The highly anticipated UFC 309 event on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden will feature heavyweight champion Jon Jones defending his title against Stipe Miocic, along with notable fights including Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira and Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig.
The long-awaited showdown between heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic is finally official. It’s set as the main event for UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The fight, along with the rest of the main card, was announced during the UFC 309 broadcast on Saturday.
In addition to Jones vs. Miocic, Michael Chandler returns after a two-year hiatus. He faces Charles Oliveira in a lightweight rematch.
Also on the card, undefeated middleweight prospect Bo Nickal faces his toughest test yet against Paul Craig.
The card culminates with Jones defending his UFC heavyweight title for the first time. He won it by impressively dispatching Ciryl Gane back in March 2023.
Jones was originally scheduled to face Miocic later that year. However, a torn pectoral muscle kept him from competing.
Now, almost exactly one year later, Jones returns with hopes of defeating arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
UFC 309 comes nearly four years after Miocic last competed. He suffered a second-round knockout loss to Francis Ngannou, losing the heavyweight title.
After that loss, Miocic effectively disappeared, hoping for another title shot. Ngannou left the promotion, and Jones’s injury further delayed this fight.
Jones vs. Miocic goes down on Nov. 16. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will be watching closely to challenge the winner.
Additional fights for UFC 309 include Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith, Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders, and Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araujo.
UFC 309 marks another collaboration between the promotion and Madison Square Garden. Their partnership began in 2016 after MMA was legalized in New York.