‘Stipe is tough’… Israel Adesanya shares his prediction for UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic heavyweight title showdown

Not long ago, when he was still the undisputed UFC middleweight king, Israel Adesanya was eager to secure a superfight against the dominant ruler of the division above him, Jon 'Bones' Jones.

But time waits for no man, and with Jon Jones set to defend his heavyweight title this weekend at UFC 309, 'The Last Stylebender' is backing his former rival to retain his championship title… And in dominant fashion.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Israel Adesanya shares his prediction for UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

While breaking down the UFC 309 main card via his official YouTube channel, former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya admitted he learned his lesson about underestimating Jones' potential at heavyweight.

“Fight-wise, Jones already looks better at heavyweight, he takes this seriously and the way he fights – man, the Ciryl Gane fight was the one that made me say, 'Yes, he's the best.'

“I thought Ciryl would give him some trouble as the new age heavyweight and Jon likes 'Hold my beer' and gets a sneaky front choke… The guy is just crafty and creative with what he does.”

Given both the age gap and recent form, it's no surprise that Jones is the heavy favorite over 42-year-old Stipe Miocic, with around 88% of Tapology Community Picks favoring 'Bones' and more than two-thirds of those expecting a finishing.

“Stipe is tough, [and] he can beat a lot of heavyweights,” Adesanya noted of the challenge Miocic presented him, but despite being one of the best to ever do it, he simply doesn’t see a realistic path to victory.

“You've seen what he's done in the past, his reign as a heavyweight, he's knocked people out, submitted people. But in this fight, I think he's against it… If Stipe can pull it off, it will be the biggest upset in UFC history and that should be enough motivation for him to get it done.”

Adesanya, like the vast majority of UFC fans and fighters, is predicting another dominant victory for Jones this weekend.

“I'm going to pick Jon Jones, I might pick [in the] In the first two rounds he will finish him… Jon Jones, in the first two rounds I don't know if it will be a knockout or a submission, but I have a feeling Jon will try to enjoy it and take this to take.

Concerns about Jon Jones fighting at UFC 309 with a possible injury

Jon Jones was filmed apparently limping as he made his way through the fight hotel yesterday afternoon, prompting fans to express concerns that he may have a minor injury.

Bones has not yet addressed the video and these concerns, with the global MMA community speculating as to whether the 37-year-old could have an issue ahead of his title showdown.

“There's something wrong with his foot,” one fan claimed, while another wrote: “Is he limping? Bet the house on Stipe.”

Considering that Jones has repeatedly stated that he will never fight interim champion Tom Aspinall, there were also numerous reports targeting the current undisputed king.

“He even walks like a duck,” one X user joked, while a fourth asked: “Is that a limp or a waddle?”

UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic takes place on Saturday, November 16 live from Madison Square Garden.

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