NEW YORK – After more than 20 months of buildup, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic finally crossed paths in a formal setting in advance of their heavyweight title fight at Thursday’s UFC 309 pre-fight press conference.

After answering questions from the media, reigning champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and former titleholder Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) came face to face for a staredown before what’s being promoted as a historic encounter between two all-time greats.

Jones made it clear during the press conference that things have gotten personal for him thanks tosome previous comments made by Miocic. When they came together to face off, Miocic extended for a handshake that Jones ignored, creating a tense moment before they clash in Saturday’s headliner at Madison Square Garden (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

Check out the video above to watch the Jones vs. Miocic staredown from the UFC 309 pre-fight press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

But rather than schedule a unification title bout, Jones was rebooked against 42-year-old Miocic.

Jones said he will not fight Aspinall because “it does nothing for my legacy”, before using an expletive to describe him.

Aspinall, the back-up fighter to the main event, has poked fun at Jones in an attempt to lure him into an undisputed fight, buying his dog a toy rubber duck after fans claimed Jones was “ducking” him.

Aspinall then shared a post on social media of him wearing a T-shirt which says “Hello Jon”, and “I have nothing against you personally, I just think I’m better than ya”.

While Jones smiled on stage and joked with a vocal crowd, the endless talk of Aspinall has irked the two-weight UFC champion.

He walked out of an interview with TNT Sports before it began, concerned he would have to field more questions about Aspinall with the British broadcaster.

Jones, the youngest UFC champion in the company’s history, was hailed on stage as the greatest ever by White.

He has just one loss on his record, a 2009 disqualification defeat by Matt Hamill.

“As long as this guy is active he’s the best,” White said.

Miocic, meanwhile, mostly kept his answers short.

The Ohio fighter is a two-time heavyweight champion, widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, but is a big underdog in his contest with Jones.

He has not fought since defeat by Francis Ngannou in 2021, but victory over Jones would mean he becomes the promotion’s first three-time heavyweight champion.

After Jones took issue with language he used in an interview, saying “respect was out of the window”, Miocic dismissed his opponent’s complaints.

“[Jones] was calling me out saying he was going to beat my ass in front of a whole arena. Sorry for defending myself,” Miocic said.

The face-off passed without major incident, although Jones refused the offer of a handshake from Miocic.

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. Second attack was him calling me a b*tch. So the respect is a little bit out the window, and we’ll see that on Saturday.”

When asked outright how things have changed, Jones said, “It’s very personal to me, yes.”

Miocic appeared dumbfounded by Jones’ comments. He said with Jones claiming he would defeat him in front of a sold-out crowd in New York and in front of the world, he told him “bring it on, b*tch.” How that made things so personal is lost on Miocic, but it also doesn’t matter to him.

“I don’t even remember saying that, ‘My kids won’t look at me like an asshole,’” Miocic said. “That was no direct thing to him. And when I said ‘bring it on, b*tch,’ pretty much he was calling me out, telling me he was gonna beat my ass in front of a whole arena of people. So, sorry for defending myself. I apologize. …

“I think every fight is personal no matter what. You’re fighting another man in the octagon. It’s always personal.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

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ENGLAND fans called for Thomas Tuchel to be SACKED before he even starts his new job.

And some even accused The FA of “bottling it” over the appointment.

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Tuchel, 51, accepted a £5million-a-year, 18-month contract to succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager with the objective of leading his new team to 2026 World Cup glory.

But despite signing on the dotted line in October, the German will not take over until January.

And that has seen a final farcical November international break with Lee Carsley in charge – and nine players dropping out for the two must-win clashes with Greece and Ireland.

Carsley is set to return to his role as Under-21s boss when Tuchel comes in.

But after inspiring his inexperienced side to a stylish, emphatic 3-0 win in Athens, plenty of supporters piled in on The FA’s decision to let Tuchel wait until the New Year to begin his reign.

And instead, they want Carsley to stay in charge of the senior team permanently after all.

One said: “Send Tuchel home and give Carsley the job!”

Another wrote: “Is it too late to sack off Tuchel if Carsley has them scoring goals like that?”

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A third added: “Lee Carsley is a genius isn’t he? Who needs Thomas Tuchel?”

A fourth joked: “Who needs Tuchel?”

A fifth quipped: “Enjoying watching England tonight. Tuchel out.”

A sixth tweeted: “England with good patterns of play and attractive football. Yes defensively not well but if the football is this good who cares? Tuchel will be such a bad appointment.”

A seventh blasted: “FA totally bottled it with Carsley. Taking England in the right direction.”

And a final user simply typed: “Tuchel out!!”

England’s starting XI featured senior heads in Jordan Pickford, Jude Bellingham and stand-in skipper Kyle Walker – with Harry Kane surprisingly benched.

The remaining eight had just 78 caps between them.

They got off on the wrong notes, with an awkward rendition of the national anthem leaving ITV viewers hilariously covering their ears.

But the Three Lions were on song on the pitch as Noni Madueke teed up Ollie Watkins to break the deadlock inside seven minutes.

England weathered the Greece storm and got the all-important second goal when Bellingham’s shot came back off the post and bounced in off the hosts’ goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

Curtis Jones rounded off his superb debut with a delicious, cheeky flick as England leapfrogged Greece at the top of their Nations League group ahead of the final fixture against the Irish at Wembley on Sunday.

After his penultimate game in interim charge, Carsley said: “The most pleasing thing was the amount of control we had. We had a lot of possession and created a lot of chances.

“It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal. It’s important that if we want to put these players in a position to win the World Cup, they need to have as many experiences as they can, so it’s no slight on Harry. He’ll start the next game.

“Harry understands that it’s important that other players experience that kind of experience we had tonight. He’s a great example to the rest of the players. I expect him to start on Sunday and play well.

“Curtis was outstanding, played with quality and a matureness that we saw in the summer (at the Under-21 Euros). He showed he can adapt and he’s intelligent enough to know where the space is.”

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ANDY DILLON: Thomas Tuchel has all the ingredients to become a classic England manager – tactical nous, drive and a tangled love life

By Andy Dillon

THOMAS TUCHEL possesses all the ingredients to become a classic England manager.

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Tactical nous, drive, energy, experience – a tangled love life.

English football should welcome back the most explosive, dynamic, charismatic and impossibly tall and gangly coach to have lit up the Premier League.

Chelsea’s colourful former boss has been leading a settled life in Munich of late.

Far enough away from ex-wife Sissi but close enough to see his two daughters.

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Walking his dog in the streets in the east of Germany’s most fashionable city, residing in the posh Bogenhausen area. Living relatively quietly with his Brazilian girlfriend.

Tuchel is a vastly different personality to the man who led England quietly but assuredly to the brink of World Cups and European Championships.

An excitable nature can make him hard to handle for those seeking calm and who like to impose their way on a manager they view very much as an underling.

Read more on why Tuchel REALLY IS the best man for the England job

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Jon Jones dropped whatever respect he was showing towards Stipe Miocic during an icy faceoff following the UFC 309 pre-fight press conference on Thursday.

As the fighters came together on the stage, Miocic had his hand outstretched but Jones ignored him before they came nose-to-nose with UFC CEO Dana White keeping the peace between them. Jones stared down Miocic and he could be heard saying “don’t mention my kids again.”

Miocic’s response was inaudible, but he didn’t seem all that bothered by the incident as they broke apart and stood forward for a few more seconds before leaving the stage.

The dramatic shift between the main event fighters happened after Jones took offense to a couple of things that he claims Miocic said about him in the days leading up to the fight. After previously taking aim at Miocic for calling him “bitch” during UFC Countdown, Jones then revealed another comment that he believes was a direct shot at him and his family.

“Everyone likes first responders and I actually respect men and women in the armed forces and law enforcement and things like that so I made it a point to try and be very respectful to him,” Jones said. “There’s been two scenarios now.

“First scenario he said ‘my kids will never look at me like I’m an assh*le.’ That was a direct attack to me and my family and my relationship with my kids. The second attack was him calling me a bitch. So the respect is a little bit out the window and we’ll see that on Saturday.”

When asked if his approach to the fight has changed after what Miocic said, Jones said emphatically “it’s very personal to me, yes.”

In response, Miocic more or less shrugged his shoulders at Jones getting so upset by what he said, especially considering he doesn’t even remember saying it.

“I don’t even remember saying that ‘my kids will never look at me like I’m an assh*le.’ That was no direct thing to him,” Miocic said.

“When I said bring it on, bitch, he was pretty much calling me out, telling me he was going to beat my ass in front of a whole arena of people. Sorry for defending myself, I apologize.”

Jones and Miocic will face off one final time on Friday at the ceremonial weigh-ins and then meet in the octagon in the UFC 309 main event where they look to settle their beef with the heavyweight title going up for grabs.