Jon Jones sent Stipe Miocic into retirement with a stunning back kick to the ribs and used a series of blows to the head in the third round to retain the UFC heavyweight championship in front of United States President-elect Donald Trump in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.
Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon on Saturday night in front of Trump, Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr.
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
Trump did some dance moves as his signature campaign song, YMCA, played over the loudspeaker. He eventually sat down and talked animatedly to Musk.
Jones’s heavyweight title defence was his first fight since March 2023, and the 37-year-old successfully returned to the octagon after undergoing pectoral surgery that postponed a meeting with Miocic at UFC 295
Jones paid his respects to Miocic after the fight, admiring his toughness.
“He’s really, really good,” Jones said of Miocic. “He’s really tough. He’s really durable. I hit him with some pretty decent shots, and he just kept coming forward.
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
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
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
