Jon Jones accepted Stipe Miocic’s offering in their final face-to-face before UFC 309.
After a tense UFC 309 pre-fight press conference, cooler heads have seemingly prevailed for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ahead of their highly-anticipated showdown.
Jones will make his first UFC heavyweight title defense against Miocic on Saturday in New York City. It’s his first fight since winning the then-vacant title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
As for Miocic, he returns to the Octagon for the first time in more than three years. His last fight was a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.
Almost a full year after their originally scheduled fight, Jones and Miocic will finally meet in the Octagon. But, the path to fight night hasn’t been mutually cordial, despite their tame relationship after Jones won the belt.
Jones took offense to Miocic calling him a slur during the UFC 309: Countdown, which Miocic denied any wrongdoing. Jones also accused Miocic of mentioning his kids in pre-fight trash talk and criticizing his parenting.
At the UFC 309 pre-fight press conference, Jones shunned Miocic’s handshake in their first fight week faceoff. Hours later, tensions have cooled off between the two sides.
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic shake hands before the biggest UFC heavyweight clash
At Friday’s UFC 309 ceremonial weigh-in, Miocic again attempted to shake Jones’s hand as he approached their faceoff and this time Jones obliged.
It’s uncertain if Jones and Miocic squashed their beef backstage, or at another point, after their tense UFC 309 press conference. But in any case, any potential misunderstandings have been eradicated ahead of fight night.
Jones vs. Miocic, regardless of the outcome, is potentially the final bout for two of MMA’s greatest legends. Both heavyweights have teased retirement as interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall casts a shadow over UFC 309.
While Jones has dismissed facing Aspinall after UFC 309, UFC CEO Dana White remains hopeful that the Jones/Miocic winner will sign the dotted line.
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are fighting to add to legendary resumes
Jones is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time after a ridiculous strength of schedule during his largely unblemished run in the Octagon. The lone defeat of his career came against Matt Hamill by disqualification in 2009 (illegal elbows).
After a recent change to MMA’s unified rules, Jones might ride off into the sunset undefeated if the Hamill fight is overturned to a no-contest. He and White are actively working towards getting the loss switched.
Jones has defeated UFC legends like Daniel Cormier, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, and Rashad Evans during his career. He’s also one of the UFC’s few all-time two-division champions after a legendary run as the promotion’s light heavyweight titleholder.
Meanwhile, Miocic enters UFC 309 as arguably the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time. Before falling to Ngannou, he won his title trilogy with Cormier and defeated the likes of Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum.
Miocic’s three-straight successful UFC heavyweight title defenses are the most in divisional history. His first title reign began when he knocked out Werdum on his opponent’s home soil at UFC 198.
Jones and Miocic are two of the most battle-tested fighters in MMA history. They’re no stranger to the immense spotlight cast on UFC 309, and it appears tensions are strictly competitive ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view.