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Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic – UFC 309: MMA heavyweight championship fight

Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic – UFC 309: MMA heavyweight championship fight

Jon Jones has cemented his position as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time by pulling off a stunning knockout of Stipe Miocic to retain his heavyweight belt at the UFC 309 fight night. The 37-year-old American looked fully in control throughout the main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, preventing his opponent from leveraging his boxing skills and finishing with a brutal heel to the body that left Miocic on the canvas clutching his ribs. “That body shot man, no matter how tough you are, the liver’s the liver,” a jubilant Jones said in the cage following his victory. In the aftermath, 42-year-old former champion Miocic said he was retiring from the sport. “I’m done,” Miocic said. “I’m hanging ’em up.” Widely considered the best fighter in the world, Jones (28 wins, 1 loss, 1 no contest) was the aggressor from the start and took Miocic down with a superbly timed trip and trapped him before raining down elbows as he dominated the rest of the round. Keen not to get taken down again, Miocic was hesitant as he tried to manage the distance, but Jones was able to measure strikes to the body from his southpaw stance to keep Miocic on the back foot. Croatian-American Miocic enjoyed some success early in the third round, but once again Jones was able to work out the puzzle, connecting with a couple of punches late in the round before his creative rotating kick ended the bout. British heavyweight Tom Aspinall looms as the next challenger for Jones. Aspinall won a fight for the interim heavyweight title in November 2023. UFC CEO Dana White had promised Aspinall, who chatted with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, would challenge the winner of the main event in a unification bout. UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (R) fights challenger Stipe Miocic [Kena Betancur/AFP] Trump, Musk in attendance With Donald Trump in the audience, Jones imitated the United States president-elect’s campaign trail dance as he celebrated. In the co-main event, Brazil’s Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision to put his name back in contention for a crack at the lightweight title he was stripped of for missing weight in May 2022. Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon in front of Trump, Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Robert Kennedy Jr, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration. Trump walked out to a rousing ovation in front of 20,200 fans just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in the thrill of the fighters that throughout the night gave him props — including Jones. “I want to give a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump [for] being here tonight,” Jones said to a roaring ovation that bled into a “USA! USA!” chant. “I’m proud to be a great American champion,” Jones said. US President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch the fight [Kena Betancur/AFP] Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler In a lightweight bout that made every fan, from Kid Rock to Jordan Knight to Anthony Kiedis, go wild at the finish in the fifth round, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler via unanimous decision. The fight was a rematch of their May 2021 fight when Charles Oliveira topped Chandler to win the lightweight title. Oliveira staked his claim to another title fight with the win. The fifth round was about as good as it gets inside the octagon highlighted by Chandler dropping Oliveira twice on his back. The 38-year-old Chandler stepped inside the cage for the first time in two years, in large part because he waited for a fight that never materialised with Conor McGregor. “We’ve been wondering where you’ve been, Conor,” Chandler bellowed in the cage. “Come back and beat me if you can.” Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler grapple on the ground in a lightweight fight [Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)

Trump flanked by top allies, cabinet picks at UFC 309: ‘USA, USA’

Trump flanked by top allies, cabinet picks at UFC 309: ‘USA, USA’

President-elect Trump was flanked by cabinet picks and elected officials during his appearance cageside at the UFC pay-per-view card in New York City on Saturday night. Trump was joined by top supporters turned cabinet picks as he entered Madison Square Garden to raucous cheers and chants of “USA, USA.” Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were both picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, joined the president-elect. He was also joined by his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr. Along with cabinet picks, the president-elect was joined by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. DONALD TRUMP ARRIVES AT UFC 309 AT MSG; CROWD ROARS FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT WEEKS AFTER HISTORIC RALLY Trump was also accompanied by UFC President Dana White – a longtime fan of the president-elect from before his political aspirations. DONALD TRUMP HEADS TO UFC 309, EXPECTED TO RECEIVE RAUCOUS CHEERS AFTER ELECTION WIN White, who has frequented campaign events with Trump, hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Trump has attended UFC matches since – including during his 2024 campaign. The stop at the historic Madison Square Garden comes after Trump made rapid-fire choices to fill his cabinet in the weeks after winning the Presidential Election on Nov. 5. On Saturday, President-elect Trump announced that Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, will lead the Department of Energy in his new administration. “I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in a statement released Saturday. WATCH: Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting “America first.” “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy rollout of Cabinet picks.  Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.