UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones returns to the Octagon for what could be the final fight of his MMA career, as he takes on former titleholder Stipe Miocic in the main event at UFC 309 in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.
Jones, who beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to claim the title, will put his belt on the line for the first time. Miocic is returning to action after over three years away from the Octagon. He has yet to compete since losing the title to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
The co-main event also features a fighter returning from an extended layoff, as Michael Chandler ends a two-year stint away from the UFC for a rematch of his 2021 lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira. Chandler hopes to avenge his second-round knockout loss at the hands of Oliveira to place himself back in title contention.
Also on the card, Bo Nickal, MMA’s top prospect, goes head-to-head with Paul Craig, and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman faces Erik Anders.
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim, Dre Waters and Eddie Maisonet III highlight everything happening in and around the UFC pay-per-view event.
The UFC 309 fight card
ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET
Heavyweight championship: Jon Jones (c) vs. Stipe Miocic
Lightweight: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
Women’s flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
ESPNews/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+/Hulu/FX, 8 p.m. ET
Lightweight: Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop
Light heavyweight: Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Men’s bantamweight: Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET
Featherweight: Lucas Almeida vs. David Onama
Welterweight: Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
Welterweight: Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott
Women’s flyweight: Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
(c) = defending champion