Jones vs. Miocic booked as UFC 309 main event

Jon Jones will defend his UFC heavyweight championship against former titleholder Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16.

UFC president Dana White announced the details in an interview with Complex on Saturday.

The fight between the most decorated light heavyweight and heavyweight, respectively, was originally set for the UFC’s annual trip to New York in 2023. However, Jones suffered a torn pectoral that required surgery, forcing him out of the fight and into a long rehabilitation.

Now fully healed, Jones will compete for the first time in 20 months against Miocic, the former two-time champion who has been widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, with a record four heavyweight title defenses.

However, Jones’ time off is nothing compared with that of Miocic, who has not fought since being stopped by Francis Ngannou in March 2021. Miocic, 42, has not won a fight since successfully defending his title against Daniel Cormier in August 2020.

Nevertheless, Jones, 37, has been steadfast in his desire to face Miocic (20-4) despite Tom Aspinall being the current interim heavyweight champion.

Jones (27-1, 1 NC) claimed the heavyweight title by defeating Ciryl Gane by first-round submission in March 2023 in his heavyweight debut. Before winning the belt, he dominated the light heavyweight division, logging a record-setting 11 successful title defenses.