Tag: Stipe Miocic

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.

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

UFC Rankings Report: Jon Jones Denied Pound-For-Pound Top Spot

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 309, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Dana White won’t be pleased looking at the updated P4P pecking order. Jon […]

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 309, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Dana White won’t be pleased looking at the updated P4P pecking order. Jon Jones’ successful heavyweight title defense at Madison Square Garden wasn’t enough to convince the panel that he should have the crown, with that remaining in Islam Makhachev’s possession. “Bones” has, however, climbed above Alex Pereira (#3) into the #2 position.

Further down, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (#15) has returned to the list as a result of his triumph over Michael Chandler on Saturday night. That’s left ex-middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya without a number entirely.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: There was just one change at 125 pounds, with Karine Silva’s defeat to Viviane Araújo at UFC 309 pushing her back one place to #12. That’s provided a boost for Tracy Cortez, who is up one spot to #11 months on from her main event loss to Rose Namajunas.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: No changes.

Bantamweight: Marcus McGhee has debuted in the UFC rankings following his victory over Jonathan Martinez. “The Maniac” has entered at #14, while his defeated opponent is no longer ranked. Aiemann Zahabi has been a beneficiary of those changes, seeing his number improved by one to #13.

Featherweight: No changes.

Lightweight: A few changes unrelated to Saturday’s pay-per-view have taken place at 155 pounds. That includes a switch of positions for Mateusz Gamrot and Beneil Dariush, with the former up to #8 and the latter down to #9. It’s a similar situation further down the ladder, with Paddy Pimblett climbing above Jalin Turner (#14) to #13.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: Following his defeat to Jones, Stipe Miocic announced his retirement from active competition inside the cage. With that, he’s swiftly been removed from the UFC rankings and replaced by Shamil Gaziev, who’s slot in at #15.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Francis Ngannou Sends Messages To Both Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic After UFC 309

PFL champion Francis Ngannou had a close eye on what unfolded when Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic finally shared the Octagon this past weekend. Over a year on from their originally scheduled fight date, Jones and Miocic collided inside the prestigious surroundings of Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, with the former putting his heavyweight […]

PFL champion Francis Ngannou had a close eye on what unfolded when Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic finally shared the Octagon this past weekend.

Over a year on from their originally scheduled fight date, Jones and Miocic collided inside the prestigious surroundings of Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, with the former putting his heavyweight title on the line for the first time at UFC 309.

Those who feared a difficult night at the office for the returning former champion, who hadn’t competed in three and a half years, had their worries come to fruition.

After a difficult first round in which he was taken down and battered with elbows, Miocic was eventually finished in round three when a brutal spinning side kick to the body sent him to the canvas.

The result saw Jones add a successful heavyweight defense to his already illustrious résumé, and that unsurprisingly drew a reaction from a man he’s long gone back and forth with.

Taking to X with his reaction moments after the main event concluded, Ngannou returned the favor by repeating the “I see you” line Jones posted in response to the Cameroonian’s winning debut under the PFL banner last month.

“Jones looked great out there tonight,” Ngannou wrote. “Congrats Jonny boy. I see you (wink)”

While a possible showdown between Jones and Ngannou looks set to enter the “what if” realm of matchups, “The Predator” had a lengthier address for a man whom he has thrown down with — twice.

Following his defeat in New York City, Miocic announced his retirement, and Ngannou was among those paying tribute to the former two-time heavyweight king on social media.

“Thank you, champion @stipemiocic, for all you’ve done for our sport and, above all, for the class you embody and the example you set,” Ngannou wrote. “I’m grateful for how our battles have shaped me into a better fighter; those moments taught me more than years in the sport. Enjoy your well-earned retirement and best wishes for all your future endeavors.”

Miocic faced MMA’s hardest hitter twice in the UFC, first outpointing Ngannou to become the first man to beat him in the Octagon at UFC 220.

Three years later, the pair renewed hostilities at the Apex, where “The Predator” got his redemption and crowning moment in violent fashion.

Jon Jones TKOs Stipe Miocic with Brutal Spinning Back Kick, Leaves Door Open for Aspinall Fight – UFC 309 Highlights

Jon Jones TKOs Stipe Miocic with Brutal Spinning Back Kick, Leaves Door Open for Aspinall Fight - UFC 309 HighlightsJon Jones got the job done in convincing fashion at UFC 309 on Saturday night. Returning to the Octagon…

Jon Jones TKOs Stipe Miocic with Brutal Spinning Back Kick, Leaves Door Open for Aspinall Fight - UFC 309 Highlights

Jon Jones got the job done in convincing fashion at UFC 309 on Saturday night.

Returning to the Octagon for the first time since his title-winning performance against Ciryl Gane almost two years ago, ‘Bones’ looked as good as ever against the former two-time heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic.

From the get-go, Jones was in complete control of the bout, peppering Miocic with a series of kicks to the body and the lead leg. Jones nearly finished things in the opening round after securing a takedown and lighting up Miocic with a barrage of elbow strikes near the fence. Miocic did a good job of defending, but surviving the round was the best he could do from his back.

Jon Jones

The second round wasn’t much more competitive than the first, but things came to a head in the third when Jones unleashed a nasty spinning back kick with less than a minute to go in the round. The kick immediately folded Miocic up against the fence and ‘Bones’ finished things with a few ground-and-pound strikes that forced referee Herb Dean to step in and call for the stoppage.

Official Result: Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic via TKO (spinning back kick to ground-and-pound) at 4:29 of Round 3.

Jon Jones

Check Out Highlights From Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 309: