Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title at #UFC309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden, UFC announced. pic.twitter.com/KzdtNoOXIx
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 14, 2024
The heavyweight championship clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic is finally official. UFC CEO Dana White announced the title bout to Complex Sports on Saturday evening. UFC 309 takes place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden and will also see Charles Oliveira square off against Michael Chandler in a five-round, co-main event tilt.
It’s official:@danawhite tells us @JonnyBones will return to the octagon at Madison Square Garden vs. @stipemiocic in November pic.twitter.com/CwaI14i2bc
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) September 14, 2024
A long-reigning light heavyweight champion, Jones returned to action following a three-year hiatus at UFC 285, where he claimed the vacant heavyweight crown with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in March 2023. “Bones” was then booked against Miocic at UFC 295 last November but was forced to pull out of the fight after suffering a torn pectoral in training.
In the meantime, Tom Aspinall captured the interim heavyweight belt with a first-round stoppage of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 and defended the strap with an opening round KO of Curtis Blaydes this past July. Aspinall has lobbied hard for a title unification bout, but Jones has insisted on a legacy fight against Miocic, and the promotion has been on board with that request. Jones has also hinted that he will retire after the Miocic fight.
Miocic, who owns the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses, hasn’t set foot inside the Octagon since March 2021, when he relinquished the belt to Francis Ngannou in a second-round KO defeat at UFC 260.
