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Jon Jones retained his heavyweight title with a stunning stoppage of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, finishing the legend with a spinning back kick to the body.
The fight had proven controversial, with few fans wishing to see Jones, 37, face Miocic, 42, and many instead desiring a match-up between the champion and Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall won the interim belt last November, after Jones vs Miocic fell through when Jones suffered an injury, and the Briton even retained the gold in July – in a rare occurrence in the UFC.
But in a move that has angered fans, Jones has long claimed he will not fight Aspinall, who was in the crowd at Madison Square Garden to watch UFC 309 on Saturday (16 November).
And even after beating Miocic, Jones did not address the prospect of unifying the titles with Aspinall. “I decided that maybe I will not retire,” said the American, adding: “I have some conversations to have with Dana [White, UFC president] and Hunter [Campbell, UFC CBO].
“We have some negotiating to do, and if everything goes right, maybe we’ll give you what you want to see. I know that we have options, and so I’m just gonna see what Uncle Dana wants, and what Uncle Hunter wants.”
Jones was admittedly impressive against Miocic, largely fighting in a southpaw stance and dominating the former champion in round one – tripping his compatriot and raining down elbows for the majority of the round.
Miocic showed impressive resilience, but he never truly threatened Jones, who looked better in every department and sealed the finish in round three, dropping his opponent with a spinning back kick to the body. Jones rushed to pour on ground and pound, and referee Herb Dean quickly ended the fight.
It was the sort of fluid and creative offence that led Jones to two light-heavyweight title reigns, before he won the vacant heavyweight title in March 2023 – his most-recent outing before UFC 309. Meanwhile, Miocic had not fought since losing the belt to Francis Ngannou with a brutal KO in March 2021.
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And as expected, Miocic announced his retirement from MMA after losing to Jones, whose accomplishments in the cage have been overshadowed by numerous legal issues and failed drug tests.
After beating Miocic, Jones handed his title to president-in-waiting Donald Trump, who watched the event from ringside.
In the night’s co-main event, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler for the second time, outpointing the American in an intriguing fight.
Oliveira, who defeated Chandler via TKO in 2021, dominated his opponent for four rounds, but the Brazilian had to survive a late rally to seal victory.
Chandler was fighting the former lightweight champion after giving up on waiting for Conor McGregor, whom he had been contracted to face between early 2022 and September this year. McGregor’s UFC comeback has stalled and stalled, leading Chandler to eventually take another fight.
