Jon Jones has cemented his position as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time by pulling off a stunning knockout of Stipe Miocic to retain his heavyweight belt at the UFC 309 fight night.
The 37-year-old American looked fully in control throughout the main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, preventing his opponent from leveraging his boxing skills and finishing with a brutal heel to the body that left Miocic on the canvas clutching his ribs.
“That body shot man, no matter how tough you are, the liver’s the liver,” a jubilant Jones said in the cage following his victory.
In the aftermath, 42-year-old former champion Miocic said he was retiring from the sport.
“I’m done,” Miocic said. “I’m hanging ’em up.”
Widely considered the best fighter in the world, Jones (28 wins, 1 loss, 1 no contest) was the aggressor from the start and took Miocic down with a superbly timed trip and trapped him before raining down elbows as he dominated the rest of the round.
Keen not to get taken down again, Miocic was hesitant as he tried to manage the distance, but Jones was able to measure strikes to the body from his southpaw stance to keep Miocic on the back foot.
Croatian-American Miocic enjoyed some success early in the third round, but once again Jones was able to work out the puzzle, connecting with a couple of punches late in the round before his creative rotating kick ended the bout.
British heavyweight Tom Aspinall looms as the next challenger for Jones. Aspinall won a fight for the interim heavyweight title in November 2023.
UFC CEO Dana White had promised Aspinall, who chatted with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, would challenge the winner of the main event in a unification bout.
Trump, Musk in attendance
With Donald Trump in the audience, Jones imitated the United States president-elect’s campaign trail dance as he celebrated.
In the co-main event, Brazil’s Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision to put his name back in contention for a crack at the lightweight title he was stripped of for missing weight in May 2022.
Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon in front of Trump, Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Robert Kennedy Jr, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration.
Trump walked out to a rousing ovation in front of 20,200 fans just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in the thrill of the fighters that throughout the night gave him props — including Jones.
“I want to give a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump [for] being here tonight,” Jones said to a roaring ovation that bled into a “USA! USA!” chant.
“I’m proud to be a great American champion,” Jones said.
Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler
In a lightweight bout that made every fan, from Kid Rock to Jordan Knight to Anthony Kiedis, go wild at the finish in the fifth round, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler via unanimous decision.
The fight was a rematch of their May 2021 fight when Charles Oliveira topped Chandler to win the lightweight title. Oliveira staked his claim to another title fight with the win.
The fifth round was about as good as it gets inside the octagon highlighted by Chandler dropping Oliveira twice on his back.
The 38-year-old Chandler stepped inside the cage for the first time in two years, in large part because he waited for a fight that never materialised with Conor McGregor.
“We’ve been wondering where you’ve been, Conor,” Chandler bellowed in the cage. “Come back and beat me if you can.”
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