Coach explains why Jon Jones was focused on the Stipe Miocic fight

Coach Greg Jackson says it would be dishonorable for UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones not to fight Stipe Miocic.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his title against former champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event on November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jackson insists Jones has nothing left to prove, but adding a name like Miocic to his resume is his motivation.

“I think because Stipe is so legendary – I mean, the guy is one of the best heavyweights,” Jackson said on the “Weighing In” podcast. “You could say he’s one of the best heavyweights of all time. I think that's the challenge Jon needs because there will always be young people coming up. There will always be a new phenomenon. There's always going to be another guy who says, “Oh, this guy is super tough.”

“I think the appeal for Jon is that it's actually two legends fighting each other. At this point in Jon's career, he doesn't need to fight. He could stop today and be fine. But I think that motivates him, the idea of ​​Stipe and how great he is and how tough he is and competing against him. In my opinion, he’s looking for a legacy there.”

Jackson currently believes Miocic will be Jones' last fight. However, if fans demand it and Dana White pays him enough money, Jackson believes Jones would be willing to fight Aspinall.

Considering Jones was already booked to face Miocic at UFC 295 before Jones withdrew due to injury, Jackson says it wouldn't have been fair to Miocic if Jones had switched to Aspinall.

“Maybe he will. I don’t know,” Jackson said of the possibility of Jones fighting Aspinall. “I know we had this fight under wraps before all this drama happened. To me it would be a terrible move to say to Stipe, 'Oh, whatever, we're not going to fight you.' We're going to hunt this guy down.' I mean, Stipe deserves better. Not only is he a great fighter, but he’s also a great guy.”

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 309 event hub.