UFC announces planned date and location for Jon Jones comeback

Jon Jones at UFC 285. Photo via UFC (Twitter)

Looks like Jon Jones will be back in a few months!

At a recent press conference, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that the fight against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is scheduled to be the main event at UFC 309 on November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

White defended the decision to book the fight instead of pitting interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall against reigning champion Jones.

“The guy (Stipe) who is considered the greatest heavyweight in the UFC, right? This fight is scheduled. Jon Jones gets hurt. It’s not his fault,” White said.

“He’s got to wait and go back to training camp. He’s been training. So should I just take the fight away from Stipe and say, ‘Hey, fuck you and sit on the bench for two more years’? If I did that, you’d say, ‘Oh, you disrespected the greatest heavyweight of all time,’ and the damn fans would too. So should I just screw Stipe because Jon got hurt and not make the fight he was supposed to have anyway?'”

UFC 309 with Jon Jones

The event will be the promotion’s eighth visit to New York City and first since UFC 295 in November 2023.

In 2020, Jones vacated the light heavyweight title and announced his intention to move up to the heavyweight division. After a lengthy preparation period and negotiations with the UFC, Jones was scheduled to make his debut in 2023, facing Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title.

The fight against Stipe will be his first title defense.

Want to read more about UFC?

Follow Frontkick on Instagram for the latest fight news!