NEW YORK — Stipe Miocic chewed on his place in UFC history as he picked at a plate of food in between — and even during — questions ahead of his heavyweight clash with champion Jon Jones that should satiate the palate of most fight fans.After a year delay, and MMA pundits would argue this fight should have gone down much earlier than Saturday night, Miocic gets his shot at a third heavyweight championship reign when he fights Jones at UFC 309.Win or lose, Miocic isn’t thinking retirement just yet.Oh, as a fighter? Sure, the prospect of the 42-year-old Miocic hanging up the gloves after his fight at Madison Square Garden looms as a talking point ahead of the showdown with Jones.As a firefighter and paramedic in Ohio, Miocic isn’t ready to retire his hose.“Oh, that’s a long time away,” Miocic said.Almost as long as Miocic (20-4) has had to train — and stew for more than three years since his last fight — for his shot at Jones.The heavyweights were slated to fight last November at the Garden until Jones, widely considered the greatest fighter in the world, tore a tendon during training and was forced to withdraw. UFC President Dana White deemed an interim championship fight was beneath a fighter of Miocic’s stature.“Of course,” Miocic said, “I wanted Jon Jones more than …
