Tag: Stipe Miocic

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:

‘As Impressive As Jake Paul’s Win Over Mike Tyson’ – Fans React As Jon Jones Sends Stipe Miocic Into Retirement With UFC 309 Finish

The UFC’s GOAT battle ended with Jones adding another name to his long list of fallen opponents, as he finished Stipe Miocic to retain the UFC heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 309 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Jones had a strong start after a feeling out process to start the fight, […]

The UFC’s GOAT battle ended with Jones adding another name to his long list of fallen opponents, as he finished Stipe Miocic to retain the UFC heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 309 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Jones had a strong start after a feeling out process to start the fight, scoring a takedown a couple of minutes into the round and landing some brutal elbows that could have finished the outing.

The Rochester native seemed to take the second frame off but still landed the better shots. He then finished off Miocic in the third with a brutal spinning kick to the body.

Miocic announced his retirement from MMA after the fight. Jones, meanwhile, did not commit to calling it quits, but stated he’d have to do some negotiating with Dana White and Hunter Campbell before signing on for a fight with either interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall or light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira.

Jon Jones Puts Stipe Miocic Into Retirement With Third-Round Finish To Retain Heavyweight Title At UFC 309

Jones and Miocic were originally set to clash at last year’s Madison Square Garden event, UFC 295, before Jones tore his pec.

This marked his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title since winning the then-vacant belt with a submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s headliner was Miocic’s first fight since losing the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.

Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic’s Next Best Fights After UFC 309 Results

Jon Jones remained the heavyweight champion on Saturday night with a third-round knockout win over Stipe Miocic to close out UFC 309. Jones has only fought…

Jon Jones remained the heavyweight champion on Saturday night with a third-round knockout win over Stipe Miocic to close out UFC 309. Jones has only fought…