The UFC heavyweight belt is staying with Jon “Bones” Jones after he successfully defended his title against Stipe Miocic Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Landing a spinning back kick to the body, Jones defeated Miocic in the third round, extending a record with his 20th straight victory. He has held the title for the most consecutive wins in UFC history.
Tucked inside the second-highest grossing event ever at the arena in the heart of midtown Manhattan, two legends had a historic night. Jones, 37, continued to solidify his legacy as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time with his win over a former heavyweight champion. And Miocic, 42, said his farewells to the octagon, ending the career of one of the greatest heavyweights MMA has ever seen.
Jones potentially put on the best performance fans have seen from him, considering his opponents’ stature and the dominance he holds at this point in his career. Known for his fight IQ, the heavyweight champion showcased elite ground-and-pound, intuitive wrestling, and the signature 12-6 elbow even made an appearance.
“The coaches definitely wanted me to find that 12-6 elbow, I wish I could have landed it more legit. Stipe did a really good job with his defense,” Jones explained. “The trip was completely unexpected, it was a takedown that kind of just came to me in the moment and I was grateful to pull that off.”
The heavyweight division begins moving again after this legendary dispute is finally settled. Fans are anxious to see what comes next for Jones as two potential matchups could be in his future. UFC president Dana White and Jones seem to have different opinions on who the champion should face next.
In their post fight press conferences, White and Jones named two current champions, Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira, as their top choices. White told reporters the Pereira fight holds more risk than reward for both fighters. Explaining the drastic weight difference between the two, he emphasized Jones wrestling being a potential counteract to Pereira’s signature striking.
“There’s no way I make the Pereira fight,” White said. “It just doesn’t make sense to make that fight, if they both want it bad enough and they’re both hounding me or something, maybe I would do it. What’s the reason to go up and fight a guy that’s so much bigger than you and such a good wrestler?”
With the sitting interim heavyweight champion still waiting for his shot at the undisputed title, White previously made the claim that the winner of Jones-Miocic would face Aspinall. Jones, however, has his eyes on the Pereira fight, claiming Aspinall is too annoying to reap the benefits of a Jones matchup.
“He annoys me. I find him annoying, and I just don’t like him,” Jones said. “My life is perfect without him; I don’t need him at all, and he needs me. That’s a good place to be in a negotiation.”
Preparing fans for the main event was an electric rematch between lightweights Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira, 35, and Michael “Iron” Chandler, 38. Going a full five rounds, Oliveira won via unanimous decision and remains on track to regaining the title he held two years ago.
UFC 309 was a monumental night for the progression of MMA. All of the sport’s best traits were showcased outside of the political exercise the promotion was trying to execute, with President-Elect Donald Trump in attendance.
Fans said farewell to an undisputed legend while solidifying the legacy of another and getting a showdown between two top lightweight contenders. Both divisions are now full of potential, and it is evident the upcoming matchups will be nothing less than pure talent on display.
