Jon Jones' rival highlights Stipe Miocic's biggest weakness that could lead to KO at UFC 309
11/11/2024 04:31 PM
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier pinpointed a window of opportunity for Jon Jones to potentially knock out Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will clash in arguably the biggest fight in UFC heavyweight history on Saturday at UFC 309. Jones will make his long-awaited first heavyweight title defense after winning the then-vacant belt last year.
Jones and Miocic have proven to be extremely durable during their legendary careers. The current UFC heavyweight champ has never lost by knockout or submission in his career, and Miocic has only been knocked out three times in 24 career fights.
Cormier, before entering the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022, spent a lot of cage time with Jones and Miocic. He and Jones had one of the most heated rivalries in combat sports history, and he fought three times against Miocic.
After serving Miocic one of his lone knockout losses at UFC 226, Cormier believes Jones can make lightning strike twice at Madison Square Garden.
Daniel Cormier reveals potential opening for Jon Jones to knock out Stipe Miocic
In a recent breakdown on ESPN, Cormier explained an opening he and his team saw during his Miocic trilogy that Jones could exploit.
“As we were getting ready for the Stipe Miocic fight, and when we were breaking him down, we saw some things in his game that we knew we could take advantage of. It was in the clinch,” Cormier said. “I was finding a lot of success landing punches whenever he would exit.
“Because when he exits, he tends to keep his left hand low, and he allowed the clinch positions to play out as they went. Later in the series, Stipe [Miocic] took the initiative in those sequences…
“You wrap that punch around that low straight arm, and if you land it with enough impact, [the knockout] is what you get. While Jones might not land a punch that can hurt him in that way, there are different weapons he can use. Elbows, spinning back elbows, all those creative weapons that could be a problem.”
Cormier was a victim of Jones’ arsenal twice in his UFC career. Jones earned a knockout win over Cormier at UFC 214 before the fight was overturned to a no-contest due to Jones testing positive for a banned substance.
Jones won the then-vacant UFC heavyweight title, after the promotion stripped Francis Ngannou, by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. He and Miocic were scheduled to headline UFC 295 last year before Jones withdrew due to injury.
One year later, Jones and Miocic are days away from clashing in one of the biggest fights in UFC history. The winner could potentially walk away from combat sports forever, instead of taking on interim titleholder Tom Aspinall.
Miocic returns to the Octagon more than three years after losing to Ngannou by knockout at UFC 260. Before the defeat, he won back-to-back fights over Cormier to complete their heavyweight trilogy.
Tensions have also ramped up ahead of fight night. After Miocic called Jones an X-rated slur during the UFC 309: Countdown, Jones issued a fiery response, to which Miocic has since apologized.
According to Cormier’s analysis, Jones could knock out Miocic if he lures the former titleholder into the clinch. If that happens, we could be in for another highlight reel finish.
