Jon Jones could not have soared any higher—a terrifying thought for anyone who might rise to challenge him in the not-too-distant future.
“Bones” retained the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown in utterly dominant fashion, as he disposed of Stipe Miocic with a brutal spinning back kick to the body and follow-up punches in the third round of their UFC 309 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Miocic (20-5, 14-5 UFC) met his end 4:29 into Round 3, then announced his retirement from the sport.
With President-elect Donald Trump seated cageside, Jones (28-1, 22-1 UFC) tormented the Strong Style Fight Team linchpin with rear-leg front kicks to the body, piercing jabs and thudding power punches. He took down Miocic with breathtaking ease in the first round and unsheathed his ground-and-pound to devastating effect. Jones put it in cruise control from that point forward. He bucked Miocic with a right cross in the third round, toyed with him a little longer and then fired the fight-ending kick into his ribs. A quick volley of punches mopped up what was left.
Afterward, Jones indicated he planned to continue on with his career, leaving the door open to potential showdowns with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and reigning light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira.
Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series against three-time Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler with a unanimous decision in their five-round lightweight co-main event. Scores were 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45—all for Oliveira (35-10, 23-10 UFC), who had stopped the Missouri native with punches in their first encounter three years ago.
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The rematch was woefully one-sided for the better part of 20 minutes. Oliveira connected with punches, leg kicks and knees in their standup exchanges but made real headway through multiple takedowns. He progressed to full mount in the second round and cut loose with vicious elbow-laced ground-and-pound but failed to procure a finish. Oliveira advanced to the back in the third and fourth rounds, secured dominant positions with body triangles and hunted chokes. Chandler (23-9, 2-4 UFC) refused to go away, his indomitable will shining brightly for all to see. He had Oliveira reeling with a wicked right cross early in Round 5, slipped while in hot pursuit, scrambled on top and pounded on the Brazilian with elbows and punches. Oliveira eventually returned to his feet, slipped behind the exhausted Kill Cliff Fight Club rep, dragged him back to the canvas and bled the remaining time off the clock despite a series of backpack slams by the American.
Oliveira, 35, has won 13 of his past 15 bouts.
Further down the card, four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and three-time national champion Bo Nickal cleared his highest hurdle to date, as he took a unanimous verdict from former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Paul Craig in a three-round middleweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Nickal (7-0, 4-0 UFC).
It was not a visually appealing contest. Nickal switched stances, let fly with overhands from both sides and conducted business entirely on the feet. Craig had his moments—body kicks were his most effective weapon—but lacked the speed and athleticism necessary to deal with the blue-chip American Top Team prospect. Nickal opened a cut near the Scotsman’s right eye with an overhand left in the third round and kept his nose in front for the duration.
The 36-year-old Craig has lost three fights in a row.
Elsewhere, onetime Pancrase champion Viviane Araujo won for the second time in three appearances, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision over Karine Silva in a three-round women’s flyweight feature. Araujo (13-6, 7-5 UFC) swept the cards with 29-28 scores across the board.
Silva (18-5, 4-1 UFC) started strong but faded late. She had Araujo reeling with a straight right in Round 1, then moved into clinch range and fired of a series of knees. Silva’s efforts left her counterpart with a badly bloody nose but failed to net the desired stoppage. Araujo slowly turned the tide over the ensuing 10 minutes. She threatened with an armbar in the second round and started to find a home for her punches in the third. Silva had visible issues with fatigue in the waning moments, retreating to the butt-scoot position on more than one occasion. It was not a good look for the judges.
The defeat snapped Silva’s nine-fight winning streak.
Finally, Fighting Nerds upstart Mauricio Ruffy rode sharp jabs, evasive movement and surgical power punches to a unanimous verdict over former Fusion Fighting Championship titleholder James Llontop in their three-round catchweight appetizer at 165 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Ruffy (11-1, 2-0 UFC).
A late-notice replacement for Charlie Campbell, Llontop (14-5, 0-3 UFC) kept pressing forward against an opponent with superior firepower. Ruffy hammered him with a right cross in the first round, blasted him with a slashing left hook in the second and held on from there. Only Llontop’s sturdy chin allowed him to stay upright. He engaged Ruffy at close range in Round 3, where he scored with short-range punches and foot stomps. His gains were minimal. Ruffy calmly circled away from danger and maintained a relatively safe distance between himself and the Peruvian marauder down the stretch.
Ruffy, 28, has rattled off six straight wins.
