"Truly frightening how good he is" - Chael Sonnen defends Jon Jones’ UFC 309 win against claims that Stipe Miocic was "old" and "slow"
Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic via third-round TKO at UFC 309 to defend his heavyweight title for the first time. It marked his first bout since March 2023 after his injury, however, 'Bones' was able to dominate from the onset of the fight.
Chael Sonnen fired back at those attempting to discredit the victory. Ariel Helwani asked the three-time title challenger about his thoughts on such claims:
"I see a lot of people actually not giving him the credit that he deserves. I see a lot of people saying it was Stipe who was old, who was slow. What do you think? I think that's unfair to Jon."
Jones' former opponent responded:
"That's not what happened. Father time did not beat Stipe. Jon Jones beat Stipe. That's just what happened. And to imagine how good Jon could be if he followed some of the laws of logic - if he stayed active, if he stayed consistent... I don't know what gym he trains out of... It kind of looked like a glorified garage training camp.
"Breaks don't make us better. Time doesn't make us better. We saw that with [Michael Chandler]... Jon is sending the baddest dudes in the world to the emergency room and there is no way that he's fighting to the best of his own ability. It is truly frightening how good he is at this game."
Check out Chael Sonnen's full comments on Jon Jones' return below:
Sonnen has first-hand experience of Jones' skills. The pair clashed for the light heavyweight title at UFC 159 in 2013, with 'Bones' winning the bout via first-round TKO. It marked the sixth of his record 16 UFC title bout victories.
Jon Jones reacts to AI-generated list of the greatest athletes of all time
Jon Jones is widely considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, with many prominent figures in the sport giving him the title. Following his 12th title defense, which broke a tie with Demetrious Johnson for the most in UFC history, the heavyweight champion reacted to an AI-generated list of the greatest athletes ever.
'Bones' shared the list, which had him ranked seventh, to X, captioning the post:
"Just the thought of being mentioned alongside of these great athletes makes me happy. AI generated or not. 🙌🏾"
Check out Jon Jones' post, as well as the list, below:
While such lists are subjective as it is difficult to compare greatness across different sports, it is hard to argue against Jones' dominance in an individual sport. 'Bones' is the youngest champion in UFC history, having captured the belt at 23 years old, and remains a title holder nearly 15 years later.