NEW YORK – Jon Jones looked as exceptional as ever on Saturday as he knocked out Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick in the third round of their heavyweight championship fight at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.

And now that that matter has been resolved, the fighting world will eagerly await the fight for the heavyweight title.

Jones (28-1) dominated Miocic (20-5) en route to a TKO victory at 4:29 of the third round. The matchup was scheduled to take place in November 2023, but Jones withdrew with a torn pectoral muscle. Leading up to Saturday, much of the pre-fight talk focused on whether Jones would face interim champion Tom Aspinall if he were to win.

After beating Miocic, Jones made it clear that he is open to the challenge.

“I have decided that I may not retire,” Jones said, adding that he will hold discussions with UFC CEO Dana White and Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell. ‘We will negotiate. If all goes well, maybe we’ll give you what you want to see.”

Miocic, 42, who opted to wait a full year for Jones’ return, announced his retirement from the Octagon after the loss. The former two-time champion had not fought since 2021 before facing Jones on Saturday.

Even taking Miocic’s sack into account, Saturday was more about how good Jones looked than how bad or rusty Miocic could have been. A near-consensus choice for the greatest fighter of all time, Jones showed off all his skills in his first knockout win since December 2018, knocking out Miocic in the opening round and tormenting him with nasty elbows from the top position. He hurt him with front kicks to the body in the second and third rounds and nearly dropped him with a jab.

The final shot was a spinning back kick to Miocic’s midsection, sending him to his knees. It was a brutal climax to a one-sided battle. According to UFC Stats, Miocic landed a total of 42 strikes – none of which were particularly memorable – to Jones’ 104. Jones’ defense was outstanding all night and he made Miocic pay with counter punches and knees in the clinch.

“He’s really good,” Jones said of Miocic. “He’s strong and durable. I hit him with some good shots and he kept coming forward. Everyone knows Stipe isn’t the biggest heavyweight. He comes in lean and is in great shape. I’ve seen him fight wars with Daniel Cormier and a lot of guys.” , and they were rock ’em, sock ’em. He doesn’t respond much to a punch in the face, so our plan was to get into his body.”

Aspinall (15-3) was in New York for UFC 309 and was cageside for the main event. The 31-year-old English champion has been a wrecking ball in the heavyweight division in recent years, posting first-round finishes in seven of his nine UFC appearances. He won the UFC interim title in November 2023 and made a rare interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes in July.

Before Saturday, Jones had not shown any interest in facing Aspinall, even going so far as to call him a “nobody” and claiming he would rather give up the heavyweight title than face him in the Octagon. Whether that was a negotiating tactic or Jones simply changed his mind, it now appears that a unification fight is very likely on the table.

With the win, Jones extended his UFC record to 16 title fight victories.