care less, honestly. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

In terms of the fight, it’s been sold and promoted as one of the biggest legacy bouts in UFC history. For Miocic, a win is a win, and that’s all he’s focused on.

“They’re all special,” Miocic said. “I like winning, so every win, like between all three (title reigns), they’re all wins. That’s all I care about. To me, they’re all special. But maybe this one a bit because it’s the Mecca (MSG), and it’s Jon Jones. It doesn’t get bigger than that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Captain Harry Kane is unhappy with the number of players who have withdrawn from the latest England squad, insisting “England comes before club”.

Nine players have dropped out of the squad for Lee Carsley’s final two matches as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes charge in January.

“I think England comes before anything. England comes before club,” Kane told ITV Sport.

“England is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer and Gareth [Southgate] was hot on that and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if, you know, that started to drift from certain players.”

When asked if the desire to play for England has drifted this international break, Kane said: “Yeah, it’s a shame this week obviously.

“I think it’s a tough period of the season, maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit.

“I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think England comes before anything, any club situation.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and Levi Colwill have dropped out.

Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite was one of the replacement players called up to the squad, until he became the ninth player to withdraw.

Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah is set to be his replacement, having trained with the team for the past two days.

England likely must beat Greece in Athens on Thursday and Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday if they are to be promoted to League A of the Uefa Nations League.

NEW YORK – Paul Craig sees his jiu-jitsu being Bo Nickal’s kryptonite.

Craig (17-8-1 MMA, 9-8-1 UFC) takes on highly touted Nickal (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) main card at Madison Square Garden in New York. Nickal has predominantly used his wrestling in his six professional fights, but Craig warns that it could lead to his demise.

“He’s still a little green in the color,” Craig said of Nickal during Wednesday’s UFC 309 media day. “He might have all these credentials in the world of wrestling, but this sport is not wrestling. We incorporate wrestling, and it’s like only having a knife in a gun fight. You need to have all the tools, and I believe my tool belt is much more equipped than his. I do believe the roots to my victory is going to be my jiu-jitsu base.”

Wrestling might be Nickal’s world, but Craig said battling off his back is where he’s best. He was able to finish both former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and top contender Magomed Ankalaev while in bottom position.

“Will Bo take me down? Yes,” Craig said. “Will that be a bad idea for Bo? I believe so. I believe if you pin me on my back, that’s where I’m most dangerous, and we’ve seen that against people like Krylov, when I’ve been on my back against Jamahal Hill. This is where I’m most dangerous. So, I do believe that his game plan should not be to take me down and have me flat on my back.”

Nickal was able to show off his hands recently in a 38-second TKO win of Val Woodburn, and Craig acknowledges that. However, he expects his striking to pose bigger problems.

“He’s a very good striker, he’s got power in his hands, and he’s very, very quick,” Craig said. “But I do believe that my striking is just a little bit longer, and I can use that range. The reason we moved down to middleweight is to gain that advantage in size, and I’ve showcased that against people like (Andre) Muniz in London where I used my range, my length to manipulate the distance between the fight, and I’m looking to copy that in this fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

LAS VEGAS – Denise Gomes beat Karolina Kowalkiewicz with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 247 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Gomes, a heavy betting favorite who won for the second straight time.

Denise Gomes def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Denise Gomes

Result: Denise Gomes def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Gomes (10-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Kowalkiewicz (16-9 MMA, 9-9 UFC)
Key stats: Kowalkiewicz lost for the second straight time after a four-fight winning streak – which came on the heels of a five-fight skid.

Gomes on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 09: (R-L) Denise Gomes of Brazil punches Karolina Kowalkiewicz of Poland in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I was expecting a knockout or submission. But considering how tough she is and her track record, I know that it was a tough task. But I believe I grew to the occasion. I fought as a more mature fighter and I think the result shows.”

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1855400806692102297

Gomes on Kowalkiewicz’s experience

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 09: (L-R) Karolina Kowalkiewicz of Poland punches Denise Gomes of Brazil in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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“I think that if I’m getting matched with her, that means that I’m doing something (right). I’m still building my story with the UFC, and she had been through ups and downs and through most of the division’s history. I think if the UFC is giving me the opportunities, it’s because they see something.

“As much as I’m looking for my place in the division, and I have to face the more experienced opponents like Karolina, I know that if I do everything right, I’m going to be in their position in the near future, or in the long future. Respect is a thing that is super important. I have to respect them for what they did throughout their career and how they got to where they are because hopefully in due time, I’m going to be in the position that she is right now – fighting the young lions and having to defend my spot.”

Gomes on what she wants next

“I don’t really care much about the name of the opponent. I just want something that is going to push me forward. Karolina, before, she was ranked. She got tossed out of the rankings maybe like two weeks ago. I was expecting to get ranked (if I beat her), so hopefully maybe someone (next) who was ranked already. … I want to move forward, and moving forward in our case right now is getting ranked. I believe that I did more than enough to deserve to fight a ranked opponent.”

To hear more from Gomes, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.

The UFC is back in New York for UFC 309, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In the headliner, heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in a fight delayed by a year. In the co-feature, former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) takes on Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) after he was left at the altar by Conor McGregor.

The first episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Heavyweight champ Jon Jones arrives in Las Vegas and goes to UFC Fight Night; Bo Nickal is kicking it with his team; Charles Oliveira trains in Brazil; Michael Chandler has oxygen therapy at home; Chris Weidman does yard work; Stipe Miocic has a pasta dinner with his family.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.