UFC knockout of the month for November 2024: Jon Jones' destructive third-round KO that sent Stipe Miocic to retirement
The historic UFC 309 showdown between MMA greats Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ended in an emphatic victory for 'Bones.' He notched his first successful defense of the UFC heavyweight championship by spectacularly stopping Miocic.
The event transpired at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City, New York, U.S.A., on Nov. 16, 2024. Today, we take a look at the epic knockout, which has earned its spot as our pick for the best KO of Nov. 2024!
Also, speaking of amazing KOs, an honorable mention for November is Shi Ming's terrifying head-kick KO against Feng Xiaocan.
UFC knockout of the month for November 2024: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
The build-up to this fight saw both fighters traverse long and arduous roads respectively. Jon Jones hadn't competed since his final UFC light heavyweight title fight in Feb. 2020.
The New York-born Albuquerque-based combatant vacated the 205-pound belt later in 2020, confirmed that he'd be bulking up for a move to the heavyweight division, and took a hiatus from professional MMA competition.
On the other hand, Stipe Miocic lost his UFC heavyweight title via second-round KO in his rematch against Francis Ngannou in March 2021. The American fighter of Croatian descent hadn't competed in the octagon since.
For years, fans had speculated about who'd win a hypothetical fight between Jones and Miocic. Well, with Jones finally making his 265-pound divisional debut and capturing the UFC heavyweight belt by submitting Ciryl Gane in March 2023, calls for him to fight Miocic grew exponentially.
Jones was booked to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Miocic at UFC 295 (Nov. 2023) but was ruled out with a pectoral injury. Tom Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich at the event to win the interim UFC heavyweight title. Aspinall then defended by knocking out Curtis Blaydes in their rematch in July 2024.
Meanwhile, Jones recovered from his injury and was rebooked to defend the heavyweight belt against Miocic at UFC 309 (Nov. 2024). The 37-year-old Jones proved to be too much for the 42-year-old Miocic.
Jones got off to a strong start, evading the former champion's punches, securing a takedown, and maintaining the top position. 'Bones' unleashed hellacious ground and pound. With devastating elbows, in particular, he appeared to be on the cusp of stopping Miocic, who somehow survived till the bell.
Round two saw Miocic attempt to stage a comeback. Regardless, Jones' jab, kicks, and distance management helped him clearly outpoint his foe. The champion's timing and rhythm also seemed a notch better than his older opponent.
Round three saw the damage wear Miocic down. Moreover, Jones upped the ante with stinging punches that seemed to stun Miocic and eventually landed a picture-perfect spinning back kick to his body that knocked him down.
A few ground-and-pound strikes later, Referee Herb Dean waved the fight off, handing Jones the TKO win at the third round's 4:29-minute mark.
Miocic announced his MMA retirement thereafter. Furthermore, Jones called for a fight against UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, with a potential title unifier with Tom Aspinall also looming on the horizon.
Watch the knockout below (8:37):