Don’t expect Stipe Miocic to lose any sleep over the criticism that he’s getting a fight against Jon Jones at UFC 309 after a three-plus year long absence while interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is left waiting in the wings.

Never mind the fact that Miocic was booked for this same exact fight almost exactly one year ago until a torn pectoral muscle knocked Jones off the card, but the former heavyweight champion reminds anybody complaining that he’s not the matchmaker. As much as Miocic has always wanted the fight against Jones, it’s still up to the UFC to book these fights and that’s completely out of his control.

“It wasn’t my choice,” Miocic told MMA Fighting. “It’s a fight I wanted, and the UFC gave it to me. They didn’t have to. They gave it to me.”

Of course, Aspinall would surely disagree after he’s amassed an impressive 8-1 resume in the UFC with all of his wins coming by knockout or submission inside two rounds.

Perhaps the biggest difference with Miocic is the legacy he’s built as arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history after breaking the record for the most title defenses in the division (three total). Miocic takes nothing away from Aspinall, but he ultimately believes his fight against Jones just means more to the sport.

“I believe so [there’s a reason why it’s happening],” Miocic said. “I believe people want to see that. I think a lot more people want to see the fight than him fight Aspinall.

“[Tom Aspinall is] tough. He hits hard. Big boy. It’s what people want, he knocks people out.”

Beyond Aspinall lurking around the corner, Miocic also faces a growing narrative that he’s destined to lose with his last fight coming all the way back in 2021 when he suffered a knockout to Francis Ngannou.

While Miocic pushed for a trilogy against Ngannou right away with the heavyweights tied at one win a piece, the UFC never ended up booking the fight. Ngannou only fought for the UFC one more time before suffering a torn ACL in his knee and then leaving the promotion in free agency.

That’s when attention shifted towards Jones after he repeatedly called for the chance to face Miocic with hopes of cementing his status as the greatest fighter in the history of the sport.

Miocic understands the task he’s undertaking with a fight against Jones after such a long layoff but don’t expect him to lay down and play dead just because some loud voices in the sport are saying he can’t win. The 42-year-old Cleveland native admits there’s a time when hearing that might have bothered him, but these days he just doesn’t pay attention to what anybody says much less let it get to him.

“I don’t listen to anything on the outside,” Miocic said. “I used to when I was younger, when I started I was like why would you say that? How dare you? I was real sensitive. I literally stopped caring anymore. I don’t care what anyone says. I really don’t care.”

Perhaps the other biggest storyline surrounding the UFC 309 main event are the persistent rumors that win, lose or draw, there’s a word where both Miocic and Jones call it a career afterwards.

Jones hasn’t exactly hidden the fact that he’s got nothing left to prove, and he’s hinted at retirement numerous times when addressing his future after facing Miocic on Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, Miocic hasn’t said nearly as much because he just doesn’t really engage on social media and he rarely grants interviews leading up to his fights.

So where exactly does he stand on this whole retirement talk after facing Jones?

“I think every fight, I’m always preparing for my last one,” Miocic said. “I always thought about retiring after my first UFC fight. I say that all the time. Who wants to get beat up for 10 weeks, 12 weeks, come back and do it again?

“I love what I do and it’s fun. So we’ll see but right now my task at hand is Jon. That’s all I care about. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

That said, Miocic clearly envisions winning, and he couldn’t fathom a much better way to end his career than becoming the first person to legitimately beat Jon Jones.

“When I do beat him, it’s going to be great,” Miocic said. “100 percent [that would be a great exclamation point on the career].”