After months of waiting, fight fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic finally has a set date.
The UFC officially announced on Saturday that the heavyweight bout between the two — originally meant to headline UFC 295 in Nov. 2023 — will take place at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16.
Jones was originally supposed to defend the belt he won in March 2023 against former title holder Miocic but had to bow out due to a pectoral injury.
“Bones” captured the heavyweight title — which was vacant at the time following Francis Ngannou’s exit from the UFC — after he made his return to the octagon following a three-year hiatus and defeated Ciryl Gane via first-round submission.
And although Jones brings a 27-1 record into this bout along with being the current belt holder, he hasn’t fought since his title-claiming victory and is less experienced in the division than Miocic.
Much of Jones’s success in the UFC came as a light heavyweight.
Amongst his accomplishments under the banner, Jones was the youngest champion in UFC history at age 23 and holds the record for most wins, title defences and longest win streak in 205-pound division history.
Meanwhile, his 42-year-old opponent is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion with four successful title defences throughout both reigns. Miocic holds the record for most wins in the division and for the longest title defence streak (three).
A fight between two UFC icons — one who’s considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, and the other who’s often regarded as the best heavyweight ever.
UFC 309 will also feature a co-main event between former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler in a rematch of a previous title fight.