Stipe Miocic has issued an apology to Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones after calling him a "b*tch" ahead of their upcoming title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday.
In a recent episode of UFC 309 Countdown on the UFC's YouTube channel, which documented the fighters' preparations for the bout, Miocic challenged Jones to "bring it on" before calling him a “b*tch”.
"I’ll go as far as I have to in this fight. I don’t care what it takes or what I have to do — he’s never seen anything like me. I’m going to hurt him a lot; I promise you that.
“Bring it on, b**ch," the former champion said.
Responding to the comment, Jones called out the number one contender for the “disrespect” and warned him that he would regret his words come fight day.
"The disrespect didn’t have to happen. You’re gonna wish you didn’t say that," Jones said on his Instagram.
However, during an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show on YouTube, Miocic apologised for his remarks stating that he did not mean any disrespect to the reigning champion.
"I’m sorry; I was not trying to disrespect him in any way. It was just the heat of the moment," Miocic said.
Both Miocic and Jones are widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time and the winner on Sunday night could solidify his status as the GOAT.
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