Jon Jones is set for a return to Octagon and will defend his UFC heavyweight championship against former champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309, scheduled for Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
UFC president Dana White confirmed Jones’s return in an interview with Complex. “Jon Jones is going to fight [Stipe Miocic] in Madison Square Garden in November,” White said. “And then if he wins or Stipe wins, we see what happens next.”
The fight was scheduled to take place in November 2023 but Jones suffered a pectoral injury in the build-up to the fight leading to the cancellation of the UFC 295 main event. Tom Aspinall stepped up to fight Sergei Pavlovich in the main event, with the former earning a comprehensive win to be crowned as the interim heavyweight champion.
After the win, Aspinall consistently pushed for a unification fight with Jones, but the 37-year-old and the UFC remain focused on rescheduling the matchup with former two-time champion Miocic. In July, the Britt again grabbed the headlines after securing a first-round stoppage by knocking out Curtis Blaydes.
UFC president Dana White confirmed that Aspinall will take on the winner of Jones vs. Miocic, though there is speculation that both fighters could retire after their bout at Madison Square Garden.
“Do I think Stipe will retire? I do,” White said. “I do think he will, but you never know. I know for a fact that if Jon Jones wins this fight, and with all this talk that’s out there, there’s no way in hell he’s not fighting Aspinall,” he added.
John Jones’ last fight came against Ciryl Gane at the UFC 285, earning a comprehensive first-round submission win while Stipe Miocic’s last fight came all the way back in 2021 when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in the second round.
Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira confirmed as UFC 309 co-main event
Micheal Chandler finally moves on from fighting Conor McGregor and is set to do battle against former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309. The fight will be a rematch of their 2021 bout, where Chandler suffered a TKO loss in the second round.
It's OFFICIAL! Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic at #UFC309 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IyYywRkdb9
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 15, 2024
Chandler was scheduled to fight McGregor initially but the Irishman suffered an injury to his toe forcing him to withdraw from the fight. The former Bellator champion now turns his attention to Oliveira and aims a title shot against the reigning lightweight champion of UFC, Islam Makhachev.
In a video shared on his Instagram account on Friday, Chandler elaborated on his choice to fight Oliveira rather than wait for McGregor, whom he described as “the most unreliable human being that has ever graced mixed martial arts.”
“Now I get the opportunity to fight Charles Oliveira, become the No. 1 contender, and then I’ve got options,” Chandler said.
Chandler last fought in 2022, losing to Dustin Poirier via submission while his new opponent, Oliveira lost to Arman Tsarukyan in his last fight at UFC 300.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
