UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones made Grammy award-winning artist Drake's weekend much better than initially thought with his UFC 309 performance.
Jon Jones defeated former UFC heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event. Drake, who is no stranger to big sports betting, placed a nearly $500,000 bet on Jones to knock out Miocic at any point in the fight.
Photos by Amy Sussman/Getty Images, Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Jones returned to the Octagon almost two full years after winning the then-vacant UFC heavyweight title. Any signs of ring rust were quickly quelled as he delivered one of the most dominant performances of his UFC career.
With seconds left in the third round, Jones finished Miocic with a spinning back kick to the ribs, followed by a brutal ground-and-pound. It was Jones' first TKO/KO win since Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232.
Jones has made many sports bettors happy during his legendary UFC career. His only defeat, a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009, is expected to be overturned following recent changes to MMA's uniform rules.
Drake wins nearly $1 million return after Jon Jones knocks out Stipe Miocic
It didn't take long for Drake to respond to Jones' win on social media.
“JONNNNNNNNNNN [BONES]!” Drake posted on his Instagram story.
Drake suffered a huge loss during the boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson just hours before UFC 309. He chose Tyson to beat Paul any way he could, but Paul won the fight decisively by unanimous decision.
After successfully picking Jones to win by knockout, Drake has a winning margin of just over $1 million this weekend. But he could potentially make another high-profile bet or parlay for the NFL roster on Sunday.
Jon Jones temporarily ends infamous 'Drake curse'
Jones returned to the Octagon for the first time since presenting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last year. He was scheduled to face Miocic at UFC 294 before withdrawing on a week's notice due to injury.
Jones' win over Miocic came after months of fans, pundits and some fellow fighters calling for him to take on interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall. After securing victory at UFC 309, Jones teased a possible return to the Octagon if he and UFC CEO Dana White can come to an agreement on a new, lucrative contract.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Before moving up to heavyweight, Jones became a legend as the UFC light heavyweight champion. He defeated a slew of legends during his multi-title reign, including UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and former teammate Rashad Evans.
Jones became the UFC's youngest-ever titleholder by defeating Shogun Rua at UFC 128, a record that still stands. He set a huge benchmark for light heavyweights to achieve in the future.
In the meantime, Jones is plotting his potential comeback, which would likely take place against Aspinall to unify the titles. Aspinall was on the sidelines at UFC 309, just months after defending the interim heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes.
As for Drake, he can rest easy knowing that Jones has helped himself out of a deep financial hole after a failed Paul vs. Tyson bet.
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