Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic finally have a date and location, though the details of the fight shouldn’t come as a surprise.
All signs pointed toward a November showdown between Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at Madison Square Garden and on Saturday the promotion made it official. The heavyweight title fight will headline UFC 309 on Nov. 16 in New York.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the title fight to Complex on Friday. UFC broadcast partner ESPN also shared the news on Saturday.
Jones and Miocic have been aligned for well over a year, as the two were scheduled to compete at UFC 295 in November. The fight was canceled after Jones tore his pectoral muscle and required surgery. Miocic, with the UFC’s backing, elected to wait for the Jones matchup.
In place of the undisputed title fight, the UFC booked Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich for an interim title. Aspinall finished Spivac with strikes in the first round, then defended the title in July vs. Curtis Blaydes, who he finished with strikes in exactly one minute.
UFC CEO Dana White firmly stood by the concurrent title reigns, holding out for the Jones vs. Miocic booking despite inactivity from both fighters.
Jones has not competed since he won the vacant heavyweight title vs. Ciryl Gane in March 2023. The fight was his first since February 2020. As for Miocic, he hasn’t competed since he lost the title to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
With the addition, the UFC 309 fight card includes:
- Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
- Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
- Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
- Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
- Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
- Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
