Jon Jones | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Ngannou’s Coach Highlights Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic’s Best Attributes Ahead Of UFC 309

Both Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are not the kind of fighters that have too many questions surrounding their fighting styles and key attributes. There may be questions ahead of UFC 309 this weekend regarding how Jones looks at heavyweight and whether Miocic will be able to roll back the years but we know a […]

In a recent piece for UFC.com, E. Spencer Kyte sat down with Eric Nicksick, who knows a thing about heavyweight title fights as the coach of Francis Ngannou, to break down this Saturday’s headline bout at Madison Square Garden. Starting with “Bones”, the Xtreme Couture head coach gave his opinion on what the consensus greatest of all time does better than the rest.

“For Jon, obviously, I think it’s his Fight IQ — that’s definitely gonna be No. 1, but the way that he’s able to apply different arts to the game plan; I think that’s what makes him the most intriguing fighter ever. He can beat you in any facet of the game and do it very, very well. He has an ego about him too, where if you watch the Cormier fight, ‘Oh, you’re the best wrestler? Okay, I’ll take your a** down. Gustafsson, you’re the best striker? I’m gonna out-strike you.’ There is an edge and an aura to him where he likes to beat his opponent at their best attribute, and that’s what makes him freakin’ amazing.”

Nicksick continued, adding what side of Jones’ game he believes will be the most important for this fight in particular.

“I think the attribute for him is his length — keeping this fight long and at a pace that favors him. I think he’s the ultimate puppet master in the way that he fights — he gets you into his style of fight, he controls that pace, and that’s where I think a lot of guys have problems with him because they get snake-charmed.”

Ngannou’s coach also highlighted Jones’ offense which has seen him showcase a wide array of weapons, many of which have become adopted by other fighters.

“It’s in his creativity too that you see how good he is because you don’t get to train a lot of that. You don’t get to prepare for a spinning back elbow off a right cross. That’s natural instinct like Saquon Barkley jumping over a guy; you look at it and go, ‘That’s the level of creativity in his mind that he’s doing that,’ and you can’t train for that, you can’t prepare for that.”

Nicksick then turned his attention to the challenger in this Saturday’s main event. Having trained Ngannou to fight the former two-time heavyweight champion twice before, analyzing Miocic’s game is something that he has plenty of experience doing already.

“His best traits are his boxing, his toughness, his durability and his heart, all those things, but as someone that had to game-plan for the guy — when you and I were talking about this fight last week, I was looking at some stuff, and it brought back an anxiety like I was going back and preparing for Stipe again. If you look at the trilogy with Cormier, Stipe looked better in every fight and got better in every fight. He was winning the first fight until he wasn’t, he was losing the second fight until he wasn’t, and then the third fight was a complete wash, but in that third fight, I saw so many different technical evolutions from him in that time.”

Nicksick believes that based on Miocic’s ability to adapt in the past, we could see even more developments in his game after he’s spent over three years outside of the Octagon.

“A lot of switch stances, a lot of lateral movement, a lot of shake steps — things that I think are more predicated to lighter weight fighters, and he was implementing these things and very much confused Cormier. So I also think it’s his evolution, and that’s a big question: how has he evolved these last three years? What has he been doing? I have to assume that he’s only gotten better. With the type of personality and champion that he is, (I have to assume) that he’s been working, doing new things.”

Former UFC Title Challenger ‘Doesn’t See’ Jon Jones Destroying Miocic: ‘Going To Be Really Close’

When the fight was scheduled to take place last year at UFC 295, a lot of people were quick to write off Stipe Miocic’s chances of dethroning the heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. Miocic has accomplished a lot a former two-time champion but his years away from the Octagon and last fight meant that a lot […]

This same narrative has only increased since that fight was postponed due to Jones’ injury and rescheduled for UFC 309 this weekend, over one year on from their previously scheduled encounter. However, there are some fellow fighters that believe that this fight will end up being far more competitive than many are expecting.

Miocic was knocked out by Francis Ngannou the last time that we saw him in action but “The Predator” might be the most devastating puncher in the sport and Jones is not known for his heavy hands. In his trilogy with Daniel Cormier, Miocic was able to showcase his wrestling, boxing and fight IQ in order to win their second and third clashes.

Former UFC title challenger Steve Erceg is one member of the roster who believes that Miocic will prove to be a tough test for “Bones”. The Aussie flyweight recently gave his thoughts on the fight in an interview with Fox Sports Australia.

“I’ve been thinking about this fight and believe it’s going to be a really close. Even though everyone is saying Jon Jones will destroy Stipe, I don’t see it because I just can’t see Jon taking Miocic down consistently. I think people are overlooking that.

“Jon Jones also isn’t known for his ridiculous knockout power, so to win he’ll have to beat Stipe through five rounds and I can’t see him (Miocic) being picked apart for five rounds, either. When it comes to Stipe Miocic, I think most people know – or should know – that he isn’t someone to be trifled with. That’s why I think it’s going to be a barn burner. So while I’m probably still leaning towards Jon, if I was having a punt I’d go Stipe because in what I believe will be a close fight, he’s great value.”

UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Weigh-In Results

UFC 309 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! After staging fights in Edmonton and Las Vegas to kick off the month, the mixed martial arts leader will host its annual November numbered event from Madison Square Garden in New York City. One title will be […]

UFC 309 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

After staging fights in Edmonton and Las Vegas to kick off the month, the mixed martial arts leader will host its annual November numbered event from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

One title will be on the line at the top of the card, with Jon Jones defending his heavyweight belt against returning former champion Stipe Miocic n the main event. Co-headlining, meanwhile, will be a crucial lightweight rematch between ex-titleholder Charles Oliveira and the always entertaining Michael Chandler

Also on the main card will be returns for highly touted middleweight prospect Bo Nickal, surging flyweight contender Karine Silva, and electric lightweight newcomer Mauricio Ruffy.

UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic Weigh-In Results

UFC 309 takes place Saturday, November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.

See above for a replay of the UFC 309 Weigh-In Show, and check out the full results below.

Main Card:

Heavyweight Championship Main Event: Jon Jones (237.6lbs) vs. Stipe Miocic (248.6lbs)
Lightweight Co-Main Event: Charles Oliveira (155.6lbs) vs. Michael Chandler (155.6lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araújo (125.6lbs) vs. Karine Silva (125.8lbs)
Middleweight: Bo Nickal (185.4lbs) vs. Paul Craig (186lbs)
Catchweight (165lbs): Mauricio Ruffy (164.4lbs) vs. James Llontop (166.2lbs)*

Preliminary Card:

Bantamweight: Jonathan Martinez (135.8lbs) vs. Marcus McGhee (135.6lbs)
Middleweight: Eryk Anders (185.6lbs) vs. Chris Weidman (186lbs)
Lightweight: Jim Miller (155.6lbs) vs. Damon Jackson (155.2lbs)
Featherweight: David Onama (155.6lbs) vs. Roberto Romero (155lbs)

Early Preliminary Card:

Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura (251lbs) vs. Jhonata Diniz (253.2lbs)
Welterweight: Mickey Gall (170.8lbs) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (170.2lbs)
Welterweight: Bassil Hafez (171lbs) vs. Oban Elliott (170lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Veronica Hardy (125.8lbs) vs. Eduarda Moura (125.2lbs)

*James Llontop missed the catchweight limit by 0.2 pounds

Jon Jones Reignites Controversy with ‘Steroids’ Comment on Near-Defeat Championship Fight

Ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 309, Jon Jones is opening up an old wound. While…

Ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 309, Jon Jones is opening up an old wound.

While ‘Bones’ has been dominant throughout much of his career, he has faced his fair share of close calls and questionable decisions. Perhaps the closest of calls came at UFC 152 when he was tasked with defending his light heavyweight title against MMA icon Vitor Belfort.

Jones went into the contest as a massive 13-to-1 favorite, but disaster nearly struck in the opening round when Belfort locked in a nasty armbar up against the fence. Just when it looked like Jones’ title run would come to an end, he fought his way out of the hold and ultimately ended things in the fourth round by forcing Belfort to tap out via keylock less than a minute into the round.

ESPN MMA recently looked back in the iconic moment on Instagram via a meme that caught the attention of Jon Jones.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SportsCenter (@sportscenter)

Responding the comments, Jones offered up one word.

“Steroids,” Jones wrote.

Jon Jones called belfort’s ‘sketchy drug test result’ ahead of UFC 152 a ‘Slap in the Face’

Belfort’s abuse of banned substances wasn’t much more a secret then than it is now, but ‘Bones’ found himself infuriated with his employer after learning years later that Belfort had a sketchy drug test result weeks before a fight. A report from Deadspin in September 2015 — three years after their meeting inside the Octagon — revealed that Belfort appeared to have elevated levels of testosterone.

The UFC never disclosed the result, and the fight moved forward as scheduled.

“Everybody has always speculated Vitor for being on steroids,” Jones told Ariel Helwani in November 2015. “But to know they put me in there with him knowing he was on them, it’s really a slap in the face” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Belfort was one of many fighters on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) until it was banned in February 2014 due to widespread abuse from UFC stars like Belfort and Chael Sonnen.

Jon Jones will return to the Octagon on November 16 when the promotion makes its annual pit stop inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

There, ‘Bones’ will put his undisputed heavyweight title on the line against former two-time titleholder and consensus heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic.

Israel Adesanya Sees Quick End for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic Bout, Two-Round Finish

Israel Adesanya thinks Jon Jones gets the job done at UFC 309. Jones’ return to the Octagon this Saturday…

Israel Adesanya thinks Jon Jones gets the job done at UFC 309.

Jones’ return to the Octagon this Saturday night inside Madison Square Garden will see him fight for just the second since before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a worldwide shutdown in March 2020. Following his quickfire submission victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, ‘Bones’ will put his undisputed heavyweight title on the line against two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic — another fighter who’s been inactive for the last three-and-a-half years.

While Jones vs. Miocic has been a fairly contentious fight for fans of the sport, and likely won’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things, it still presents and intriguing matchup between two of the greatest fighters of all time.

Offering his breakdown of the often-maligned main event via his YouTube channel, ‘The Last Stylebender’ started his assessment by looking back at Jones’ spectacular heavyweight debut 20 months ago.

“Jones lately looks better at heavyweight already,” Adesanya said. He has been taking this seriously, and again, the way he fights… like, bro, the Ciryl Gane fight was the one that made me go, ‘Yeah, nah, he’s the best.’ Cause I thought Ciryl Gane was gonna give him some trouble. Ciryl was like the new-age heavyweight, and Jones was like, ‘Hold my beer,’ and he just… sneakily, none of us knew—even DC was like, ‘What did he catch him with?’ It was like a sneaky front choke. The guy is just crafty, creative with what he does.”

Israel Adesanya predicts an early night for jon jones

Of course, you can never count out a tough-as-nails scrapper like Stipe Miocic. After all, the Cleveland native is the only man in UFC history to hold the heavyweight title on two separate occasions. He’s also the only one to defend it three consecutive times, defeating Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou in the process.

“But with Stipe… Stipe is tough,” Adesanya said. “He can outwork a lot of heavyweights. You’ve seen what he’s done in the past, you’ve seen his reign as a heavyweight. He’s knocked people out, submitted people. But in this fight, man, I think he’s up against it.”

But even after glazing Miocic, the ‘Stylebender’ is riding with ‘Bones’ to get the job done inside the world’s most famous arena.

“I’m gonna pick Jon Jones,” Adesanya added. “I’m gonna pick it by maybe the second or first—yeah, first two rounds, he’s gonna finish him. But again, this is fighting—sh*t happens. It could just be a zig-zag, boom. If Stipe gets it done, it will be the biggest upset in UFC history. If he gets it done… and that should be motivation enough for him to wanna get it done, yeah.

“I’m gonna go Jon Jones within the first two rounds. I don’t know if it’s gonna be a knockout or a submission, but I feel like Jon might try and enjoy this and soak this up.”

Is Size Really Everything? Laura Sanko Thinks Length Might Be the Real Key

Laura Sanko doesn’t see Jon Jones’ size making that much of a difference against Stipe Miocic. Length on the…

Laura Sanko doesn’t see Jon Jones’ size making that much of a difference against Stipe Miocic. Length on the other hand is a different story.

On November 16, ‘Bones’ will put his undisputed heavyweight world title on the line for the first time when he headlines the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden. Standing in Jones’ way of adding another successful defense to his resume will be Miocic, the promotion’s first and only two-time heavyweight titleholder.

It will be Jones’ second time competing as a heavyweight, the first coming at UFC 285 in March 2023 when he scored a quickfire submission victory over Ciryl Gane to claim the vacated crown. ‘Bones’ weighed 248-pounds for that bout. If he tips the scales similarly for Saturday’s scrap in NYC, he’ll likely have a slight size advantage over Miocic who usually weighs in at 230-240.

However, Jones’ real advantage will be with his length. At least, that’s what color commentary Laura Sanko thinks.

“Yeah, I always tell people, size isn’t as big of an advantage as you think it is… but length is,” Sanko told Din Thomas while the two broke down the UFC 309 headliner.

Jones’ reach measures at 84.5 inches which is the second-longest in the UFC.

Din Thomas Agrees with Laura Sanko’s assessment of Size vs. Length

Din Thomas agreed with Sanko’s statement, suggesting that if Miocic has any chance of winning, it’ll be by making the most of his 80-inch reach via distance management and keeping ‘Bones’ at bay with combinations.

“It’s a huge advantage,” Thomas added. “And this is why I’m saying Stipe is gonna have to do his job on his feet because he can cover up some of that distance in and out, side to side, creating angles, seeing if he can catch Jon slipping. I mean, he’s gonna have to. And he’s gonna have to throw in combinations. But I think he’s got a skill set that ages well, as long as he’s been active and moving his body.”

Sanko also pointed out that Jon Jones has fought someone similarly statured on two separate occasions, given us a potential indicator of how ‘Bones’ could handle his matchup against Miocic.

“I agree,” Sanko said. “And part of that is because this is the fight where the length that you’re talking about is the least pronounced. Stipe is taller and longer than Alexander Gustafsson, and that’s the closest one to it. Alex Gustafsson is 6’5,” Stipe 6’6.”