UFC 309 LIVE: Jon Jones stops Stipe Miocic to retain heavyweight title
Re-live the action after Jones beat Miocic in round three to keep the heavyweight belt
Jon Jones retained his heavyweight title with a stunning stoppage of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, finishing the legend with a spinning back kick to the body.
The fight had proven controversial, with few fans wishing to see Jones, 37, face Miocic, 42, and many instead desiring a match-up between the champion and Tom Aspinall. Aspinall won the interim belt last November, after Jones vs Miocic fell through when Jones suffered an injury, and the Briton even retained the gold in July – in a rare occurrence in the UFC.
But in a move that has angered fans, Jones has long claimed he will not fight Aspinall, who was in the crowd at Madison Square Garden to watch UFC 309 on Saturday (16 November). And even after beating Miocic, Jones did not address the prospect of unifying the titles with Aspinall.
Jones was admittedly impressive against Miocic, dominating the former champion in round one – tripping his compatriot and raining down elbows for the majority of the round. Miocic showed impressive resilience, but he never truly threatened Jones, who looked better in every department and sealed the finish in round three, dropping his opponent with a spinning back kick to the body.
Jones rushed to pour on ground and pound, and referee Herb Dean quickly ended the fight. Re-live all the action from UFC 309 below.
Donald Trump returns to MSG weeks after controversial rally for UFC 309
Trump is in the building...
Donald Trump to return to MSG weeks after controversial rally for UFC 309 – reports
UFC 309 LIVE: Jim Miller vs Damon Jackson
Nice reaction for Miller. And we’re under way.
Round one
Jackson with a pair of hooks early, right then left. Miller stands southpaw as he looks to find a way through. And he lands a sniping cross.
Jackson works on a single-leg takedown, driving Miller to the fence. Miller gets free, and as the pair trade hands, he cuts Jackson somewhere along the way.
Jackson with a front kick to the body; he’s thrown that a few times already. And again.
Oh, clean southpaw cross from Miller. Lovely shot. Jackson rolls under another punch, shooting for a double-leg takedown, but Miller reacts quickly with a guillotine attempt!
And he gets the tap! Clinical from the legend.
Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson via first-round submission (guillotine choke, 2:44)
UFC 309 LIVE: David Onama vs Roberto Romero
David Onama def. Roberto Romero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
No doubts about that one. It was fun, though!
More lightweight action now: veteran Jim Miller faces Damon Jackson.
UFC 309 LIVE: David Onama vs Roberto Romero
Round two
Onama tags Romero again, and the latter is on unsteady legs once more. But still he presses forward...
Onama with a clubbing left hook, then a trio of BRUTAL punches. The sound on these shots, jeez.
And down goes Romero again! Onama flies into his guard, and Romero holds on, trying to slow down his opponent.
Another round in the books.
Round three
More good work from Onama. Clean straights and hooks, as Romero’s face grows bloodier. Now Onama talks some trash.
But against the run of play, he goes down! It’s just from a well-timed leg kick, however, and he pops back up.
Nice head kick from Roberto, though Onama is able to just about catch it to lessen the impact. He turns it into a takedown, too.
Roberto stands quickly, but he’s taken down again, and Onama is in mount, also tying up his opponent’s legs. Eventually Onama stands, so he can come back down with strikes.
It’s an emphatic end to the fight from Onama.
UFC 309 LIVE: David Onama vs Roberto Romero
Next up, David Onama faces Roberto Romero at lightweight.
Onama was due to face Lucas Almeida at featherweight, but the latter withdrew this week. In steps Romero, with the bout taking place at 155lb, not 145lb.
Round one
Lots of stance switches from Onama, but he’s being too passive early on, as Romero starts very fast!
Plenty of output from Romero, including a slew of low kicks. Good elbow from Onama in the clinch, though.
KNOCKDOWN! Romero drops Onama, before taking the back and trying a rear naked choke!
Onama is lucid enough to fight the hands well, keeping Romero’s arm over his chin – not his neck.
And Onama is able to shake off Romero, while standing up. The pair then grapple against the fence for a while, before separating.
Clean right hook from Romero! Onama felt that... OH!!! But Onama lands hard, and Romero is in a world of hurt!
Onama lands two more mean shots, as Romero’s legs wobble all over the place, and eventually Romero falls! He survives to the buzzer, though!
WHAT A ROUND.
UFC 309 LIVE: Regular prelims
Onto the regular prelims! In reverse order, we’ve got:
Jonathan Martinez vs Marcus McGhee (bantamweight)
Jim Miller vs Damon Jackson (lightweight)
David Onama vs Roberto Romero (lightweight)
Marcin Tybura vs Jhonata Diniz (heavyweight)
A reminder that Chris Weidman vs Eryk Anders was cancelled on VERY short notice, due to Anders being ill.
UFC 309 LIVE: Bassil Hafez vs Oban Elliott
Round two
Some better work from Hafez as the round goes on, but the fight is still largely being fought on Elliott’s terms.
The Welshman is managing range well, utilising kicks nicely. He lands a crisp left hook now.
Elliott is also starting to press forward more. Both men land in a tense exchange.
Elliott with a front kick to the face! He might have been trying a crescent kick, in fact. He then leans back to avoid a one-two; that was close.
Round three
OH! Elliott gets the finish early in round three!
He drops Hafez with a brutal overhand right, then pours on punches and hammer fists! Eventually, referee Marc Goddard steps in!
In truth, Elliott might have been allowed to land a few shots too many there...
It looked like he knocked out Hafez, then woke him back up, before Goddard finally intervened.
Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez via third-round KO (punches and hammer fists, 0:40)
UFC 309 LIVE: Bassil Hafez vs Oban Elliott
Onto welterweight action, between Bassil Hafez and Wales’s Oban Elliott.
Round one
Both men stand orthodox. There’s some early grappling between the pair, against the fence, initiated by Hafez.
They separate, and Elliott lands a hard body kick. He throws more and eventually goes too low on one, and is warned.
More body kicks by the Welshman, but they’re front kicks now.
Hafez has the centre of the ring and misses with a winging overhand right. He lands a spiteful kick of his own, and Elliott wags his finger to say it didn’t hurt him.
Good first round for Elliott.
UFC 309 LIVE: Michael Bisping interview
We spoke to UFC legend Michael Bisping about tonight’s main event, and he answered some of the overlooked questions ahead of Jones vs Miocic:
Jones vs Miocic won’t bring ‘traditional’ KO, Michael Bisping predicts
UFC 309 LIVE: Dana White confirms plans for Jones vs Tom Aspinall
Jones has said he has no interest in facing Aspinall, if he gets past Miocic tonight.
But UFC president Dana White will seemingly not let Jones off that easy...
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