“Rampage” expected Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic to be a more competitive fight.
[autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] expected [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] to be a more competitive fight.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) retained his heavyweight title with a lopsided performance that ended with a devastating third-round TKO finish of Miocic by spinning back kick in the UFC 309 headliner. Miocic was widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, but the more than three-year layoff appeared to play a factor in his sluggish performance.
“Rampage” went as far as saying that he thought Miocic (20-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) would prove to be a sterner test for Jones than interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who averages the shortest fight time in UFC history.
“I feel like Jon Jones’ last performance, I don’t even think any heavyweight could beat Jon Jones,” Jackson said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I think he solidified himself as one of the greatest fighters on the planet and no disrespect to Aspinall. I think Aspinall is a great fighter. I’m a fan of his, as well, but I figured Stipe would be a tougher challenge than Aspinall. I was thinking it on paper. I think Jon Jones is the Neo of MMA. He’s Neo.”
Jackson knows first hand how good Jones is. He challenged Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 135 in September 2011 but was submitted in the fourth round. Jackson explained what gives Jones the edge in every fight.
“The reason Jon Jones has been so successful in MMA and has been dominating for so long is because his mind is so strong,” Jackson said. “I’ve been in the cage with that kid. I heavily underestimated him, and I have been watching his fights ever since, and I see the stuff that he does. He is doing stuff that nobody does. Nobody was doing spinning elbows. … Just the way he controls the octagon, his mind is really strong, and I’ve been telling people for years MMA is 95 percent mental.”
From one week to three months, check out the full list of medical suspensions handed out following UFC 309 in New York.
Every fighter who competed this past Saturday at UFC 309 has been given a medical suspension following their bouts.
Jhonata Diniz, Mickey Gall and Bassil Hafez were knocked out in their fights and were among four fighters who received 90-day suspensions, which was the longest period issued. The fourth fighter who received 90 days was James Llontop, who went the distance with Mauricio Ruffy, but was on the receiving end of multiple damaging strikes over three rounds.
The event, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, was headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic. Although he announced his retirement following the main event, Miocic was given a 60-day suspension for his TKO loss to Jones.
Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from the New York State Department of State, which oversaw the event. Check out the full list below. The suspensions ranged from a 7-day mandatory rest period to 90 days. Any fighter given 30-90 days may return sooner if cleared by a doctor (unless noted otherwise).
Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Veronica Hardy (red gloves) fights Eduarda Moura (blue gloves) in the flyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Eduarda Moura[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Bassil Hafez (red gloves) fights Oban Elliott (blue gloves) in the welterweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: 90-day suspension with neurology clearance
Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall
Ramiz Brahimaj def Mickey Gall UFC 309
[autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: 90-day suspension with neurology clearance
Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jhonata Diniz (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Marcin Tybura (red gloves, not pictured) in the Heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; David Onama (red gloves) fights Roberto Romero (blue gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jonathan Martinez (red gloves) fights Marcus Mcghee (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights James Llontop (blue gloves) in the catchweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Viviane Araujo (red gloves) fights Karine Silva (blue gloves) in the WomenÕs Flyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: (R-L) Bo Nickal of the United States of America punches Paul Craig of Scotland in a middleweight fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: 30-day suspension
Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Charles Oliveira (red gloves) fights Michael Chandler (blue gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (R) fights challenger Stipe Miocic during their heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” covering Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, and more.
The time for overreacting is here!
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Farah Hannoun debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] was a meaningless UFC heavyweight title fight.
UFC 309 proved Jon Jones would lose to [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].
Things are about to get ugly between Jon Jones and [autotag]Dana White[/autotag].
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] should stop acting so desperate to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].
[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s UFC 309 performance was a huge disappointment.
[autotag]Jake Paul [/autotag]vs. [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]: What the hell was that?
The UFC totally redeemed itself with the UFC 310/UFC Tampa shakeup.
An emotional Stipe Miocic opened up on his decision to retire in a lengthy message to his supporters: “What an incredible way to go out!”
An emotional [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] on Monday opened up on his decision to retire after UFC 309.
Miocic (20-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) hung up his gloves after a third-round TKO loss to heavyweight champion Jon Jones in Saturday’s main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion took to Instagram to thank his team, family, and fans for his incredible journey, which led to him being considered arguably the greatest in the division’s history.
“Let me start this post by saying I am good. Been through a lot worse. I hope everybody enjoyed the show on Saturday. What an incredible way go out! I started this journey fighting in local bowling alleys & ended it selling out Madison Square Garden. It truly doesn’t get batter than that. Sorry I don’t get the W, but you can’t get em all. Sometimes it’s not your night, that is the nature of the beast. You can’t plan a perfect ending in this sport, but I guess the perfect ending is to have been lucky enough to do it at all. You all have given me so much, and I hope I did you all proud. Croatia & Cleveland Ohio especially. I felt all of you with me at every battle.
“To Marcus Marinelli and the Strongstyle team. We started together, we finished together. We cried together & we bled together. If people only knew the whole story of everything we have been through… we could write a pretty badass novel. There is nobody else I would have shared this journey with… the best part is that we are family forever… Marcus, I know my father has passed. But I also know he appreciates you stepping in and being the father figure I needed in my life.
“We had a hell of a run coach. You dedicated years of your life to me. We made history based on a dream and you had a vision. Now we have more time to drink wine and play euchre while making fun of Bobby because he is terrible at defending him self. To my opponents, thank you all. I learned something from every single one of you. It was a honor to go to war brothers.
“To my wife, you are my rock. The ship doesn’t sail without you. You sacrificed so much for this dream and I love you. God knew I needed you & you motivate me more than any one! I will miss hanging up on you on Embedded, but there’s YouTube for that. To my kids, everything I have ever done is all for the two of you. To my Mom, I know this isn’t the career you would have chose for me. But, you have always been in my corner since day one.. it was me & you. To my Vayner sports family, you guys are the best in the business!
“And finally to the fans, you guys are the heartbeat of this sport. You are what makes the MMA amazing! Without you, we fighters don’t even exist. The rush you gave me walking down to that octagon is forever engraved in my memory! Thank you for that I’m not goin anywhere. Excited to start some new projects, bring back the podcast, break down all my fights & share my reality with you! Until my next fight……. just kidding, just kidding! Forever grateful. It’s been a hell of a ride!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCiIR7wyVaB/
In his first reign as UFC heavyweight champion, Miocic defended his title a record three times, scoring wins over Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou. His two most recent wins came in back-to-back title fights against Daniel Cormier.
Contrary to reports, Stipe Miocic did not suffer any serious injuries in his TKO loss to Jon Jones at UFC 309.
[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] did not suffer any broken ribs in his TKO loss to Jon Jones at UFC 309.
Former two-time heavyweight champion Miocic (20-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) failed to regain the belt Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York and saw his night – and career – come to an end in violent fashion courtesy of a spinning back kick to the body from Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) in the third round.
Jones, who said he trained the technique for hours every week leading up to the event, uncorked his perfectly placed signature kick to the left side of Miocic’s body and immediately folded him to his knees. “Bones” pounced with a few follow-up punches, but it was over as Miocic crouched over in pain while Jones celebrated.
Although Miocic refused additional medical attention in the octagon then provided a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan where he announced his retirement, rumors have swirled online about broken ribs.
However, Miocic’s manager, Lloyd Pierson of VaynerSports, told MMA Junkie on Monday that Miocic sustained “no broken bones” in the defeat.
At the UFC 309 post-fight news conference, Jones stated that he thinks the spinning back kick is the most powerful kicking technique that can be done in MMA, and said broken ribs are one of the potential consequences if it lands perfectly. That wasn’t the case with Miocic, but it was enough to end the fight.
“I didn’t hit Stipe’s liver. It hit him on the opposite side,” Jones told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “It just sends shockwaves through a person’s body. It can break a rib – it’s just a really powerful shot. So I’m just really proud of landing that shot after so many hours of working it.”
Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is clearly the fight fans want to see after UFC 309. Will it happen? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”
The [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] saga is finally over, and it left the MMA world with one key question: Will Jones finally fight [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] to unify the UFC heavyweight title?
So, will Jones get down with Aspinall? And how did Jones look in his return to the octagon?
MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host Gorgeous George discuss everything surrounding Jon Jones’ big win over Miocic and what may come next for his career.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.
Miocic was almost stopped in Round 1 when Jones took him down and landed big ground and pound. Jones systematically broke him down throughout the fight before getting the finish in Round 3.
“From the very start of this fight, it was very apparent that these two were not on the same level,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “From Round 1, Jon Jones had a 10-8 round. He started the fight with a beautiful kick to the middle, jabs at Stipe Miocic, takes him down with what was a sick takedown.”
Cormier thinks the damage Miocic took on the ground early set the tone for the rest of the fight, where he slowed down drastically.
“It looked like Stipe expected something, and he got something completely different,” Cormier said. “It was a wipeout. It really was a wipeout. And while I was surprised, I knew that this fight could go one of two ways: It could be very close, it could be very competitive, or it could be one-sided. Tonight we got option 2, the one-sided fight where Miocic didn’t get much accomplished.”
Cormier did take the time to praise his former rival, crediting him for what he’s achieved throughout his career.
”This dude proves time and time again, man, how good he is, and I truly believe a lot of it is due to the hard work, the fight IQ, and the toughness, the durability that he possesses inside the octagon,” Cormier said. “It does not matter what I feel about Jon Jones in life. I do respect him tremendously, immensely, as a fighter. He does a lot of the right things when he’s inside that octagon, and that has led to him having more success than anyone has had.
“This guy has defended titles, and over the course of three generations of fighters. That was it for that generation. Stipe was it for that generation. … He has defended this belt over three generations. So no matter what you feel about him, it’s very apparent that you have to respect him and the skills that he possesses in the octagon. He has once again defended a belt and stays UFC champion.”
On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Jon Jones’ win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Jake Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson, and more.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has made the heavyweight division quite interesting, to say the least. The living legend returned to the cage Saturday, successfully defending his UFC heavyweight title against [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 309. Now it seems Jones has little to no intention of unifying the belt with interim champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], and is calling for a bout against fellow star and light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]. What happens now? Will Jones give in and fight Aspinall, or will he retire from MMA? We discuss and analyze everything surrounding the UFC 309 main event.
Jones wasn’t the only one who made headlines at UFC 309, which also saw [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] defeat [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in their highly anticipated rematch; [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] continue his unbeaten run in MMA; [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] follow up on an impressive UFC debut; and much more. We discuss and highlight some of the other key results outside the UFC 309 main event.
Netflix debuted its first live sports event with a boxing match between popular influencer [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] and 58-year-old former champion [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]. The event left plenty to discuss – some good, some bad. We react to Paul’s win over Tyson, along with Netflix’s jump into live sports.
To close out the show, we review some of the smaller news items outside the two big weekend events, including the booking of [autotag]Shavkat Rakmonov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag], which serves as the new co-main event of UFC 310; the return of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who fills in for Machado Garry to fight [autotag]Joaquim Buckley[/autotag] in the main event of UFC on ESPN 63 on Dec. 14; and the implementation of the old UFC gloves – sort of.
Jon Jones’ $42,000 led the Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts for UFC 309 in New York.
NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 309 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $262,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC 309 took place at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
The full UFC 309 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
UFC CEO Dana White shares his thoughts on Jon Jones’ heavyweight title defense at Saturday’s UFC 309.
NEW YORK – After months of claiming [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] finally feels his point was proven.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defended his UFC heavyweight title against former champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden. It was a dominant showing that ended with Jones landing a spinning back kick to the body to put away Miocic in the third round of their contest.
With the win, Jones not only defended his heavyweight belt and cemented himself as arguably the greatest fighter in the sport’s history but also proved that he’s the best fighter today – at least according to White.
“This guy’s fight IQ is off the charts,” White told reporters at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “Everybody going to admit now he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?
“And let me tell you, this thing had upset written all over it, too. All the talk about Jon Jones, Stipe seemed pissed, focused, and he came here to win. He looked good, he was physically in great shape, and the list goes on. Jon picked him apart. … He looked incredible. I just don’t know how any of you guys don’t see how he’s the greatest fighter in the history of f*cking people fighting.”
As far as what’s next, Jones didn’t lean towards any direction in terms of opponent, but he definitely didn’t retire and mentioned he’d like to re-negotiate his contract with the UFC brass.
White, who believes Jones vs. Tom Aspinall would be the greatest heavyweight fight in MMA history, is not worried about the potential negotiation with Jones, and is confident he can get a title unification done.
“I got Tom waiting outside for me right now,” White said. “You let Jon do Jon. Jon is going to disappear. Not only won’t you hear about him, and neither will I, but then he’ll resurface, he’ll call, and we’ll get it done.”
[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
