COLUMN: What is next for Jon Jones after UFC 309?
In Fight Knight, The Daily Targum sports desk gives its takes on the world of combat sports and professional wrestling.
On Saturday, Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO, put on UFC 309 inside historic Madison Square Garden in New York. The night was filled with interesting fights, political appearances and many questions for the future of the current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Jones successfully defended his title against Stipe Miocic. The fight was put to a stop when Jones landed a spinning heel kick to the body of Miocic, followed by a flurry of punches for good measure. This fight was billed as the greatest of all time versus the greatest heavyweight of all time, but didn't necessarily live up to the hype.
This was the first time Miocic stepped into the octagon since March 2021, and it definitely showed. The 42-year-old Stipe struggled to get his footing in the fight, while Jones dominated on the ground and on foot. Jones has claimed yet another legend on his stellar resume leading to questions about his future with the title.
During the post-fight interview, Joe Rogan asked Jones about his future and he responded with an ambiguous answer, citing an interaction he had with President-elect Donald Trump.
"Tonight is the biggest moment of my life," Jones said. "To talk about Jesus in front of our president and let the world know how truly proud I am to be an American champion, it felt awesome, man. To finish Stipe, it felt awesome."
Jones has caused himself a controversial career, including failed drug tests, pulling out of fights due to injury and domestic assault charges. His mention of God may contradict the Jones we have seen in years past.
While Jones was recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, the UFC crowned an interim champion named Tom Aspinall. In a fight of November 2023, Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to earn the belt, then defended it against Curtis Blaydes in July 2024. Tom has fought nine fights inside the organization with a record of 8-1.
Many argued that the anticipated fight was Jones versus Aspinall, not Miocic. When Jones was asked about a possible fight with Aspinall, he responded with, "I want to be compensated to the point where if I won or if I lost, then it really wouldn't matter."
In the past, Jones has talked about wanting to build his legacy and has teased the idea of potentially fighting current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
"There's no f*cking way I make the Pereira fight," White said during the post-fight press conference.
This brings it back to square one. Jon Jones does not want to risk his legacy on a newer fighter, but this leaves the heavyweight division in turmoil. With no sign of willingness to pass the torch down, Aspinall will have to keep busy with lower-level fights or wait to see if Jones will agree to fight him.
"It would be the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history, by a long shot," White told MMA Junkie when asked about a potential Jones versus Aspinall fight.
There are many questions still unanswered after Jones's win. Will he fight Tom Aspinall? Will Tom take lower-level fights to stay active? Will Jones get his super fight with Pereira? Only time will tell.
