UFC 309: Jon Jones does not retire after retaining the Heavyweight title vs Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones has announced that he is not retiring just yet after defeating Stipe Miocic to retain the UFC Heavyweight title on Saturday, November 16. Jones shut down the challenge of Miocic via TKO in the closing moments of the third round inside Madison Square Garden. This was Jones’ first fight since March 2023, when he had defeated Cyril Gane to win the heavyweight title.

Jones vs Miocic was supposed to take place last year, but an injury would put the champion on the shelf for a long time. Miocic, on the other hand, had last fought in 2021, when he had lost the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou.

After speaking after the win, Jones first acknowledged Jesus Christ and then went on to comment that he won’t be leaving the Octagon just yet. He said that he has to have some negotiations with Dana White and then probably give the fans a super fight.

“I decided that maybe I don’t want to withdraw. I have a conversation with Dana (White). We have some negotiations to do. If everything goes right, then maybe we will give you what you want to see ,” Jones said.

Jones has been linked with superfights with Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall.

How did the match go?

Jones would start with a few body kicks that seemingly rocked Miocic. The former champion found himself in a spot when Jones wanted to get him on the mat. Jones would begin to dominate the Croatian on the floor and began landing some stiff elbows to the head of Miocic as the crowd began to get after the current champion.

Miocic was ripped open by the stiff elbows of Jones and he suffered a cut to his face. The 42-year-old would almost be saved by the buzzer at the end of the first round as it was all Jones for the first 5 minutes.

Miocic would find some momentum in the second round as he would keep the fight off the ground for the most part and he was able to land some punches on Jones. However, ‘Bones’ also continued to remain the dominant throughout the second round and appeared to be in full command of the title fight.

The third round saw a slugfest between both men as they both landed some good shots on each other, but Jones still seemed to have the edge. Miocic was looking to slowly see his way out of the round and into the championship when a spinning kick to the body ended the day for Miocic.

The former champion fell to the ground and Jones went in for the killing blow as the referee stepped in to stop the fight and award the victory to the 37-year-old. Jones celebrated the win with a little dance.