UFC 309: Jon Jones stops Stipe Miocic with spinning kick to retain heavyweight title

The UFC billed the fight as the biggest heavyweight bout in history but it was Aspinall – who was watching on at octagon-side – who had dominated the narrative during fight week.

Aspinall revealed he had been banned from a news conference and weigh-ins with Jones getting increasingly irked by media questions about the 31-year-old Briton.

Aspinall won the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich a year ago after injury forced Jones out of his original bout with Miocic.

But rather than schedule a unification title bout, Jones v Miocic was rebooked.

Miocic, displaying the same nonchalant energy he had during the build-up, looked relaxed as he made his walkout.

Jones, meanwhile, smiled and high-fived fans as he entered to Jadakiss’ ‘The Champ is Here’, before entering the octagon with his signature cartwheel.

As Bruce Buffer did his introductions, Aspinall got to his feet, before Jones opened the contest with a stinging left hand.

Large pockets of the crowd carrying Croatia flags in support of Miocic roared “Stipe, Stipe” in the early moments, but Jones silenced them with an early takedown.

Jones, who has the second-highest takedown defence in UFC history at 95%, dominated the rest of the round, searching for armbars and landing a number of elbows.

He continued to pressure his opponent in the second round, hurting Miocic with a body kick and landing a knee from the clinch, before the former champion responded with a trademark straight right.

A straight left jab followed by a short right hand left Miocic with a cut below his right eye midway through the fight, before the defining moment came.

With Miocic backed up against the cage, Jones unleashed a crushing spinning back kick to the body which dropped the challenger, before the referee stepped in to end the contest.

Jones celebrated by dancing in the centre of the octagon, before heading over to greet Trump, handing the president-elect his title.

This was the 28th victory of Jones’ career, with his sole defeat being a disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009 for using illegal elbows – a move which would be legal under today’s rules.

“It’s like fighting against the Terminator,” said Jones of Miocic.

“Very, very discouraging to hit somebody that’s not reacting to it. But that body shot, no matter how tough you are, the liver’s the liver.”

Miocic, who did not symbolically take off his gloves as retiring fighters usually do, paid tribute to Jones.

“I just didn’t do what I was suppose to do. Congratulations to him. He did what he was supposed to and he won. Only wish the best for him,” said Miocic.