Jon Jones cemented his position as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time with a stunning knockout of Stipe Miocic and retaining his heavyweight title on UFC 309 fight night.

The 37-year-old American appeared to be in complete control of the entire main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, preventing his opponent from utilizing his boxing skills and finishing with a brutal chop to the body that left Miocic on the canvas clutching his ribs.

“That man who got shot with the body, no matter how strong you are, the liver is the liver,” said a jubilant Jones in the cage after his win.

In the aftermath, 42-year-old former champion Miocic said he was retiring from the sport.

“I’m done,” Miocic said. “I’ll hang them up.”

Widely regarded as the best fighter in the world, Jones (28 wins, 1 loss, 1 no contest) was the aggressor from the start, taking down Miocic with an excellently timed trip and pinning him before raining on elbows as he continued the rest dominated the match. round.

Not wanting to be taken down again, Miocic hesitated as he tried to close the distance, but Jones was able to meter body blows from his left-handed stance to keep Miocic on the back foot.

Croatian-American Miocic had some success early in the third round, but Jones was able to solve the puzzle again by landing a few punches late in the round before his creative spinning kick ended the fight.

British heavyweight Tom Aspinall looms as the next challenger for Jones. Aspinall won a fight for the interim heavyweight title in November 2023.

UFC CEO Dana White had promised that Aspinall, who spoke with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, would challenge the main event winner in a unification bout.

Trump and Musk present

With Donald Trump in the audience, Jones imitated the United States President-elect’s trail dance as he celebrated.

In the co-main event, Brazilian Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision to put his name back in contention for a win at the lightweight title he was stripped of in May 2022 due to weight loss.

Jones posed and played to the crowd atop the octagon for Trump, Elon Musk, Trump’s pick to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Robert Kennedy Jr, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to lead in his incoming administration.

Trump walked out to a rousing ovation in front of 20,200 fans just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in the excitement of the fighters who gave him props all night long — including Jones.

“I just want to thank President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” Jones said to a thunderous ovation that culminated in a “USA! USA!” sing.

“I’m proud to be a great American champion,” Jones said.

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

In a lightweight fight that had every fan from Kid Rock to Jordan Knight to Anthony Kiedis going wild at the finish in the fifth round, Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision.

The fight was a rematch of their May 2021 fight when Charles Oliveira defeated Chandler to win the lightweight title. Oliveira staked his claim for a new title fight with the victory.

The fifth round was about as good as it gets in the octagon, highlighted by Chandler dropping Oliveira on his back twice.

The 38-year-old Chandler stepped into the cage for the first time in two years, largely because he was waiting for a fight that would never happen with Conor McGregor.

“We were wondering where you were, Conor,” Chandler roared into the cage. “Come back and beat me if you can.”