Jon Jones didn’t take kindly to being called a bitch by his next opponent.
20 months removed from his UFC heavyweight title victory over Stipe Miocic, ‘Bones’ will return to the Octagon for a showdown with the division’s consensus GOAT, Stipe Miocic. The two combat sports icons will headline UFC 309 on Saturday night when the promotion makes its annual pit stop inside Madison Square Garden.
In the months leading up to their long-awaited clash, Jones and Miocic have mostly avoided talking trash about one another. Instead, the fighters and fans have focused more on what comes next than on how things will play out in their heavyweight showdown.
However, Miocic seemingly struck a chord with ‘Bones’ after he labeled the two-division champ a “bitch” during the UFC 309 Countdown show. After learning of the slight, Jones snapped back at Miocic on social media.
“Hiring black fighters to mimic me will not help you Stipe,” Jones wrote on X. “And you shouldn’t have called me a bitch, the disrespect wasn’t necessary. Let’s play.”
Stipe Miocic tries to make amends with jon jones
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Miocic was informed of Jones’ comments which prompted the former two-time titleholder to offer up an apology and explain that his comments were not meant to be disrespectful.
Stipe Miocic’s apologizes to Jon Jones after calling him a “b*tch”:
“Sorry if I hurt his feelings… I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to disrespect him. It was just the heat of the moment.”
@arielhelwani #UFC309pic.twitter.com/uA0OQ6xiJV
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 11, 2024
“Oh yeah, he was just talking to me and I was talking to him,” Miocic said. “Like, you know, just bring it on. I don’t know. Well, I’m sorry if I hurt his feelings, I was just fired up. OK, I’m sorry if I was disrespectful to him anyway, it was just the heat of the moment. I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
Miocic’s return to the main event spotlight this weekend will be his first fight since a March 2021 loss to Francis Ngannou.
Meanwhile, Jones will be competing for just the second time since a successful light heavyweight title defense against Dominick Reyes right before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.