'I'm done!' - Stipe Miocic retires after UFC 309 loss to Jon Jones

Anton Tabuena

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Publish Date: 11/17/2024

Stipe Miocic failed to regain the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 309. After three years away from the sport, a 42-year-old Miocic lost to Jon Jones by TKO, after he got hit by a clean spinning back kick.

He was still able to land a few shots during the fight, but Miocic really wasn't moving very well and looked every bit of his age at UFC 309. He looked like a shell of himself, and was eventually dropped and finished in the second round of their main event bout.

Immediately after the loss, the decorated champion announced his retirement.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic retires

Stipe Miocic didn't leave any questions after the loss, and immediately announced that he will be retiring in his post-fight interview.

"I'm done," Stipe Miocic announced while talking to Joe Rogan. "I'm hanging them up. I'm retiring. Thank you."

Stipe Miocic Octagon Interview | UFC 309

The decision is probably for the best, as the all-time great heavyweight didn't look anywhere close to his championship form when he made this comeback. Retirements don't usually stick in MMA, but hopefully it does for Miocic, who is also balancing a longtime career as a full-time fire fighter.

Miocic's decorated career

Even with the loss, Stipe Miocic will go down in history as one of the best UFC heavyweight champions of all time.

Belts constantly change hands at heavyweight, but Stipe Miocic holds a UFC record of four title defenses combined in the division from his two championship reigns.

Miocic is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion having won the belt by knocking out Fabricio Werdum in 2016. He subsequently defended it for a UFC heavyweight record of three consecutive times. Stipe lost the title in 2018 to Daniel Cormier, but eventually fought him again twice where he both regained and defended the heavyweight belt to complete their trilogy.

Miocic also has wins over other former UFC champions and long time title contenders such as Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt.