Jon Jones opens up and explains the reason for the disagreement with Miocic during the face-off at UFC 309

Jon Jones defends the heavyweight title in UFC 309. photo: Instagram / UFC Espanol

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The confrontation between Jon Jones e Stipe Miocic, scheduled for this Saturday (16), gained a new layer of animosity. During the staredown at the press conference of UFC 309, the heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg) refused to greet Miocic and started a brief argument, asking his rival to never mention his children again.

In an interview for Daniel Cormier, during the transmission of the official weigh-in, Jones expressed his disappointment towards Miocic. Despite his rival's denial, the champion claims to have watched a video of the firefighter saying that his children would never see him as 'an idiot', which, for 'Bones', sounded like a strong criticism.

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“I found a video a few months ago where Stipe was in the living room and someone was talking about me and my legacy, and he just said, ‘My kids will never look back on me and see me as an idiot.’ I’ll find the quote, he said that, and I’ll never forget how I felt that day. I thought to myself, ‘Okay, you’re another one of those fighters who hates me for no reason.’ And then when he called me a… you know, I just thought, ‘Okay, it’s clear you don’t respect me,’ which is, unfortunately, the case because I’ve never had anything but respect for Stipe,” Jones said.

Although emotions and animosity may arise, Jon Jones claims to have the ability to put all of that aside when he steps into the octagon and focus on what is really necessary to win his fights.

“I didn’t make this stuff up. You never forget how you feel when you hear certain things, and whether it’s animosity or not, I’m grateful that whenever I step into the cage, I can put all emotions aside and focus on what’s important: skills, tactics, timing.”, concluded ‘Bones’.

After winning the heavyweight title in March 2023, Jon Jones will make his first defense against Stipe Miocic in the main fight of UFC 309, this Saturday (16), at Madison Square Garden, in New York.

Check out Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic's face-off during the UFC 309 press conference