Stipe Miocic shared the octagon with Jon Jones in the final fight of his career, so he knows a little bit about what the UFC heavyweight champ brings to the table.

At UFC 309 this past November, Jones dominated and finished Miocic with a nasty spinning back kick to the body to retain his championship. Miocic went on to announce his retirement, while all eyes are on Jones in regards to whether or not he’ll face interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall. Ahead of the Super Bowl this past Sunday, Miocic was asked about what advice he’d give Aspinall if the unification bout is made.

“Don’t do what I did,” Miocic told The Schmo. “What are you going to do? But, yeah, Tommy, that guy is super tough. He hits hard, he moves well, he’s a big man. I think he stays calm in the situation, and whatever happens, if he stays calm, I think he’ll be fine.

“He picks his shots, he’s smart with what he does, and I think he’ll be fine.”

Miocic returned to the octagon after a near four-year layoff to face Jones in his quest to become a three-time champ. The 42-year-old lost his title when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021, which followed back-to-back wins against Daniel Cormier.

The 19-fight UFC veteran says Jones was everything he was built up to be.

“With Jones, he’s one of the best of all time, if not the best of all-time,” Miocic said. “He’s just smart, real tricky.”