“I think when you get to the point where you stop feeling something, it means you need to leave it behind and try something else,” Jones said on another edition of the OverDogs podcast. “At the moment, I’m still very nervous. I’m having nightmares about my opponents. Every hour I get thoughts of Stipe Miocic in my head. I can drink as much as I want – he’s not out of my head. I can be at my kids’ volleyball game and I can be thinking about a fight with Stipe. People just don’t realize how much pressure it puts on you psychologically, but my goal is to deal with it”
“Stipe has guts – he’s not a young fighter, but he’s a real man. I’m not young either, I’m already an age athlete, especially in martial arts. Stipe’s a decent dude, and I know he wants this fight. Everyone thinks he’s got his back against the wall, that he’s in a David vs. Goliath situation, but I don’t agree with that. Stipe is a very capable athlete and I think I should give him a chance to fight the best fighter of all time. I think we owe each other a debt of gratitude. I feel that if we both walked away without ever meeting in the octagon, we would be left with unfinished business. A lot of people look past him and don’t give him a chance in this fight, but I know how hard he trains because he expects to win – for that I respect him even more”
As a reminder, the heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will headline UFC 295 in New York City on Nov. 11.