Jon Jones (28-1) knocked out Stipe Miocic (20-5) in the third round to retain the heavyweight championship at UFC 309 from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Jones opened with a couple shots up top, a leg kick, and eventually a takedown. On top, Jones worked the ground and pound, refusing to give Miocic any room on the ground in a dominant first round — but while it looked like Jones could have ended it early, Miocic was able to hang on.
Miocic opened the second round with a more measured approach, waiting for his own opportunities to attack without being taken down. The former heavyweight champion was relatively flat-footed before opening a more active approach in the third, but as Miocic moved, it was Jones who picked apart Miocic.
Jones hurt Miocic with a big right hand midway through the round, but kept the champ at bay with a combination of his own. Jones hurt Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body, then finished him off with lefts and rights on the ground before the referee stoppage.
Jones’ return to the UFC on Saturday was just his second bout in the heavyweight division. He hadn’t fought since last year, claiming the UFC Heavyweight belt in his debut in the heavyweight division against Ciryl Gane. Jones is arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history, but his background is riddled in controversy amid two victories over another greatest of all-time contender, Daniel Cormier.
Miocic hadn’t fought since 2021, when he suffered a second-round knockout at the hands of Francis Ngannou.
Jones as the winner has an interesting path forward. On one hand, the interim champ, Tom Aspinall, is waiting in the wings and ready to prove himself against an all-time great. On the other hand, Alex Pereira seems prepped to climb to the heavyweight division, making possibly two weight jumps in three year as the former middleweight and current light heavyweight champion. Jones hasn’t seemed as interested in Aspinall recently, but opened the door to that fight after the win.
After his loss, Miocic retired from the UFC.