Heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his title in the UFC 309 main event on Saturday against former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic. It’s a match between the greatest of all time and the best heavyweight in UFC history.
The two were originally scheduled to headline UFC 295 last November but Jones was forced out of the fight due to injury. Jones last fought in March 2023, defeating Ciryl Gane to capture the vacant title. Miocic has been out of action for two years longer, since March 2021. It’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, but former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes he knows how it’s going to play out.
“Fight wise, Jones lately looks better at heavyweight already. He’s been taking it seriously. And again, the way he fights, Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “But with Stipe, Stipe is tough. He can outwork a lot of heavyweights. You’ve seen what he’s done in the past. You’ve seen reign as a heavyweight. He’s knocked people out, submitted people, but in this fight, I think he’s up against it.”
Ultimately, Adesanya picked Jones to retain the belt in New York this weekend and believes a win for Miocic would rank as the biggest upset in the promotion’s history.
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“I’m going to pick Jon Jones,” Adesanya said. “I’m going to pick it by, the first two rounds. He’s going to finish him. But this is fighting. Sh*t happens. It could just be zig-zag boom.
“If Stipe gets it done, it will be the biggest upset in UFC history. If he gets it done, and that should be motivation for him to want to get it done,” Adesanya continued. “I’m going to go Jon Jones within the first two rounds. I don’t know if it’s going to be by knockout or submission.”
“I just think Jon Jones is going to get it done. I think he’s going to get it done in crazy fashion… That’s my official pick.”
