UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones practiced the kick that knocked out Stipe Miocic on a social media influencer days before executing it at UFC 309.
Jon Jones' spinning back kick that he used against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 was a central part of his fight preparation. During fight week, he was caught on film practicing it on influencer Adin Ross.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Jones put on a clinic in his UFC 309 return to the Octagon against former heavyweight titleholder Miocic. In his first UFC heavyweight title defense, Jones collapsed Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body that led to the knockout finish.
Jones showed off several dimensions of his game against Miocic at UFC 309. He smothered Miocic with his wrestling, outmatched him on the feet and ultimately defeated the big heavyweight with a deep arsenal of striking.
At the UFC 309 post-fight press conference, Jones revealed that the spinning back kick that landed on Miocic was something he had practiced months before the event. He practiced it during weekly three-hour sessions with his Taekwondo coach leading up to UFC 309 and eventually made it a key part of his game plan.
Jon Jones sent influencer Adin Ross flying with a spinning back kick against Stipe Miocic
Just days before UFC 309, Jones decided to practice the technique against Ross, one of the biggest stars on the internet. The force Jones generated while Ross held the pads was enough to cause the influencer to collapse on the exercise mat.
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Fortunately, Ross didn't suffer any significant injury during the session with Jones, but he probably felt some pain afterwards. Just hours later, Jones used the same technique to score one of the most brutal finishes of his career against Miocic.
The knockout was Jones' first TKO/KO finish since his victory over Alexander Gustafsson in their UFC 232 rematch. After multiple reigns as UFC light heavyweight champion, Jones vacated the title in 2020 to pursue a full-time move to heavyweight.
So far, things have gone flawlessly for Jones at heavyweight, after defeating Ciryl Gane for the vacant title at UFC 285. He next faces a potential challenge from interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall after UFC 309.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Jon Jones has two big-money fights on the table after UFC 309
After Jones retained the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 309, Dana White remained adamant that Aspinall will be next to unify the titles. Aspinall starred as a backup fighter at UFC 309 after successfully defending the interim title at UFC 304 against Curtis Blaydes.
Jones is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time after a legendary run in the Octagon. During his time in the promotion, he has knocked out a slew of legends, including UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans.
13 years after becoming the youngest UFC champion, Jones remains at the height of his power inside the Octagon. After initially teasing his retirement, the UFC heavyweight champion could face Aspinall and superstar Alex Pereira before hanging up the gloves.
A voracious fight game planner, Jones took advantage of rigorous training sessions to finish Miocic at UFC 309. As for Ross, he has bragging rights for being part of one of Jones' most iconic moments.
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