The UFC billed the fight as the greatest heavyweight fight in history, but it was Aspinall – watching from the octagon side – who had dominated the narrative during fight week.

Aspinall revealed he had been excluded from a press conference and that Jones had become increasingly irritated by media questions about the 31-year-old Briton.

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

But instead of scheduling a unification title fight, Jones v Miocic was rebooked.

Miocic, who displayed the same casual energy as he did during the build-up, looked relaxed as he took his walk.

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

As Bruce Buffer made his introduction, Aspinall stood up, before Jones opened the match with a stinging left hand.

Large portions of the crowd with Croatian flags in support of Miocic roared “Stipe, Stipe” in the opening moments, but Jones silenced them with an early takedown.

Jones, who has the second-highest takedown defense in UFC history at 95%, dominated the rest of the round, looking for armbars and landing a series 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 under his right eye midway through the fight before the decisive moment arrived.

With Miocic’s back against the cage, Jones unleashed a crushing spinning back kick to the body that dropped the challenger, before the referee stepped in to end the match.

Jones celebrated by dancing in the center of the octagon before greeting Trump and presenting the president-elect with his title.

This was the 28th win of Jones’ career, with the only defeat being a disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009 for using illegal elbows – a move that would be legal under current rules.

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

“Very, very disheartening to hit someone who doesn’t respond to it. But that body shot, no matter how strong you are, the liver is the liver.”

Miocic, who did not symbolically take off his gloves as retired fighters are wont to do, paid tribute to Jones.

“I just didn’t do what I had to do. Congratulations to him. He did what he had to do and he won. I wish him nothing but the best,” Miocic said.