About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former UFC heavyweight champion and legend of the sport Stipe Miocic had an exclusive interview with Athlon Sports, with the help of casino.org/us , to share his takes on the current landscape of the UFC heavyweight division. Having retired after his fight with Jon Jones at UFC 309 back in 2024, Miocic shared his humble opinions on the division he once ruled with an iron fist.
In the interview, Miocic gave his thoughts on Tom Aspinall , who just vacated the UFC heavyweight belt because of an eye injury he suffered during his title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. He also shared his honest assessment of Alex Pereira's current campaign at heavyweight, and his take on Josh Hokit's loud persona.
Miocic admired the British champion Aspinall, viewing his choice to vacate the belt as a noble decision.
"Looking at Tommy's situation, I just think 'good of him to do that'. I understand it's probably hard for him to vacate his title the way he did," he said. "I give him kudos for doing that because I know it's hard for him. He was on top of the world, and then everything changed."
The retired champion spoke about how he relates to Aspinall, having suffered a similar injury to his own eye.
"He got an eye poke. I've been there; I've torn my retina before, and it's tough. I just want to give him lots of credit for doing that," he said.
"It happened to me in my second fight with DC," he revealed, referencing his UFC 241 rematch against Daniel Cormier, in which he defeated Cormier via TKO in the fourth round.
"I got poked in the eye accidentally, and after the fight, I was kind of like, 'Man, my eyes are kind of weird-looking and feeling weird,'" he added. "Unfortunately, these things happen, but he just has to move on from it and just see it as bad luck."
Given Aspinall's somewhat distant relationship with Dana White ever since his injury, Miocic made it clear that he supports Aspinall's choice to focus on his health rather than fight with a serious injury to make the promotion happy.
"The UFC's never happy with anyone unless they're making them a ton of money. So forget about them," he said, addressing Aspinall directly.
"I think he did the right thing if you know you're gonna be out that long. I've been out for a while, but I've been back within the year. If it was any longer than that, I would probably do the same as he did and vacate."
Miocic also gave his thoughts on double-champion Alex Pereira's most recent bid to become a three-division champion. Despite suffering a setback against Ciryl Gane, Miocic has full belief that Pereira can complete what has never been done in the UFC.
"I think he can win a third belt. I won a belt at 38. I think he'll be fine. He's tough," he said of Pereira. "That was his first time fighting in the big boy class, and I think he's shown he's ready to do it. He knows what to expect. It's tough, but he comes ready every time."
The retired champion, who has won a total of six UFC heavyweight title fights, compared Pereira's success to his own. He believes that "Poatan" has already surpassed him in terms of accolades.
"I think he's already at that level. He's already won 2 belts in 2 weight classes, so I mean, he's done more than I have. I've only won one weight class," he humbly stated.
Under the tutelage of Glover Teixeira, Pereira has won the UFC middleweight belt and was a two-time UFC light heavyweight champion. He won the UFC Fighter of the Year in 2024 for his active and dominant title-defense run.
Pereira will face Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 , with one more chance to prove he belongs in the heavyweight division. Even if he were to lose, Pereira has hinted at possibly going back down to light heavyweight to solidify his legacy by fighting in his former weight class.
"He's got the right coaches with him to really succeed," Miocic added. "He's a tough dude, and he'll be fine."
Josh Hokit, a former Fresno State University wrestler turned San Francisco 49ers practice squad fullback, has had a meteoric rise in the sport of MMA. Hokit signed with the UFC in August 2025, and in just over a year has gone 4-0 on his path to the title shot against Gane.
Despite his impressive athletic background, Hokit has been known for his brash and polarizing persona. Hokit has gotten into altercations with fighters , pretended to vomit during weigh-ins , and even insulted former First Lady Michelle Obama during the White House card.
"Look, he's good at what he does," Miocic stated, crediting Hokit's ability to gain attention.
Though he respects Hokit's self-marketing, Miocic says that the gimmicks don't appeal to him.
"I know people love that stuff, but sometimes if you go overboard, then the well can run dry. But I don't really care for it," he stated.
"I don't like the whole trash talk side of things and the character thing," he said, giving his honest opinion of the UFC's focus on building up hype.
"I'm a character myself, but it's behind the scenes. I love having fun. But it's their shtick, I guess. He's good at it, and he wants to be good at the talking side of the sport. I get it."
With UFC 334 approaching, the heavyweight division is set to drastically change. Despite retiring, the former heavyweight king has demonstrated that he still pays close attention to his former division and welcomes the new generation trying to build a new legacy, even if they surpass him.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: Sports
