UFC 309: Jones v Miocic – all you need to know

Jon Jones makes his long-awaited return from injury to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The former light-heavyweight champion faces a former heavyweight champion in 42-year-old Miocic.

Ohio’s Miocic holds the record for the most successful title defences at heavyweight, while Jones is defending the belt he won in 2023.

The fight was originally scheduled to happen in November 2023, but an injury to Jones and the subsequent withdrawal of Miocic saw Tom Aspinall step in to become interim champion.

Jones, 37, is considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, but has already hinted his showdown with Miocic could be his last MMA fight.

Both men have spent lengthy periods on the sidelines. Jones has not fought since March 2023 when he beat Ciryl Gane to become heavyweight champion, whereas Miocic has not fought since March 2021.

The undercard includes a lightweight fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, as well as Scotsman Paul Craig and Welshman Oban Elliott in action.

You can follow live text commentary of UFC 309 from 04:00 GMT on Sunday, 17 November on the BBC Sport website and app.

What are the UK times for UFC 309?

UFC events usually follow a consistent schedule and UFC 309 is expected to be the same.

The prelims begin at 01:00 GMT on Sunday, 17 November.

The main card will begin from 03:00, with Jones v Miocic not expected to start before 05:00.

Who is on the UFC 309 fight card and what is the running order?

Jon Jones v Stipe Miocic – UFC heavyweight title fight (5x5min rounds)

Main card

• Charles Oliveira v Michael Chandler 2 – lightweight (5x5min rounds)

• Viviane Araujo v Karine Silva – flyweight (3x5min rounds)

• Bo Nickal v Paul Craig – middleweight

• Chris Weidman v Eryk Anders – middleweight

Undercard

• Mauricio Ruffy v James Llontop – lightweight

• Nikita Krylov v Azamat Murzakanov – light heavyweight

• Jonathan Martinez v Marcus McGhee – bantamweight

• Jim Miller v Damon Jackson – lightweight

• David Onama v Lucas Almeida

• Mickey Gall v Ramiz Brahimaj – welterweight

• Oban Elliott v Bassil Hafez – welterweight

• Veronica Hardy v Eduarda Moura – flyweight

How do Jones and Miocic’s records compare?

Jones (27-1-1NC) is always in the conversation for greatest fighter of all time, but in Miocic he faces a man considered the most consistent heavyweight champion of all time in the UFC.

Miocic (20-4) has twice captured the title and has fought a who’s who of heavyweights down the years. He has wins over Francis Ngannou, Daniel Cormier, Andrei Arlovski and Fabricio Werdum.

The big-hitter has 15 stoppages in 20 wins and has lost just four times. Those came against Cormier, Ngannou, Junior dos Santos and Stefan Struve.

Miocic relies on his excellent cardio and striking to overwhelm his opponents and has the most finishes in UFC heavyweight title fights (4).

He is also tied with all-time great Randy Couture for most wins in title fights (6). No-one has successfully defended a heavyweight UFC title more than Miocic.

Albuquerque’s Jones has just one loss on his record, a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009. He has 27 wins in 29 fights, after a win in 2017 over his bitter rival Cormier was changed to a no-contest because of a failed drug test. Jones has served two doping bans in his UFC career.

Jones is the youngest UFC champion in history, winning the light-heavyweight title when he was just 23 years old.

At 6ft 4in he was an unstoppable force at light-heavyweight, beating every contender in front of him including Cormier, Ryan Bader, Mauricio Rua, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort and Rashad Evans.

Jones is known for being a near-perfect all-round fighter, able to stop, submit or outclass an opponent.

He has 10 stoppages and seven submissions on his record and has the most successful title defences in light-heavyweight history (11), which ties him with flyweight legend Demetrious Johnson for the most title defences in UFC history.

Where do Jones and Miocic sit in heavyweight rankings?

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