UFC 309 fight card: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic rebooked for heavyweight title fight in New York

After their planned meeting at UFC 295 fell through, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and two-time former champion Stipe Miocic will now meet at UFC 309. The event will take place on November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Jones won the then-vacant title in March 2023 with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane. That fight came after UFC champion Francis Ngannou left the promotion following contentious contract negotiations. Many felt Jones delayed his move to heavyweight until Ngannou was out of the running entirely.

In November of the same year, Jones and Miocic faced off, but Jones suffered a torn pectoral tendon, which forced the fight to be postponed.

Miocic is a heavyweight legend but hasn't won a fight since defeating Daniel Cormier in a decision fight in August 2020. His only fight since that win was a KO loss to Ngnanou in March 2021.

With Jones out and Miocic long since his last win, many believe Tom Aspinall is now the top heavyweight in the UFC. Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to become interim champion at UFC 295, the same event where Jones vs. Miocic was originally scheduled to fight. Following that first-round stoppage, Aspinall knocked out Curtis Blaydes in the first round in July.

Despite growing concerns about the prospect of a Jones-Miocic duel for the division's top prize after Aspinall has dominated headlines recently, UFC general manager Dana White is convinced that Jones vs. Miocic is the right fight for the UFC.

“What am I supposed to do?” White asked at a recent press conference. “The guy who is considered the greatest heavyweight in the UFC, right? This fight is scheduled. Jon Jones gets hurt. It's not his fault. He has to wait and go back to training camp. He's been training. So am I supposed to just take the title away from Stipe and say, 'Hey, fuck off and sit on the bench for two more years'?”