UFC fans mocked Dana White’s obsession with Jon Jonesbut the greatest UFC fighter of all time will have the opportunity to prove why the UFC CEO and President is so attached to the fighter nicknamed Bones. Jones, who has a resume better than any mixed martial artist ever, is fighting in a historic bout at UFC 309 against heavyweight legend Stipe Miocic.

The fight comes after a long layoff for both fighters, but it’s sure to be a classic, as we’ve never seen Jones or Miocic look mediocre in the octagon. The two legends aren’t the only incredible fighters on this fight card, however.

So in this article, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about UFC 309.

When and where will UFC 309 take place?

UFC 309 takes place at arguably the greatest athletics venue in the world: Madison Square Garden, in New York, New York. Fight night will take place on Saturday, November 16.

Early prelims kick off the action at 6 p.m. ET, and prelims take place at 8 p.m. ET. The main card will then begin at 10 p.m. ET. This will be only the eighth UFC event at Madison Square Garden, and UFC 309’s predecessors at the venue have been classic battle cards with legendary fights.

How to watch UFC 309

Early prelims for UFC 309 will be available on UFC Fight Pass, and prelims will be viewable on ESPNEWS and ESPN+. Then, to watch the main card, you’ll need to purchase a pay-per-view from ESPN+.

Since this UFC event is taking place in the United States, Joe Rogan will be available to provide color commentary, as will Daniel Cormier. They will join Jon Anik at the commentary table, while he will handle play-by-play.

Date: Saturday November 16 | Time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)

Location: Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

How to watch: ESPN+ A la carte purchase (main card)

Odds: Jones-700

UFC 309 fight card

Main map:

Heavyweight: Jon Jones (C) vs. Stipe Miocic, championship fight

Lightweight: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva

Lightweight: Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop

Preliminaries:

Bantamweight: Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

Middleweight: Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders

Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson

Featherweight: David Onama vs. Lucas Almeida

First preliminaries:

Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz

Welterweight: Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

Welterweight: Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliot

Women’s Flyweight: Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

Main event

Jon Jones is past the point of caring what people think of him. Today, he’s trying to expand his legacy. That legacy already includes becoming the youngest UFC champion ever and winning the most title fights (15). Next on that list for Jones is defeating the greatest heavyweight of all time.

Jones is clearly the best light heavyweight fighter of all time, but he only has one fight under his belt since moving up to heavyweight. Jones’ stint in the 265-pound division included a three-year hiatus, but he dominated in his inaugural bout in the weight class against Ciryl Gane when he became the UFC heavyweight champion.

That fight came back at UFC 285, and although Jones’ fight against Miocic was supposed to take place at UFC 295, he tore his pectoral tendon and was forced to miss over a year. His long-awaited first title defense at heavyweight is finally here. Jones’ resume speaks for itself. He is an elite striker, wrestler and submission artist.

But Miocic also had an incredible career.

He competed in eight title fights, six of which he won. Miocic is one of the best boxers of all time in the UFC, and his list of victories includes triumphs over legends such as Daniel Cormier and Francis Ngannou.

However, Miocic retired before being offered this chance to win the belt again, meaning he hasn’t fought since March 2021 at UFC 260. This means Miocic gets a title shot after a longer hiatus than anyone in UFC history, and Jones defends his belt after more time off than anyone in the promotion’s history.

Both of these fighters have done enough to warrant that, though. Jones and Miocic have done so much for MMA, and they are still more than capable of delivering an iconic fight. In fact, the last time we saw Jones, he laid out a champion in the first round.

It looks like he still has a lot left in the tank, so fans are hoping he ends up fighting guys like Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira, and maybe even Francis Ngannou (although that seems unlikely). Of course, he has to beat Miocic first, and that’s far from a sure thing, even taking into account Miocic’s time off.

Yet we’ve never seen Jones lose inside the octagon. He is 27-1 in MMA, with that only loss coming due to a disqualification in a fight he was dominating. Ironically, Jones’ 2009 disqualification occurred because he used 12-6 elbows, but this move will be legalized for the first time in a UFC PPV event since 2006 at UFC 309.

Main map

The main event between Jones and Miocic isn’t the only fight at UFC 309 that will feature a long-awaited return. Michael Chandler sat out for over two years with the hope that a fight against Conor McGregor would happen. This fight was unsuccessful, forcing Chandler to look in another direction.

This direction led him to a rematch with Charles Oliveira. Chandler, who is one of the best Bellator fighters of all time, lost for the first time in the UFC in a title fight against Oliveira. Now, both are going backwards, with the winner emerging as a potential title contender, and the loser going in the wrong direction in the UFC rankings.

Chandler has lost three of his last four fights, but he remains an entertaining performer who sends balls to the wall and fights with reckless abandon. Oliveira has lost two of his last three fights, but he remains a former champion and arguably the best submission expert in UFC history. He leads the promotion with 20 finishes and 16 submission victories. His 19 fight night bonuses are also the highest ever in the UFC.

While there is plenty of aging veteran talent on the UFC 309 card, one of the best newcomers is also fighting. Bo Nickal is only 6-0 in his MMA career, but due to his experience as one of the best college wrestlers of all time, many view him as a potential future champion in the middleweight division.

Nickal has his toughest challenge ahead of him against Paul Craig. Craig is just 17-8 with losses in four of his last fights, but he also has wins against big names such as Jamahal Hill and Magomed Ankalaev.

The women’s division’s only fight on the main card is between Viviane Araujo and Karine Silva. Silva is a rising star in the women’s flyweight division, but Araujo is always a good test for prospects to gauge where they really stand.

The first fight on the main card is between Mauricio Ruffy and James Llontop. Both fighters competed in the Dana White Contender Series in 2023 before making their UFC debut this year. Ruffy won his fight at UFC 301, while Llontop lost both of his fights in 2024. Llontop was on a 12-fight winning streak before joining the UFC, so he’ll quickly have to prove he wasn’t only the product of fights in the lower levels of MMA.

Foreplay

There are also some notable names fighting in the prelims/early prelims of UFC 309. Marcin Tybura, for example, is ranked number 9 at heavyweight, but he is fighting in the early prelims. Tybura’s popularity skyrocketed when he eliminated Tai Tuivasa. This round, Tybura fights Jhonata Diaz.

Jim Miller will also fight. Miller is the UFC’s all-time leader in fights (44) and wins (26), as he has remained active since UFC 89. Miller’s opponent is Damon Jackson. Another UFC 309 legend is Chris Weidman. Weidman was a champion from 2013-2015. This will be Weidman’s third time fighting at Madison Square Garden, and this time he will face Eryk Anders.