Written by Jon Jones | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Jon Jones impressed Daniel Cormier.
On Saturday, Jones successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title with a third-round TKO win over Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309. It was a fight that was nearly two years in the making and, to some extent, had been theorized about by fans for far longer than that when Jones was the light heavyweight champion and Miocic was the heavyweight kingpin. And for Cormier it was confirmation of just how good Jones is.
“This fight was built as the greatest heavyweight of all-time taking on who many consider the greatest fighter of all-time,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “From the very start of this fight it was very apparent that these two are not on the same level. From Round 1 — Jon Jones has a 10-8 round in Round 1. …
“That early takedown played such a massive part in the way that the fight played out, because it took a lot out of Stipe, and then he looked slow chasing Jon down.
“When a guy like Jon Jones gets into the octagon, you have to be prepared for so much, because there’s so much coming at you. So these guys will put people in training camps to try and replicate that, but then when you’re in there with him, it’s so different because the speed is different, the fight I.Q. is different, the ability to set up all those weapons is much different. …
“It looked like Stipe expected something, and he got something completely different. 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 two, the one-sided fight where Miocic didn’t get much accomplished.”
Cormier has a long history with both men. The former two-division champion faced Miocic three times for the heavyweight title, and had a pair of bouts with Jones in one of the sport’s most heated and defining rivalries. But though Cormier and Jones still don’t get along well personally, the UFC Hall of Famer would never deny why Jones has been able to accomplish.
“This dude proved time and time again how good he is, and I truly believe a lot of it is due to the hard work, the fight I.Q., 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 respect him 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.”
After his win, Jones was cagey about what comes next for him. “Bones” has made no secret of wanting another “legacy” fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in lieu of a title unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall, even saying he will retire if he doesn’t get that fight. But for Cormier, the only fight that makes sense for Jones at this point is the one he’s cool on — even if, to Jones’s previous point, it could be simply another instance of Jones proving his greatness.
“We need to see him fight Tom Aspinall,” Cormier said. “… Aspinall’s big, he’s explosive, and he’s a young interim champion. That seems to be a guy that can give Jon Jones problems, but we’ve thought many, many times that guys would give Jones problems, and none of them have been able to do that.”
TOP STORIES
Farewell. Stipe Miocic retires after losing to Jon Jones at UFC 309.
$$$. Jon Jones wants “f*ck you money” to fight Tom Aspinall next.
Next. Dana White says there’s “no way” the UFC books Jones vs. Alex Pereira next.
Rivalry. Jake Paul blasts Dana White over the success of his boxing match with Mike Tyson.
Beef. Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor again following UFC 309 loss.
Illness. Eryk Anders reveals why his bout with Chris Weidman at UFC 309 got cancelled.
Schedule. The UFC announced its first 11 fight cards for 2025.
VIDEO STEW
UFC 309 Post Show.
On to the Next One.
UFC 309 Presser.
Jake Paul press conference highlights.
Tom Aspinall reacts.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Respect.
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. 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… pic.twitter.com/QAzR4uX94Y
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 17, 2024
Jon Jones.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/KAxppM2YEn
— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 17, 2024
Jake Paul.
Stipe Miocic is the greatest fighter from Ohio ever. Ohio we need to celebrate this man. Congrats on an amazing career brother
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 17, 2024
Moicano knows.
It’s impressive how many fouls Michael Chandler committed yesterday in the fight against Charles! Eye poke, strike to the back of the head, grabbing the cage! If he repeats that in his next fight, he needs to be penalized severely. #ufc309
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) November 17, 2024
Beef.
My new lightweight goat is @JimMiller_155 Im willing to argue with anyone . And we will unfortunately not be seeing Chandler “At the Top” …. We are officially rebranding to “I’ll see you at the ????????? Help me out here guys
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) November 17, 2024
I miss Fight Circus.
Matt Brown lands a savage elbow to “almost but no cigar” KO @BLOBTANG #fightcircus @IamTheImmortal pic.twitter.com/oIlyxGM29i
— Fight Circus (@FightCircus) November 17, 2024
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well, that certainly was a big weekend even if it perhaps wasn’t the most elucidating. Nevertheless, we finally settled the heavyweight stuff as can move forward appropriately.
It’s on to Macau!
EXIT POLL
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