Stipe Miocic fell short to UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. The fight concluded dramatically, with Jones landing a spinning back kick to Miocic’s body.
Following the bout, the former two-time titleholder announced his retirement from the sport. Miocic later shared an emotional farewell message on Instagram, expressing gratitude to his team, family, and fans:
"Let me start this post by saying I am good. Been through a lot worse. I hope everybody enjoyed the show on Saturday. What an incredible way to go out! I started this journey fighting in local bowling alleys & ended it selling out Madison Square Garden. It truly doesn’t get better than that. Sorry I didn’t get the W, but you can’t get them all. Sometimes it’s not your night; that is the nature of the beast. You can’t plan a perfect ending in this sport, but I guess the perfect ending is to have been lucky enough to do it at all. You all have given me so much, and I hope I did you all proud. Croatia & Cleveland, Ohio especially—I felt all of you with me at every battle.
Miocic extended heartfelt thanks to his coach Marcus Marinelli and the Strongstyle team, reflecting on their shared journey:
"To Marcus Marinelli and the Strongstyle team: We started together, we finished together. We cried together & we bled together. If people only knew the whole story of everything we’ve been through… we could write a pretty badass novel. There is nobody else I would have shared this journey with… the best part is that we are family forever. Marcus, I know my father has passed, but I also know he appreciates you stepping in and being the father figure I needed in my life.
He went on to express love for his wife, children, and fans:
"To my wife, you are my rock. The ship doesn’t sail without you. You sacrificed so much for this dream, and I love you. God knew I needed you & you motivate me more than anyone! To my kids, everything I have ever done is for the two of you. To my mom, I know this isn’t the career you would have chosen for me, but you have always been in my corner since day one—it was me & you."
Miocic concluded with gratitude to his fans and a playful note about retirement:
"To the fans, you guys are the heartbeat of this sport. You are what makes MMA amazing! Without you, we fighters don’t even exist. The rush you gave me walking down to that octagon is forever engraved in my memory. Thank you for that. I’m not going anywhere—excited to start new projects, bring back the podcast, break down all my fights & share my reality with you! Until my next fight… just kidding, just kidding! Forever grateful. It’s been a hell of a ride!"