The two UFC legends went head to head in the main event at Madison Square Garden, New York in a fight both men desperately wanted to win for their respective fighting legacies.
And it was Jones who added to his, courtesy of a spinning back kick finish as he registered the first defence of his heavyweight title.
After an early feeling-out process, Jones landed a beautiful trip takedown to send Miocic to the mat. Jones then got on top and went to work with heavy elbows from top position as Miocic looked to regroup and control Jones’ position.
Jones continued to land big elbows, but Miocic did well enough to survive a round that was dominated by the defending champion.
Round 2 was spent on the feet, but despite being implored by his coach to close the distance and land combinations, Miocic could only manage single shots before backing away as Jones controlled the range through the second stanza.
Both men attempted to apply more pressure, but it was Jones landing the heavier strikes. And the most impactful shot of the fight came towards the end of the round as he connected with a huge spinning back kick to the body that folded up Miocic and sent him to the canvas. A few follow-up ground strikes finished things off as Jones claimed a third-round TKO finish.
After his victory, Jones confirmed that he would be continuing his career, and that he was planning to have talks with UFC bosses Dana White and Hunter Campbell to discuss his next fight which, he hinted, could “give you what you want.”
If the fan response this week is any guide, that could mean that Jones could yet face off against interim champion Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight title unification battle, though Jones has also stated his preference to face light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, at heavyweight.
On the flip side of the coin, Miocic announced his retirement after the fight, telling Joe Rogan, “I’m done. Thank God!”
Charles Oliveira dominates gutsy Michael Chandler to demand title rematch
In the co-main event, former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira delivered a statement-making performance to completely dominate Michael Chandler and put himself right in the frame for a shot at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Oliveira outclassed Chandler in the opening three rounds, with each round seeing the Brazilian outstrike the former Bellator champion on the feet, then dominate him on the mat with his grappling skills.
To his credit, Chandler did well to avoid too much trouble on the mat in the first two rounds, and had to be at on his mettle to fend off two rear-naked choke attempts from the Brazilian in Round 3. But the fight was largely one-way traffic through the first three rounds.
It meant that Chandler had to load up as he went into the extra rounds, and despite clipping Oliveira with some hard shots, he couldn’t stop the Brazilian from taking him to the mat and taking his back once again. Despite being dominated, Chandler defended gamely to avoid being submitted as he survived the fourth round and take the bout into the final frame.
And, in one of the craziest final rounds we’ve seen in some time, Chandler emptied the tank as he went all out in search of a finish. He hurt Oliveira, then hammered him with shots on the canvas, with some of them looking very close to being illegal shots to the back of the head.
The action continued, with only an attempted triangle choke from Oliveira stemming the tide of strikes from Chandler before the fight returned to the feet. But, with Chandler looking to load up again, Oliveira showed his fight smarts by moving to Chandler’s back and dragging him to the mat.
It looked like that would be the end of the significant action, but in an act of defiance, Chandler somehow got to his feet and, with Oliveira on his back, jumped backwards and slammed the Brazilian into the canvas. Oliveira didn’t budge, so Chandler got up and repeated the move as the Madison Square Garden went crazy in appreciation.
Ultimately, Chandler couldn’t find that home-run shot to turn the fight in his favour, and Oliveira ran out the decision winner, with scores of 49-46, 49-46, 49-45 putting him right in line for a rematch with the undisputed lightweight champion Islam Makhachev next year.
Bo Nickal wins decision, but not the MSG crowd
Undefeated middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continued his development with a unanimous decision victory over Scottish submission specialist Paul Craig, but the manner of his performance left the Madison Square Garden crowd less than impressed.
Decorated former collegiate wrestling standout Nickal didn’t attempt a single takedown against Craig, who warned him that he would submit him off his back if the fight went to the mat. Instead, Nickal’s gameplan appeared to be to find a one-shot knockout, and he repeatedly tried to find a home for his overhand shots throughout the three-round matchup.
However, he found Craig to be a trickier proposition than he’d probably expected, with the Scot controlling the range well for much of the bout, using his right kick to good effect as he hammered the left arm and body of Nickal through the majority of the fight.
But in a fight that had no grappling and wrestling whatsoever, it all came down to whose striking was most effective. And those few overhand punches that did connect proved to be good enough to edge each of the three rounds. He didn’t come close to wobbling or knocking out Craig, and his unwillingness to get into the pocket and throw combinations, as well as his decision to totally abandon his wrestling, left the New York crowd cold.
In fact, Nickal’s performance was so disappointing to the fans at MSG, the final moments of the fight played out amid chants of “OVERRATED!” as the fans let the much-hyped Nickal know exactly what they thought.
Nonetheless, it was another win for Nickal, who stayed undefeated as he moved to 7-0 with a victory over a 27-fight veteran.
Viviane Araujo halts Karine Silva’s momentum with decision win
Viviane Araujo claimed victory in the battle of Brazilian flyweight contenders as she upset the odds, and the form book, to defeat surging contender Karine Silva.
In a bout that saw both women enjoy successes on the feet and on the mat, Araujo’s gas tank held up the better of the pair as she powered down the stretch to take the crucial final round and claim the unanimous decision victory, with scores of 29-28 across the board.
It gave Araujo a bounceback victory following her prior loss to Natalia Silva earlier this year. It also saw Araujo halt Silva’s nine-fight win streak.
Mauricio Ruffy and James Llontop kick off the main card in style
The main card kicked off with a cracker of a catchweight matchup as lightweights Mauricio Ruffy and James Llontop put on a show for the full 15 minutes of their 165-pound bout.
The pair showcased contrasting striking styles, with Llontop exhibiting constant forward pressure and volume striking, while Ruffy spent much of the fight looking to land a home-run knockout with an array of spectacular techniques. It meant that, while Llontop outstruck the Brazilian over the three-round duration, it was Ruffy’s strikes that landed with more impact, and generated much more damage.
After a breathless back-and-forth war, Ruffy took the victory on the scorecards, with 29-28 scores on all three cards, before calling for a fight with French lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis. If that gets booked in 2025, that will be must-see TV.
UFC 309 prelims: Jim Miller adds to his legacy with another all-time record
On the preliminary card, Jim Miller extended the all-time UFC records for fights and wins, and claimed the UFC record for lightweight finishes as he claimed his 27th UFC win in his 45th UFC fight with his 11th career submission finish in the Octagon.
The victory – a first-round guillotine choke submission – came against fellow veteran Damon Jackson, who laid down his gloves and retired after the contest. Miller, meanwhile, said that he’s targeting 50 career fights as he vowed to keep his career rolling.
In the preliminary card’s other lightweight bout, David Onama outpointed short-notice newcomer Roberto Romero after an action-packed three rounds that saw Romero start fast before Onama took over with a combination of slick, crisp striking and solid clinch work and wrestling.
Also on the preliminary card, Polish heavyweight contender Marcin Tybura claimed an impressive short-notice TKO victory over Brazilian striker Jhonata Diniz.
Tybura took Diniz out of his comfort zone and smashed him with elbows at the end of the second round as he threatened to get the TKO finish before the end of the round. Referee Herb Dean allowed the round to expire, but after Diniz barely made it back to his corner after significant assistance from his team. The bloodied-up Brazilian was pulled from the fight by the cageside doctor, who ruled Diniz unable to continue.
‘The Welsh Gangster’ stars on UFC 309 early prelims
The early prelims delivered a trio of impressive performances, kicking off with Eduara Moura, who outpointed in-form Veronica Hardy to earn her second UFC victory in three fights.
That fight was followed by a pair of knockouts. “The Welsh Gangster” Oban Elliott capped an outstanding performance with a knockout finish to stop Bassil Hafez in the third round, while the Bronx’s own Ramiz Brahimaj stopped Mickey Gall mid-way through the first round of their welterweight matchup.
UFC 309: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic via TKO (spinning back kick and punches) – Round 3, 4:29 – for heavyweight title
- Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
- Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Viviane Araujo def. Karine Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:43
- David Onama def. Roberto Romero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
EARLY PRELIMS
- Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:55
- Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:40
- Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
