Jon Jones: Stipe Miocic 'ranks as No. 1’ opponent in legendary UFC career - 'The best fighter I’ve ever fought'
Updated 14/11/2024 at 20:04 GMT
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Jon Jones says he is facing the toughest test of his UFC career when he defends his heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, live on TNT Sports Box Office. The bout has been long in the making after Jones pulled out of a scheduled fight a year ago due to a pectoral injury. “He’s the best fighter that I’ve ever fought against," Jones said.
'He's the best fighter I've ever fought against' - Jones ranks Miocic as his No. 1 opponent
Video credit: TNT Sports
Jon Jones says he will be taking on the “best fighter I’ve ever fought” when he defends his heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 this weekend.
The 37-year-old puts his belt on the line at Madison Square Garden in New York, headlining a card which will be shown live on TNT Sports Box Office from 01:00 on Sunday morning.
Fans have been kept waiting for the bout between the two greats of the division, as Jones was forced to pull out of the originally scheduled fight a year ago due to a pectoral injury.
Having stepped up from light heavyweight, where he has dominated the sport, Jones is making his first defence of the heavyweight title, after beating Ciryl Gane in March 2023, while Miocic will be stepping into the octagon for the first time in three and a half years.
The 42-year-old last fought in March 2021, when he was beaten by Francis Ngannou by TKO in the second round.
“Stipe ranks as No. 1,” said Jones, when asked where Miocic ranks in the list of opponents he has been scheduled to take on.
“He’s the best fighter that I’ve ever fought against, he has the most accolades out of everyone that I’ve competed against.
“He’s a great knockout artist, and a guy who knows how to win and has been doing it for a long time, like myself, and I’m excited to be here with him.”
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Jones says he feels “glad to be mentioned” in the conversation as one of UFC’s ‘greatest of all time’ and says he looks up to legends from other sports for inspiration.
“I’m a big fan of Tom Brady. The longevity that he’s had is really outstanding,” he said.
“Ray Lewis, American football player, who had a very long career and was just dominant every year, he was extraordinary.
“Michael Phelps is another great American athlete who’s just dominated in swimming. I have my favourites, for sure.”
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'That day for me was amazing' - Jones on his favourite day in his UFC career
Video credit: TNT Sports
Britain’s Tom Aspinall will be at the Garden as a back-up fighter, with speculation growing that a meeting with Jones - who he has repeatedly called out - could be on the cards in the future.
But the all-American bout will take centre stage on this occasion, in what is sure to be one of the biggest fights of both men's careers.
Jones, who has multiple accolades, was asked by TNT Sports which memory ranks highest in the list of his achievements and he picked a moment which featured saving an elderly lady ahead of a fight night.
“My favourite moment would be stopping a robbery and then winning a world championship hours later back in 2011,” he said.
“That day for me was amazing, I got to help someone out and then win a world championship. The good energy surrounding that day, the good karma, the good vibe that I felt that day, I just went to bed like ‘no way this is real life’. That was a pretty special day for me.”
How to watch UFC 309: Jones v Miocic
UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic will be exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office and will cost £19.99 in the UK and can be watched on discovery+, EE TV, Prime Video, Virgin Media TV and Sky Sports. You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy either event.
discovery+ - TNT Sports Box Office events are available to purchase and watch in the discovery+ app – on smart TV’s, computer or mobile device. Viewers wanting to watch the fight should visit https://www.discoveryplus.com/gb/ppv-purchases and follow instructions to subscribe and then purchase the event.
EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.
Prime Video - Customers do not need to have a Prime or discovery+ subscription to access this event. You can find live and upcoming PPV events in the “Live and upcoming events” row on the Prime Video homepage and sports page, or by searching for a specific event title.
Virgin Media TV - Customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV 360 and/or Stream set-top-box should go to the Pay Per View events rail.
Sky Sports - customers can purchase on channel 490 via their remote control or via https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports. Customers in the Republic of Ireland can purchase TNT Sports Box Office via Sky for €29.99 at https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports
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