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Jon Jones returns in the main event of UFC 309 this Saturday night for what is just his second outing as a heavyweight. During his incredible light heavyweight title run, “Bones” was always one of the hardest fighters to predict or prepare for because he’s so good everywhere.

Opponents could watch as much tape as humanly possible but ultimately, there’s no way to experience what it’s like to share the Octagon with the consensus greatest of all time other than physically being in there with him. This is even more true since he moved to heavyweight because of the lack of footage that is out there of him.

His heavyweight debut at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane ended in just over two minutes so we still don’t really know how good Jones is at heavyweight. This creates a problem for Stipe Miocic and his team when it comes to strategizing for November 16.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Jones’ long-time striking coach Brandon Gibson spoke about what he would do if he found himself in their opposition’s shoes and had to plan for a fight against the heavyweight champion. Suffice to say that Gibson is glad that he’s on this side of the Octagon rather than the other.

“That team at Strong Style, obviously they’ve built a lot of great fighters and built Stipe into an incredible champ so I’m not gonna presume what I believe their game plan would be. I think through Jon’s 16 championship fights and 27 fights total that you could definitely plot little elements here and there of when Jon has been hit or hit clean. I think it’s very hard to replicate and to duplicate.

“You know if I were them, I would just be training Stipe to be the best Stipe out there. We’re anticipating him to come out aggressive like he has shown in the past and on the other hand, if I were to coach against Jon Jones, I think that’s the hardest puzzle as a coach in this entire sport to solve. Nobody has solved it yet and I think they’re the ones with their hands full.”     

Continue Reading Jon Jones’ Coach Predicts Stipe Miocic’s Approach For UFC 309 at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Think you can figure out which UFC fighter we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.

We’re back for another day of the SB Nation UFC in-5 daily trivia game, and we’re switching to a system of a new article each day for the game.

We tried using a single article for the game, updated with the latest game each day, but it was creating a bit of an unwieldy experience in the comments. So, we’ll have the current day’s game plus the previous three days in each new article. That way, you can catch up if you miss a day.

Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game!

What we need from you

1. Play the game
2. Share your result in the comments and on social media
3. Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below)

Today’s UFC in-5 game

Monday’s UFC in-5 game

Sunday’s UFC in-5 game

Saturday’s UFC in-5 game

The goal of the game is to guess the correct random UFC fighter player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED FIGHTERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. It will be a mix of well-known players and some “that guys” that we haven’t thought of in some time. The game will appear in slot #3 of the MMA Fighting layout each morning, with occasional movement later in the day.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Underdog
| BJPenn.com

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Former UFC Flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is having a difficult 2024. Earlier on Monday, Grasso revealed in an Instagram post that she suffered a broken leg in training. She posted a picture in a cast, so it’s safe to say it will be a while before we see her back in the Octagon.

“I broke my leg training,” Grasso wrote in the caption (via Google Translate). “But I’m fine … everything heals … time by time. Send me a lot of love so that that bone sticks well please.”

Back in September, Grasso coughed up her golden title at UFC 306 to longtime 125-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko. After two highly competitive fights that resulted in a Grasso submission win and a draw, the rubber match was intended to definitively settle the rivalry. Unfortunately for Grasso, she ended up on the wrong side of a one-sided decision, leaving her with no clear path back to the title.

On the bright side, Grasso still has time to rebound from the injury and the defeat at 31 years of age. Hopefully, she’ll back in action next year, but it’s difficult to estimate a return timeline with specific injury details.

Insomnia

If Jimmy Crute somehow loses this fight, it’s officially over for the Australian prospect (still just 28!).

The Jan Blachowicz special!

“There is no meme, Neil Magny is dead.”

Somebody please save UFC 310 and fight Shavkat.

Deontay Wilder deserves some credit for coming up with creative excuses after defeat.

I wonder who Sean Strickland is taking a shot at …

Perspective is a funny thing.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Inside hip position and good grips win the day!

Can Kris Moutinho work his way back into the UFC? Maybe UFC will give him a shot on Contenders Series given his current streak.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a flying shin land quite like this.

Random Land

Mountain goats are renowned for their climbing ability, not their descending skills.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 2022

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Colby Covington appear to be on the same page, whether they realize it or not.

With UFC 310 in flux due to welterweight champion Belal Muhammad recently being forced to withdraw from his Dec. 7 fight with Rakhmonov, several names have lined up to potentially take on the undefeated Kazakhstan native. In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington speculated that he’d fare well in a potential fight with Rakhmonov, while former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman said on his podcast that he’s open to taking a short-notice call to face Rakhmonov despite their having previously trained at the same gym.

Rakhmonov responded to the comments on social media, daring his rivals to put pen to paper.

“All I hear are empty callouts,” Rakhmonov wrote. “No real intention, no action. Just posturing for media and fans.”

It didn’t take long for Covington to log on and respond, telling Rakhmonov’s manager Daniel Rubenstein to translate a message for him.

“Someone just showed me Rubenstein’s tweet for that big dummy ‘Shitrat,’” Covington said, implying Rakhmonov did not write his own tweet. “Listen up, junior, translate this to whatever caveman dialect you need to and get it through that big empty skull attached to that Gumby-ass body. I don’t posture and I don’t bluff. As soon as I get off this beautiful five-star Trump golf course… I’m calling Hunter and Dana, and we can all see who’s posturing for clicks, bozo.”

It is not yet known if Rakhmonov will end up fighting at UFC 310 or if his matchup with Muhammad—out due to a toe infection—will be re-booked for a later date. Should Covington get the call and an interim title be put on the line, it will mark Covington’s fifth UFC title fight.

Covington defeated Rafael dos Anjos for an interim welterweight belt in 2018, but lost a pair of title fights to Kamaru Usman and then one to Leon Edwards in his most recent outing this past December.

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