Jon Jones defends his claims that Stipe Miocic mentioned his kids before UFC 309: "I made him pay for it"
Jon Jones entered the octagon for the first time since March 2023 as he defeated Stipe Miocic via third-round TKO at UFC 309 to defend his heavyweight title for the first time. 'Bones' recently claimed that he made his opponent pay for mentioning his kids, which he had accused Miocic of doing leading up to the bout.
Speaking at his UFC 309 post-fight press conference, the heavyweight champion was asked if he was referring to a clip of Miocic talking to Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, responding:
"No, no, no. It was him in his living room and - I don't remember exactly how it was said - but pretty much what he was saying was 'when my kids look back on me and my past, at least my kids will never think that I'm an a**hole'. And the MMA fanbase, they're good, I know they're going to find it. And I wouldn't make that up and even if I did make it up, it's the fight business."
Jones continued:
"If I need to hype myself up, I'll hype myself up, but the truth is, he did say it, he did call me a b**ch and tonight I made him pay for it... I really want to take a moment also to say thank you to Stipe Miocic... Even thought I did not like you during this event, I appreciate you and I respect you so much. Thank you to you, your family. God bless you. Sincerely."
Check out Jon Jones' comments on Stipe Miocic below:
Jones refused to shake Miocic's hand during the faceoffs on Thursday, telling his opponent not to mention his kids. While 'The Silencer' publicly claimed that he didn't talk about 'Bones' children, the heavyweight champion remains adamant that was the case.
Jon Jones reiterates his desire to face Alex Pereira next; 'Poatan' seemingly on board
While Jon Jones had appeared set to retire following UFC 309, he revealed that he would delay those plans. 'Bones' reiterated that he has more interest in facing Alex Pereira next than Tom Aspinall.
Speaking at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference, the heavyweight champion stated:
"I'm not really worried about the Tom fight. I'm really worried about the Pereira fight. That's what I want to do. That's what I want to do and I think if the UFC wants to have me back, then I think that's the fight they will make."
Check out Jon Jones' comments below:
Pereira shared the clip to his Instagram story, seemingly confirming his interest in the matchup. It is unclear if the super fight will come to fruition, however, as Dana White has shared that he plans to have Jones face Aspinall and 'Poatan' face Magomed Ankalaev.