The UFC’s GOAT battle ended with Jones adding another name to his long list of fallen opponents, as he finished Stipe Miocic to retain the UFC heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 309 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Jones had a strong start after a feeling out process to start the fight, scoring a takedown a couple of minutes into the round and landing some brutal elbows that could have finished the outing.
The Rochester native seemed to take the second frame off but still landed the better shots. He then finished off Miocic in the third with a brutal spinning kick to the body.
Miocic announced his retirement from MMA after the fight. Jones, meanwhile, did not commit to calling it quits, but stated he’d have to do some negotiating with Dana White and Hunter Campbell before signing on for a fight with either interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall or light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira.
Jon Jones Puts Stipe Miocic Into Retirement With Third-Round Finish To Retain Heavyweight Title At UFC 309
Jones and Miocic were originally set to clash at last year’s Madison Square Garden event, UFC 295, before Jones tore his pec.
This marked his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title since winning the then-vacant belt with a submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s headliner was Miocic’s first fight since losing the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.
- Read More: UFC 309 Results & Highlights
