UFC 309: Jon Jones too strong for Stipe Miocic in heavyweight championship fight

Jon Jones made his first heavyweight title defense by knocking out Stipe Miocic. in the third round of the UFC 309 grand final on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Jones, 37, was patient and methodical against a decidedly slower and more hesitant rival. Nothing surprising, since Miocic was returning from an absence from the octagon of more than three years.

Late in the third round, when he was already firmly in control, Jones saw the door crack open and he wasn’t going to miss his chance.

Spinning around, he delivered a left kick directly to the ribcage of Miocic, who was shaken, putting one knee on the ground.

The champion did not ask for more to end the confrontation with a series of punches in front of an opponent at the end of his resources.

Jones (28-1-0-1) captured the heavyweight belt in March 2023 by dominating Ciryl Gane with a submission victory. At the time, the title was vacated by Francis Ngannou upon his departure to the PFL as a free agent early in 2023.

He confirmed in a post-fight interview that he was not considering retirement at this point: “We are going to explore our options with Dana and see what could be next for me,” he said. .

Conversely, Miocic made it official that it was the last time we saw him in action.

“It was over for me!” I put away the gloves (‘Hanging them up’),” he said.

Initially, the UFC president wanted Jones to face Miocic at UFC 295 in July 2023. Except that the duel fell apart momentarily when Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle while training.

The UFC had chosen at this time to organize an interim title fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovien, and won by Aspinall.

Miocic (20-5), two-time UFC heavyweight champion, had not returned to the octagon since his loss by knockout. in the hands of Ngannou, who had thus seized the belt. It was March 2021.

Before this failure, he had become the first champion of the division to successfully defend his title three times in succession.

Oliveira resists a barrage from Chandler in the 5th round

Charles Oliveira withstood a barrage in the fifth and final round to win the second chapter of his rivalry against Michael Chandler on Saturday night at UFC 309 presented at Madison Square Garden.

Ranked second at lightweight, Oliveira has in all likelihood just earned himself a chance to recapture the title belonging to Islam Makhachev.

Oliveira, for whom it was the 35th victory of his career, seemed to be heading towards success without the slightest concern after four rounds clearly to his advantage in all facets.

The Brazilian’s clear domination was felt in all aspects of the fight: while showing his power with a deluge of blows that hit the target, he also displayed his qualities as a wrestler by achieving multiple brought to the ground.

Except that Chandler (23-9-0) demonstrated enormous courage to reignite the suspense, from the first moments of the final round, by hitting Oliveira solidly on several occasions, to the point where the Brazilian was in danger of being stopped by the American and favored by the crowd.

While MSG was jubilant to see Chandler unexpectedly turn the tables, Oliveira was able to weather the storm by relying on his skills on the ground.

Once out of the trap, Oliveira (35-10-0) ultimately won a unanimous decision, 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45 on the three-judge card.

The two rivals first met during the main fight of the UFC 262 card, in May 2021, and Oliveira won via knockout. in the second round.

Chandler’s last appearance in the octagon was in November 2022; two years ago, he bowed out to former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

The 38-year-old veteran had been in the Bellator organization for a decade, before making his anticipated debut in the UFC in January 2021.

He began this second career clash against Oliveira at the seventh level in the hierarchy of the 155 lbs division.

Chandler reiterated his interest in facing Connor McGregor for his next appearance in the octagon, in addition to mentioning the possibility of crossing swords with Max Holloway for the “BMF” belt.

In a highly anticipated co-final, heavyweight monarch Jon Jones will put his belt on the line against another former champion of the division, Stipe Miocic.

The next President of the United States Donald Trump was present in the legendary New York amphitheater for the occasion.

As the crowd chanted “ USA, USA », the president-elect went to sit in front of the cage where the fights take place. He arrived surrounded by several of his relatives and allies, including Elon Musk, Bobby Kennedy Junior, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and the head of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson.

Trump, 78, appreciates tough guys and combat sports like mixed martial arts, to which he had opened the performance halls of his casinos.