The UFC is back in the Big Apple this week for its annual November event in New York and the consensus greatest of all time is returning to action for the first time in nearly two years and in his home state for the first time ever.
Current heavyweight champion and former longtime light heavyweight king Jon Jones is set to defend his title in the main event against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a matchup that has more to do with legacy than it does determining the best active heavyweight competitor in mixed martial arts.
What happens at the UFC’s penultimate numbered event of the year will have a huge ripple effect heading into 2025.
With that in mind, here’s what you need to know ahead of UFC 309 and the return of the G.O.A.T.
WHEN AND WHERE DOES IT TAKE PLACE?
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
This is the UFC’s eighth event at the famous venue since the organization debuted there in 2016. The last time was at UFC 295 one year ago. Jones and Miocic were originally supposed to headline that card but an injury to Jones resulted in the UFC postponing the bout between the pair of future Hall of Famers.
The UFC 309 pay-per-view main card begins at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT and is available to order through Sportsnet+. Preliminary card coverage on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ gets underway at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
WHERE HAS JON JONES BEEN?
Jones became heavyweight champion at UFC 285 in February of 2023 when he made easy work of Cyril Gane who was dominated by Ngannou the year prior.
Instead of agreeing to face Tom Aspinall or another young, up-and-coming heavyweight talent for his first title defence, Jones and Miocic were paired together but Jones sustained a torn pectoral muscle while training for UFC 295 and required surgery.
Prior to his return at UFC 285, Jones, 37, had been out of action for three years as he pondered his future in the sport, ultimately deciding to leave the 205-pound division he ruled over for more than a decade and pursue a second UFC title.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME MIOCIC FOUGHT?
It has been even longer since fight fans saw Miocic. The former two-time champ never announced his retirement but he last competed at UFC 280 in March 2021 when he was viciously knocked out by Francis Ngannou, a fighter he had previously defeated.
Miocic, now 42, last had his hand raised at UFC 252 in August of 2020 when he won his trilogy bout with Daniel Cormier and earned his record fourth heavyweight title defence.
The last time Miocic fought someone other than Cormier or Ngannou was more than seven years ago during his first title reign.
HOW DOES TOM ASPINALL FACTOR INTO UFC 309?
Jon Jones hasn’t been doing himself any favours lately if he genuinely hopes to downplay allegations that he is ducking Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title thanks to a first-round knockout over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 and defended it with a one-minute stoppage of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 this past July after which he gave a respectful call-out to Jones, saying: “Hello, Jon. I have nothing against you personally, but I just think I’m better than you. I just know I can beat you in a fight, so I’m coming for it.”
In a recent interview with veteran combat sports reporter Kevin Iole, Jones said he’s not likely to face Aspinall if he emerges from the UFC 309 main event with his hand raised.
“I feel like Tom Aspinall is, I don’t want to say nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything,” Jones said. “He hasn’t done anything.”
Instead, Jones suggested he’d be more interested in facing current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in a different champion vs. champion matchup.
Dana White confirmed in September that Aspinall will be the official backup fighter for the UFC 309 main event. In a hypothetical scenario where either Jones or Miocic were forced to withdraw from Saturday’s contest, Aspinall would be available to step in as a replacement opponent. Whether Jones or Miocic would actually accept that hypothetical short-notice title fight is another question entirely.
Jones and Miocic will be asked about Aspinall and the future of the division frequently this week, so it’ll be interesting to hear what the fighters and Dana White have to say. It is expected to be Miocic’s final pro bout win or lose.
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WHO ELSE IS ON THE CARD?
UFC 309’s co-main event is a rematch of a past lightweight title fight, and the sequel is getting the five-round treatment despite there not being a belt on the line this time.
Charles Oliveira became a UFC champion 3.5 years ago when he knocked out Michael Chandler at UFC 262 to win a title that had previously been vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Oliveira vs. Chandler part one was a terrific, fan-friendly bout for as long as it lasted and part two should be no different.
Chandler has only fought three times since losing to Oliveira and had recently been on the shelf waiting for Conor McGregor to return to the sport. Chandler had been scheduled to McGregor at UFC 303 earlier this year before that matchup fell apart due to a McGregor injury. The McGregor vs. Chandler matchup might still happen one day but before it does, the perennial performance bonus winner and former Bellator champ gets a chance to avenge his first UFC loss.
Also on the main card, blue chip prospect Bo Nickal gets his toughest challenge to date when he meets fellow top-tier middleweight grappler, Paul Craig. All but four of Craig’s 17 pro wins have come via submission, plus he holds stoppage wins over former light heavyweight titleholders Jamahal Hill and Mauricio Rua and is the only fighter to defeat Magomed Ankalaev. Nickal, a standout collegiate wrestler out of Penn State, is 6-0 with six finishes in pro MMA with only one of his fights making it out of the first round.
Mauricio Ruffy, Marcus McGhee and Jhonata Diniz are three of the lesser-known up-and-comers to look out for this weekend, plus former middleweight champion Chris Weidman and all-time UFC wins and fights leader Jim Miller are among the athletes featured on Saturday’s preliminary card.
Projected bout order for UFC 309:
MAIN CARD
— Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
— Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
— Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
— Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva
— Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
— Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
— Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
— Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz
— Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
— Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliot
— Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
Nikita Krylov was scheduled to face Azamat Murzakanov at light heavyweight, however, Murzakanov withdrew, plus a featherweight contest between Lucas Almeida and David Onama was pulled from the card when Almeida withdrew. It is unclear as of Monday whether replacement opponents will be found.
WHO’S ON THE CALL?
With the event back in the United States — October’s UFC 308 took place in Abu Dhabi — that means Joe Rogan will be back on the broadcast alongside Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier.
There isn’t anyone better suited than Cormier to provide commentary and analysis on the Jones vs. Miocic matchup considering the former two-weight champion fought Jones twice at light heavyweight before his heavyweight trilogy with Miocic between 2015 and 2020 prior to his retirement.
The trio was also on the call back at UFC 285 during Jones’s heavyweight debut when he won the vacant title.
Fellow past Jones opponents Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith will provide additional analysis throughout the event, while Megan Olivi reports from backstage and Bruce Buffer announces the athletes.
WHAT ELSE IS SCHEDULED FOR FIGHT WEEK?
Media Day: Official UFC 309 media events begin Wednesday when participating athletes will speak with gathered reporters. Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter and Arden Zwelling will be on site so stay tuned to Sportsnet.ca throughout the week for exclusive content and one-on-one fighter interviews.
Pre-fight Press Conference: Six of the UFC 309 featured main card athletes will participate on Thursday. Jones, Miocic, Oliveira, Chandler, Nickal and Craig will be on hand to answer questions and face off at The Theater at MSG beginning at approximately 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT. Available to stream live on Sportsnet+.
Official Weigh-ins: All fighters must step on the scale Friday morning (9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT) and get down to their contracted weight. There is a one-pound allowance for all non-title bouts. Both Jones and Miocic will need to weigh anywhere between 206 and 265 pounds, which is the window for the heavyweight division, in order for the title fight to be made official.
Ceremonial Weigh-ins: Later on Friday, once all official weights have been recorded and the athletes have begun the rehydrating process, opponents will face off on the eve of the card beginning at approximately 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT. Available to stream live on Sportsnet+.
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