Jones having 'nightmares' about UFC 295 matchup vs. Miocic

Heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn't taking Stipe Miocic lightly ahead of their UFC 295 title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11.

"At this point, I still get really nervous, man," Jones said on the "OverDogs" podcast. "I have nightmares about my opponents. About every hour, Stipe Miocic will cross my mind."

"Stipe is a very capable athlete, and I think that I owe it to Stipe to give him that chance to fight the best fighter ever," he added.

Miocic (20-4) will return to the Octagon for the first time since dropping the heavyweight title in a second-round KO loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. The 41-year-old has recorded finishes over Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Daniel Cormier during his illustrious career. He's widely considered the greatest heavyweight champion in the promotion's history.

While Jones is looking forward to squaring off against Miocic, he's less eager to embrace potential matchups against younger heavyweights Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich afterward.

"They're amazing, don't get me wrong. … But at the end of the day, I need to fight people that the mainstream public is going to be excited about."

It's unclear if the November card will be the final fight for either Jones or Miocic. The champ said both competitors would have "unfinished business" if they walked away from the sport without facing one another.

"Bones" captured the vacant heavyweight belt in March with a first-round submission over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. The victory marked an incredible return for the former light heavyweight champion after a three-year hiatus.