Jon Jones refused to shake Stipe Miocic’s hand during their UFC 309 press conference staredown, and then gave a message to the former heavyweight champion.
“Don’t ever mention my kids again,” Jon Jones told Miocic.
Ahead of Jones’ first title defense this Saturday in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, the heavyweight champ appeared on the UFC’s morning weigh-in show and was asked by longtime rival Daniel Cormier about the faceoff, and if he prefers to find an extra chip on his shoulder for his fights.
“I remember when you and I were fighting, I was just so passionate about it,” Jon Jones said. “I didn’t want you to have one day over me in training. I remember, I think we both trained on Christmas day trying to beat each other. It does do something special when you don’t like the guy.
“But also, I fought guys like Ciryl Gane where we were very respectful towards each other and we saw how that fight turned out. At the end of the day, I never did anything wrong to Stipe and I found a video a few months ago where he was in his living room and someone was talking about me and my legacy, and he was like, ‘My kids will never look back and look at me as an asshole,’ and I’ll find the quote, but he said it. I’ll never forget the way I felt that day.
“I thought to myself, ‘OK, you’re another one of these fighters who hate me for no reason at all.’ And then when he called me a bitch, it was like, it’s clear that you don’t respect me — which is unfortunate because I’ve never had anything but respect for Stipe. I didn’t make this stuff up, you never forget how you feel when you hear certain things, and animosity or not, I’m grateful that whenever I step into the cage, I can set all emotions to the side and focus on what is what.”
Jon Jones returns to the octagon for the first time since submitting Gane in the first round at UFC 285 in March 2023. Miocic has been out two years longer than that, as he makes his first promotional appearance since losing the heavyweight title via vicious knockout to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.
“Bones” says he looked into Miocic’s eyes and saw a man that didn’t want to be there.
“I learned a lot,” Jon Jones said. “I didn’t feel like he really wanted to be in the situation, and I’m being honest. That’s the way that I felt. I’ve looked a lot of mean, angry, aggressive men in their eyes over the years and there’s a very indifferent look in his eye. Like I really [care] about most of it. I don’t know if he cares if he wins or loses.
“Obviously, I’m going to go out there with the utmost amount of respect for him. I know he’s a very dangerous man. I know he’s going to give me what he has while he can, but yeah, his eyes didn’t show me anything that I should be worried about.”