The G.O.A.T. is still king. Jon Jones retained the heavyweight title on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York in thrilling fashion against former titleholder Stipe Miocic. Jones put Miocic away with a vicious spinning back kick to the ribs that sent Miocic straight to the canvas and unable to continue. It was a beautiful finish for the most decorated champion in the sport’s history and a bit of vindication after many were left disappointed in how quickly Jones dispatched of Ciryl Gane last year to claim the title.
Instead of the quick finish, Jones methodically broke down Miocic. It began in the first round when Jones scored a slick takedown off a trip and went to work with nasty elbows from the top. It seemed as though he might finish it right then and there, but Miocic managed to survive and continue to try and muster offense in the second and third rounds. Unfortunately, there was just not enough to crack through Jones’ defenses before the kick took all the wind out of Miocic and ended the action. Now the attention turns to whether or not Jones will actually defend his title against interim titleholder Tom Aspinall or walk off into the sunset after a full week of denying Aspinall his chance at the fight.
Elsewhere on the card, Charles Oliveira continued his dominant ways against Michael Chandler as the Brazilian took a unanimous decision over the American in their rematch. Oliveira earned the vacant lightweight title against Chandler in 2021 when he rallied to scored a second-round knockout. This time, it was Chandler who needed to rally after being dominated both on the feet and on the ground for four rounds. Chandler managed to score a perfect right hand to stun Oliveira in the fifth and then proceeded to hit him with a barrage of strikes to the back of the head that referee Keith Peterson allowed. As Oliveira managed to take control in the grappling in the waning seconds, Chandler somehow got to his feet with Oliveira draped on his back and slammed him down, not once, but twice as the crowd erupted despite the result not really being in doubt.
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UFC 309 fight card, results
- Jon Jones (c) def. Stipe Miocic via third-round TKO (body kick)
- Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
- Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Viviane Araujo def. Karine Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson via first-round submission (guillotine choke)
- David Onama def. Roberto Romero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz via second-round TKO (doctor stoppage)
- Raminz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall via first-round knockout (punches)
- Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez via third-round knockout (punches)
- Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC 309 countdown
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Brookhouse: Best bets to consider on the main card
- Jones willing to vacate title for ‘super fights’
- Fighters debate whether Jones is the pound-for-pound best at the moment
- Mahjouri: Undercard fights to watch this weekend
- Brookhouse: Four biggest storylines to watch in New York
- Jones only interested in Pereira, not Aspinall, after Miocic fight
- Chandler lays out exciting hopes for fights in 2025
- Miocic: ‘I’m always preparing for my last one‘
