Kevin Durant reacts to Jon Jones’ spinning back kick finish of Stipe Miocic.
As Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant nurses a calf injury, he was not in Madison Square Garden for UFC 309 but was one of the many celebrities watching on pay-per-view. After Jon Jones’ TKO win over Stipe Miocic in the main event, Durant took to X, formerly Twitter, to give shine to the heavyweight champion.
“Jonny Jones,” Durant tweeted. “The greatest.”
Durant does not have a direct connection to Jones but has been a known UFC fan for several years. Durant is also a big fan of the NFL, where Jones’ younger brother, Chandler Jones, is a former All-Pro defensive end.
The entire UFC promotion of their November pay-per-view event was on Jones being the greatest fighter of all time. That sentiment is hard to argue with ‘Bones’ owning a 28-1 record with one no-contest that includes a UFC record 16 title victories.
Jones improved his record to 28-1 with one no-contest at UFC 309 with a third-round finish of Miocic. His spinning back kick that crushed the former champion’s rib cage capped off a nearly flawless performance that saw Jones out-land Miocic 96 to 37 on significant strikes. It was his first defense of the heavyweight title since winning the belt by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
Kevin Durant’s UFC fandom
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Whenever Kevin Durant is not dominating the hardcourt, he has been known to support other sports and their athletes. Durant has never publicly named his favorite UFC fighter but often tweets his fandom of several different champions.
Before his praise of Jones as the greatest of all time, Durant notably praised former UFC bantamweight champion ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley when he won the title at UFC 292. After O’Malley’s knockout of Aljamain Sterling in the main event, Durant called him a “beast” and told other fans to “salute” him.
However, unlike Jones, O’Malley has a direct connection to Durant. O’Malley was born in Montana but lives and trains in Arizona, making him a die-hard Cardinals and Suns fan. O’Malley once dedicated a knockout to the Suns, who, at the time, were competing in the 2021 NBA Finals. Less than two years later, Durant was traded to Phoenix from the Brooklyn Nets.
Since his rise to stardom at Texas and in the NBA, Durant has not been seen at a live UFC event. That could change in the coming years with Durant, 36, admitting to contemplating retirement as he ages.