By: Cooper Albers / Chief Sports Editor
Jon “Bones” Jones made his long awaited return to the octagon at the only arena fit for a king – Madison Square Garden.
On Saturday, November 16, the consensus greatest MMA fighter ever put his world heavyweight championship on the line in his home state at UFC 309 against the division’s all-time best, Stipe Miocic.
While the challenger, a two-time champion with the most title defenses in the division, was by no means a walk in the park, he had not fought in three years and stood to enter the octagon at 42-years-old. All signs pointed to the 37-year-old Jones running right through Miocic. However, not without the occasional, fleeting thought that maybe, just maybe, the former champ had one more punch in him. Power is the last thing to go, after all.
20,200 fans flocked to 7th avenue to pack yet another sold-out crowd for the UFC at MSG. The whopping $16,673,954 gathered in ticket sales marked the second-highest grossing event in the Garden’s history. The promotion fell just short of breaking its own record which it set in 2016 with its first trip to New York City for UFC 205, headlined by Conor McGregor.
Following the tradition for a fight night at the World’s Most Famous Arena, a herd of household names furnished the Celebrity Row with Grammys, Oscars and championship gold. A few young stars from the New York Yankees even brought along their American League pennants to round out the star-studded affair.
Also commanding attention in the audience was interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. While much of the fight world believed he should have been in the octagon challenging for Jones’ belt, Aspinall was deemed an undeserving “a**hole” by the champ and had no choice but to take his seat cageside.
However, the familiar faces and beloved personalities suddenly drowned in the shadow of the event’s guest of honor. Personally accompanied by UFC president Dana White, President-elect Donald Trump paraded to his cageside seat to the sound of Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass.”
Marching behind the soon-to-be commander-in-chief was his entourage consisting of family, newly appointed cabinet members and celebrity supporters.
Trump and White have been close friends for decades, with the former President offering up one of his hotels to host events in the early days of the promotion. Trump has attended a handful of UFC events in the years since, with White returning the favor by speaking at his rallies.
Returning to the site of his controversial October rally for the first time since winning the 2024 Election, Trump received a hero’s welcome. The UFC aired a video package describing his electoral triumph as “the great comeback in American History" and clamoring chants of “USA! USA!” erupted throughout the sold-out arena.
"If people at home could hear the sound in this room right now. It is so loud!" UFC commentator Joe Rogan said on the broadcast, describing the crowd reaction to the appearance of his high-profile podcast guest. "It’s always loud when he comes in, but now that he’s won [the election], now that he’s the president again, oh my God!"
With the President-elect assuming his throne beside the octagon, the stage was set for the main event. Miocic was the first to walk, entering the cage for the first time since he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou at UFC 260. After which, the Garden lights went dark and the champion made the final walk of the night.
The fighters took their positions at opposite ends of the octagon and Bruce Buffer emphatically declared that it was time. After introducing the challenger, he presented the “one and only” heavyweight champion – with Jones being one of just two fighters to earn the title.
From the opening bell, Jones provided the MMA world with a burst of nostalgia, looking calm, cool and calculated as ever. Miocic, on the other hand, moved as his age would suggest, appearing a sizable step behind the champion. Jones tripped Miocic in the first round and utilized his newfound heavyweight frame to keep his opponent on the ground for the remainder of the five minutes. There, he unleashed a barrage of devastating elbows to slice open the former champion’s cheek.
Jones kept the second round on the feet where he targeted Miocic's midsection with an onslaught of stabbing body kicks. Finding consistent openings, the champ continued to attack his opponent's torso into the third. There, he backed Miocic against the cage and landed a spinning heel kick that destroyed the challenger's rib cage and sent him careening to the canvas.
As if the crippling thud echoing throughout the Garden wasn’t enough for referee Herb Dean to signal a stop to the contest, Jones landed a few more shots on the ground for good measure.
Finally being pulled off his opponent, the champion scanned the front row of the audience to locate the former President. Locking eyes with Trump, Jones celebrated his record 14th career title defense by performing the signature “Trump dance” in the center of the octagon.
After the fight, Miocic declared his retirement while the champion left his in-ring future ambiguous. Instead of calling out the formidable challenger sitting cageside, Jones utilized his octagon interview to declare his love for Jesus Christ and acknowledge the President-elect.
"A big, big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight," he said. "I'm proud to be a great American champion. I'm proud to be a Christian American champion."
Upon exiting the octagon, Jones circled the perimeter of the cage to greet Trump, where he handed the former president his championship belt. The pair sustained an indicative handshake as a thundering roar engulfed Madison Square Garden.
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