Photo: Forbes
BY: JEREMIAH WRIGHT, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This past Saturday Jon Jones versus Stipe Miocic took place in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, which was regarded as the GOAT vs GOAT match. Jon Jones aimed to defeat the greatest heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic, as he sought to reclaim the heavyweight championship that was once his. Jones entered the fight coming off a great win over heavyweight contender Cyril Gane, while Miocic came off a devastating knockout loss from Francis Ngannou in 2021. This bout, originally set for November 2023, was delayed after Jones tore a pectoral muscle, giving Miocic time to add size during the wait. Miocic weighed in at 248.6 pounds which was noticeably bigger than past fights. Jones weighed in at 237.6 pounds, which was lighter than he had been for the Cyril Gane fight.
Round 1: Jones dominated the first round. He opened with a wild straight left that almost gets him caught, and then he recovers and lands a couple of good kicks to the body. The round is won when he steps behind Miocic and tripped him. For the next three minutes, Jones lands devastating elbows while Miocic has no answer. The ground and pound from Jones eventually leads to a cut under Miocic’s eye at the end of the round.
Round 2: Miocic landed some nice lunging straights early on but barely moves and is very flat-footed. Jones’s bodywork in the first round was highly effective because every time he fainted at a punch or kick to the mid-section, a reaction responded to it.
Round 3: Miocic landed a couple of strong punches, but Jones closed the distance with a straight, hurting Miocic, making him stumble into the cage. Jones followed with a beautiful spinning back kick to the rib cage that knocked Miocic down. Jones finished the fight on top of Miocic with ground-and-pound punches.
Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic Recap: Jones showed some great improvements in this fight. He had power in his strikes. Jones looked great and again proved why he is known as the greatest mixed martial artist to ever fight with another dominant win at the heavyweight division. In the post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Jones said he would not retire. This now raises the question of who Jones will compete against. Will it be the upcoming rising star and interim champion of the heavyweight division Tom Aspinall, or the megastar and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereria? Both matches are huge, Jones vs Pereria will bring in tons of money for the company, but keeping Aspinall waiting for his title shot is unfair, especially when he has an interim championship. Miocic went on to retire after the fight. Miocic will be remembered as the greatest heavyweight of all time as he fought the likes of Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Junior Dos Santos and many other great fighters. It was an honor to witness many great fights put on during his career.
wrightjs23@bonaventure.edu
