NEW YORK – Jon Jones ’ demeanor toward Stipe Miocic has taken a turn during UFC 309 fight week, and with the fight more than 48 hours away, it’s clear things have gotten personal. Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returns from a more than 20-month layoff Saturday when he puts his heavyweight title on the line for the first time against former two-time champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the main event at Madison Square Garden ( ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) After initially displaying respect toward Miocic in the months leading up to this week, reigning champ Jones said he got riled up when Miocic called him a “b*tch” – “bring it on, b*tch” were his exact words – on the UFC 309 “Countdown” show. Jones also claims Miocic said he was a poor example for his children given his history of personal missteps, and now Jones’ attitude has changed. “Everyone likes first responders, and I actually respect men and women in the armed forces and law enforcement, things like that, so I made it a point to try to be very respectful to him,” Jones told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 309 press conference. “There’s been two scenarios now. First scenario, he said ‘my kids will never look at me like I’m an a**hole.’ That was a direct attack at me and my family and my relationship with my kids.
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Jon Jones declares Stipe Miocic fight at UFC 309 is ‘very personal’ – MMA Junkie