If you thought Stipe Miocic would bow out of the UFC Heavyweight Title picture, think again.

The UFC heavyweight division was set on its ear when Francis Ngannou, who had been the reigning champion, was released. UFC President Dana White told reporters during a UFC Vegas 67 post-fight scrum that Ngannou turned down the biggest contract offer for a UFC heavyweight.

UFC 285 will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones. This bout will be contested for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship. The title fight will be held inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4.

It didn’t take long for Miocic, a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, to respond to the news.

“March 4th – I like it. I got winner in July.”

Stipe Miocic hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon since March 2021. He was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in their rematch at UFC 260. Miocic calling out the winner of Gane vs. Jones may not come as a surprise given that he hasn’t had a non-title fight since January 2016.

The former heavyweight kingpin had been linked to a showdown with Jones in late 2022, but it never happened. At one point, Jones said he was expecting to fight Miocic.

“I’m preparing to fight Stipe December 10 in Las Vegas,” Jones said on Twitter. “Not really sure what’s going on between Stipe and the UFC but I’m ready to compete! I’m going to control what I can and stay in shape.”

Time will tell if Miocic gets his wish for a big title fight this summer.