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Last weekend, UFC legend Jon “Bones” Jones defended his heavyweight title, defeating Stipe Miocic with a crushing kick to the ribs that tumbled the former heavyweight champion in the third round. Following his victory, Jones shocked the audience by doing the iconic Donald dance while the president-elect watched in his usual front-row seat. Several allies, including Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy, RFK Jr., and House Speaker Mike Johnson accompanied Trump, adding to the spectacle. But the hype was just getting started. Jones then presented his belt to Donald Trump, as UFC fans went ballistic with excitement before re-entering the Octagon for an equally shocking post-match interview with Joe Rogan. “I want to acknowledge Jesus Christ. I tell you what, man — I cannot take credit for a gift like this, man. I really owe it all to him. And I know that there's millions of people around the world watching right now, and I just want to let you guys know that Jesus loves you so much,” Jones said. “Blaze News Tonight” host Jill Savage and Blaze News editor in chief Matthew Peterson invite Steve Kim, BlazeTV contributor to "Fearless," on the show to discuss a most remarkable night. Steve says that what Jones did in the Octagon on Saturday night is part of the new precedent that’s been set following Trump’s re-election: Athletes are “coming out of the closet.” Steve repurposes this phrase to refer to how “athletes seem to be liberated in a lot of respects post November 5” regarding sharing “their own beliefs,” whether related to culture, religion, or politics. Jones, in a matter of seconds, was candid about where he stood on at least two of those. “He just hit the grand slam,” praises Steve. “It's amazing that MAGA is something that people are very proud to expose and to exhibit, and I think it's great to see.” When it comes to Jones presenting Trump with his belt, Peterson says that “many people said, whether they praised it or whether they hated it, this looked like a gladiator in the arena going to the emperor.” One reporter likened Trump to Julius Caesar following the event. “This is sort of the conquering Republican Caesar who’s going into the Colosseum and everyone‘s cheering, and he‘s got his political gladiators with him," said CNN’s Marc Caputo, adding that Trump was “sending a message to the Senate.” “Donald Trump has had the greatest personality arc in about a month. He went from Adolf Hitler to Julius Caesar,” laughs Steve. To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above. Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A former Maryland teacher pleaded guilty in June to illegal child sex crimes with a student and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, she'll only serve a year behind bars after a judge suspended the vast majority of her sentence. On June 20, Melissa Marie Curtis pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree sex offenses with an underage middle school student. During her sentencing Friday, Curtis also was given five years of supervised probation, according to the Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office. The former student claimed that Curtis sexually abused him nearly two dozen times. Once released, Curtis will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years. She also won't be allowed to have unsupervised contact with minors other than her own children.According to a previous statement from the Montgomery County Department of Police, its Special Victims Investigations Division in October 2023 began a probe into an adult male's allegations that in 2015 he engaged in sexual acts with Curtis when he was a minor and she was 22.The incidents continued for several months while the victim was a student at Montgomery Village Middle School and Curtis was a teacher at the same school, the statement said.The alleged victim at the time was in the 8th grade and 14 years old; he allegedly volunteered for an after-school program Curtis ran.Police executed an arrest warrant for Curtis on Oct. 31, 2023. Curtis turned herself in to authorities on Nov. 7, 2023.The former student claimed that Curtis sexually abused him nearly two dozen times. Citing court documents, D.C. News Now reported last year that Curtis sexually abused the student in a classroom, in a car, at her mother's home, and at his house. The news outlet also said, citing charging documents, that Curtis "touched his penis while in a classroom and performed oral sex on him." Also, she is accused of providing alcohol and marijuana to the minor. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced the state is placing more of the border buoys in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass despite the ongoing lawsuit by the Biden-Harris administration to stop Texas' efforts.The buoys were Texas' attempt to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the Del Rio Sector, which has been a popular crossing area for illegal immigrants for years. Texas putting a barrier in the river, with the middle marking the end of the U.S. and the beginning of Mexico, resulted in protests from the Mexican and U.S. governments."Texas placed more buoys in the Rio Grande River this morning. Despite the Biden-Harris Administration’s attempts to shut down our border security efforts, the buoys are here to stay. We won't back down from our mission to deter & repel illegal immigration," Abbott posted to X on Wednesday. While the buoys gained a lot of attention, they had limitations. — (@) The buoys were attacked by Democrats as being dangerous for people who were illegally crossing the river. Some dead bodies, another historic high under the Biden-Harris administration, were found entangled in the buoys after they were installed last year, but they were determined to have drowned upriver and the buoys were not the cause of death. Texas continuing to place the water barriers in place before Joe Biden leaves the White House next year shows how serious the state is about using tools at its disposal to deter illegal immigrants. With President-elect Donald Trump returning to Washington, D.C., there has been a slight increase in illegal crossings as people want to enter the country before he takes office.While the buoys have gained a lot of attention, they have limitations. That portion of the Rio Grande can sometimes have a very low water level to where illegal immigrants can wade in only ankle- or shin-deep. The barriers are also stationary and do not come close to blocking all areas where people have crossed into the United States.That said, the barriers have helped direct the flow of traffic to areas with better coverage by law enforcement. The chain is further bolstered by the fences and razor wire that are along the riverbank on the U.S. side of the border. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said that he opposes the plan by President-elect Donald Trump to employ the military to help deport millions of illegal aliens. Trump has made immigration a focus of his second term after historically high numbers of illegal aliens crossed into the U.S. under the Biden administration. As part of his plans, he has announced mass deportations aided by the U.S. military. 'The police have a difficult job, but the people removing people from our country need to be a police enforcement domestic agency, not the military.' "The stories all said he would declare an emergency to use the military to remove people. I'm not for that," said Paul in an interview on Newsmax. "I'm not in favor of sending the army in uniforms into our cities to collect people. I think it's a terrible image. That's not what we use our military for, we never have. And it's actually been illegal for over 100 years to bring the Army into our cities," he added. Paul was likely referring to the Posse Comitatus Act from 1878 that prohibits federal troops from enforcing civilian law except when expressly authorized by a statute or the Constitution. "Our Army and our military are trained to shoot the enemy. They're not trained to get a warrant to do what they're doing. The police have a difficult job, but the people removing people from our country need to be a police enforcement domestic agency, not the military," Paul continued. "I will not support an emergency [declaration] to put the Army in our cities. I think that's a huge mistake." Paul, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said he would support efforts to focus on deporting illegal aliens with violent criminal convictions first. He posted the interview to his social media account, where he reiterated his dissenting argument. "We, as conservatives who are supportive of Trump, need to caution him about sending the army into our cities. It's a terrible image to send the world, and it's a terrible image for us as citizens," he posted. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has defended Trump's deportation plan but also signaled that the effort should focus on the millions of illegal aliens with criminal convictions first. "I think what the president is talking about is beginning with the dangerous persons that we know are here," Johnson explained. "There are criminals, known criminals. There are known terrorists in the country. There are some who have been apprehended for committing violent crimes after they've come across the border illegally. So you start with that number. You've got, by some counts, as many as 3 or 4 million people that fit in that category. Begin there and then see how it transpires."Some saw this as a capitulation while others believe it is more logistically plausible. Here's the full interview from NewsMax: We, as conservatives who are supportive of Trump, need to caution him about sending the army into our cities. It's a terrible image to send the world, and it's a terrible image for us as citizens. pic.twitter.com/EygszWKMBB— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) November 20, 2024 Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!