Tag: Jon Jones

UFC Veteran: Stipe Miocic ‘Didn’t Really Want To Be There’ Against Jon Jones

Matt Brown believes Stipe Miocic seemed devoid of drive during his clash with Jon Jones. Miocic challenged reigning heavyweight champion Jones in the main event of UFC 309 last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The former longtime titleholder endured a dominant opening round, finding himself on his back as “Bones” rained […]

Matt Brown believes Stipe Miocic seemed devoid of drive during his clash with Jon Jones.

Miocic challenged reigning heavyweight champion Jones in the main event of UFC 309 last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The former longtime titleholder endured a dominant opening round, finding himself on his back as “Bones” rained down heavy shots from the top position.

Unfortunately for Miocic, the subsequent rounds provided no relief. He failed to mount any offense and ultimately fell victim to a devastating spinning back kick to the body in the third frame, marking the fight’s decisive conclusion.

Miocic appeared to grapple with significant Octagon rust, returning to competition after a prolonged hiatus following his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. At 42 years old, the Ohio native’s age also seemed to play a role, with his movements noticeably lacking the sharpness and agility he once showcased.

During a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer on MMA Fighting, “The Immortal” weighed in on Miocic’s performance against Jones, remarking that the former champion appeared far beyond his years and looked athletically diminished at UFC 309.

“As bad as he looked athletically — he looked his age, also — I say he looked past his age, to be honest,” Brown said. “Straight legs, no hate on Stipe. It just looked like he didn’t have it at this point, and why should he? He came to challenge himself at the highest level with the greatest ever and didn’t pass the challenge.”

Brown further expressed that Miocic, in his eyes, seemed visibly disinterested and was lacking urgency.

“Stipe, to me, looked like he didn’t really want to be there. He’s there for the challenge and maybe the money. I don’t know what his motivations were exactly. But it didn’t look to me like he really wanted to be there.”

After his defeat, Miocic officially announced his retirement from active competition, bringing an end to a storied career. He concluded his tenure in the cage with a 20-5 record, with 14 of those victories coming by way of knockout.

Gordon Ryan Describes ‘Inspiring’ Experience In Jon Jones’ UFC 309 Camp & Corner

Alongside the former Olympic gold medallist wrestler Gable Steveson, another elite grappler joined Jon Jones’ team for his return to the Octagon at UFC 309. When it comes to heavyweight MMA, there is still some debate over who the very best is even after Jones defended the title in dominant fashion this past weekend. The […]

Alongside the former Olympic gold medallist wrestler Gable Steveson, another elite grappler joined Jon Jones’ team for his return to the Octagon at UFC 309. When it comes to heavyweight MMA, there is still some debate over who the very best is even after Jones defended the title in dominant fashion this past weekend.

The same cannot be said in no-gi grappling where Gordon Ryan is considered by many to be the greatest of all time, like Jones is in mixed martial arts. “The King” will have been an invaluable training partner for the heavyweight champion and the short footage of them training together during the UFC’s Countdown episode for the card was interesting enough let alone getting to watch full sessions.

After Jones retained the gold at Madison Square Garden, Ryan posted on his Instagram to reflect on the time that he was able to spend alongside Jones and his closely knit team.

“It is very inspiring to be around greatness. As a fan, I want to see him continue because he’s as exciting as they come and never loses. As a coach, I want to see him continue because despite being better than everyone else, there is so much more for him to learn. As a friend, I want to see him to whatever his heart desires. I want him to press forward if he wants or to leave the sport on top after being on top since the very beginning. I want to see him happy regardless of what he decides to do next.

“I can’t take credit for any part of Jon’s career, but I am very thankful to be a small part of such an amazing legacy. Thank you for choosing me to help you, and thank you for your friendship. Enjoy this time off that you deserve, and don’t let anyone tell you what to do. Not the fans, not the fighters, only you. You’re the one and only.”

Last but not least, Ryan gave thanks to several other parties that played a role in this invaluable experience for him including the UFC staff, the rest of Jones’ team and the man that “Bones” stood across from in the Octagon, the great Stipe Miocic who retired after the fight.

“Also, big thanks to the @ufc for making my experience at the event smooth as ever, as always. Thank you to the rest of the coaches in the camp, all the drilling partners, and all of the pieces that completed the puzzle that is Jon Jones. Being a legend and first responder, I think we were all a little sad to see @stipemiocic lose and retire, but that’s the game. Thank you, legend, for an amazing career. I’ve always been a fan, and I can’t wait to see you at your HOF induction.”

Jon Jones Bus Trip: Glover Teixeira Plays Hilarious Prank on Tom Aspinall Ahead of UFC 309

Jon Jones Bus Trip: Glover Teixeira Plays Hilarious Prank on Tom Aspinall Ahead of UFC 309Glover Teixeira attempted to play a humorous prank on Tom Aspinall ahead of the UFC’s return to Madison Square…

Jon Jones Bus Trip: Glover Teixeira Plays Hilarious Prank on Tom Aspinall Ahead of UFC 309

Glover Teixeira attempted to play a humorous prank on Tom Aspinall ahead of the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title in the evening’s main event, smashing his way through Stipe Miocic via a third-round TKO. Aspinall was on hand for the festivities and actually weighed in 24 hours earlier as the official backup for the fight should either ‘Bones’ or Miocic need to be replaced in the 11th hour.

Teixeira

As the backup, Aspinall was required to adhere to strict rules, including no consumption of alcohol up until Jones vs. Miocic actually got underway.

So, of course, Teixeira, who has been known to be a bit of a prankster alongside his friend and light heavyweight successor Alex Pereira, tried to play a little trick on the interim titleholder.

“Tom you know, they just call me,” Teixeira said with a smile. I just got a call, Jon Jones, he trip in the bus, you know? So don’t be drinking, okay?”

“I’m on the water [laughing]!. Top man,” Aspinall replied.

Considering Teixeira couldn’t mask his smile for even a moment, it wasn’t hard for Aspinall to sniff out the lie.

Luckily, the heavyweight headliner went off without a hitch and Aspinall even banked an extra 200k just for showing up and sitting in the stands. Following Jones’ big win, he left the door open for a title unification clash with Apsinall who has held the interim heavyweight belt since a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich last year.

Teixeira

Interestingly, Aspinall opened as a -135 favorite in a yet-to-be-announced scrap with the consensus GOAT of MMA.

Teixeira

Tom Aspinall Explains Why Jon Jones’ Usual Advantage Over Opponents Won’t Work With Him

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall remains high on self-belief when it comes to his chances in a fight against the great Jon Jones. Jones maintained his place on the heavyweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, which he headlined inside Madison Square Garden opposite returning former champ Stipe Miocic. “Bones,” who achieved […]

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall remains high on self-belief when it comes to his chances in a fight against the great Jon Jones.

Jones maintained his place on the heavyweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, which he headlined inside Madison Square Garden opposite returning former champ Stipe Miocic.

“Bones,” who achieved two-division glory 20 months prior by submitting Ciryl Gane in one round, threatened another quick finish when he slammed Miocic down and employed some vicious ground-and-pound.

But the Rochester native ultimately had to wait until the third frame to put Miocic away for good, doing so with a brutal spinning back kick to the body. And with that, Jones has now added a successful defense to his already illustrious résumé.

Jones’ status as heavyweight king, however, is far from undisputed.

During Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Aspinall explained why he would expect an edge over Jones.

While “Bones” would boast a significant lead in Octagon experience, the interim titleholder believes his short fight time would actually play in his favor against the GOAT contender.

“One of Jon Jones’ biggest advantages that he has over everybody is that he’s a tape studier, as am I,” Aspinall said. “I’m a massive tape studier. I watch my opponents, my coaches watch my opponents, pick up on the tendencies, pick up on what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re good at, when they’re tired, what tires them out, how they’re getting up off the bottom, how’s their defense when you throw this shot, etc.

“He loves to study opponents like this. He has no chance of doing that with me because my average fight time is the shortest in UFC history at two minutes and two seconds over 10 fights. That’s something that keeps him up at night, that will keep him up at night, for sure. I am a massive, massive question mark for him. I know a lot of his game. He’s got a lot of Octagon time over a lot of years. I’ve got next to nothing. There’s next to no footage of me out there besides me doing anything apart from bouncing peoples’ heads off the canvas, and he has no idea what to prepare for, and that is fantastic for me.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Aspinall will have the chance to prove as much.

While Jones appeared to finally entertain the prospect of facing Aspinall during his Octagon interview, he quickly reverted to his stance of avoiding the Brit when backstage at MSG, reiterating his desire to fight Alex Pereira instead.

The MMA masses continue to push back on that, however, and even the UFC’s official Europe handle on X has seemingly had enough of the apparent ‘ducking’…

Chael Sonnen Has Firm Stance On Jones vs. Ngannou Prediction After UFC 309: ‘In Hindsight…’

A former opponent of UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones’ has a strong opinion on how a clash with Francis Ngannou would have played out inside the Octagon following this past weekend’s event. Jones returned to action in defense of his title at Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. The Rochester native was putting the heavyweight gold on […]

A former opponent of UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones’ has a strong opinion on how a clash with Francis Ngannou would have played out inside the Octagon following this past weekend’s event.

Jones returned to action in defense of his title at Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. The Rochester native was putting the heavyweight gold on the line for the first time at Madison Square Garden, having had injury derail his plans to do so in late 2023.

As was scheduled to be the case last year, “Bones” shared the cage with returning former champ Stipe Miocic, despite the presence of an interim titleholder in Tom Aspinall. And as many had predicted given Miocic’s age and lengthy layoff, Jones tore through the veteran en route to a brutal body-kick TKO stoppage in round three.

But the result did little to affect the bid of Jones’ doubters to dismiss claims he sits as the world’s best heavyweight, with Aspinall front and center in that debate following his recent results.

Also in the conversation is Ngannou, who departed the UFC as lineal heavyweight kingpin at the start of 2023 and recently made a successful debut under the PFL banner.

But when it comes to “The Predator,” one man with experience facing Jones has little doubt how that bout would have gone had he stayed in the UFC…

During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show alongside Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen spoke on Jones’ recent triumph in New York City.

“The American Gangster” was impressed, so much so that he now firmly believes the heavyweight iteration of Jones would have had little trouble dispatching Ngannou inside the cage.

“Do you know what Jon would have done to Francis Ngannou in hindsight?” Sonnen said. “Now that we look back, Jon would have picked that big man a part. I mean, I’m just sharing with you, like, that’s a big man’s nightmare. Jon’s not a heavyweight; Jon is fighting at heavyweight. There’s a massive difference.”

A clash between Jones and Ngannou remains the stuff of fantasy, in spite of both the latter and his organization’s higher-ups calling for a cross-promotional showdown between the two behemoths.

Conor McGregor Fuels Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall Hype: ‘He Can’t Sleep at Night’

Conor McGregor Fuels Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall Hype: ‘He Can’t Sleep at Night’Conor McGregor wants to see Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall. After Jones’ third-round TKO against Stipe Miocic at UFC…

Conor McGregor Fuels Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall Hype: ‘He Can’t Sleep at Night’

Conor McGregor wants to see Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall.

After Jones’ third-round TKO against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to retain the undisputed heavyweight title, ‘Bones’ left the door open for a return to the Octagon and indicated that a unification clash with Aspinall — the promotion’s current interim champion — was definitely in the cards.

Conor McGregor

Aspinall, who was on hand at MSG and banked 200k just to weigh in as the official backup for the heavyweight headliner, thinks Jones’ ego is what will ultimately lead to their long-awaited showdown finally coming to fruition.

“I think he secretly wants it,’ Aspinall told Ariel Helwani. ‘Because he has a gigantic ego, and he should have, he’s one of the best fighters ever. He hates the fact that people are saying that I could beat him, he can’t sleep at night.

“He keeps mentioning it over and over again that he doesn’t care about me, he thinks he’s above me and all that. This is all projecting, all of it. He knows, deep down he knows and he just has to keep saying it because he has to defend himself” (h/t DailyMail).

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Conor McGregor reacts to potential jones vs. aspinall fight

Once Aspinall’s comments made the rounds on social media, McGregor chimed in and offered a not-so-favorable review of some of the Brit’s recent sparring footage.

Conor McGregor

“That footage of him looking woeful vs Rico Verhoeven is good footage to watch for Jon,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post on X. “I’ve warmed to this matchup, I think it should happen.”

To be fair, Verhoeven — the reigning GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion and undefeated in nearly a decade — is considered by many to be the greatest kickboxer on the planet. Verhoeven has trained with Aspinall for many years. The UFC star shared clips of the two sparring together earlier this month on YouTube.