Jones made his highly anticipated heavyweight debut at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane, submitting the former interim champion in the first round and joining the hallowed ranks of UFC fighters to have capture titles in multiple divisions. After the fight, Jones made his desire to fight Miocic known.
The bout is Miocic’s first since he lost the title in March 2021. The proud Ohio-native holds the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses (three) and most finishes in UFC heavyweight title fights (four). The 42-year-old now hopes to earn status as a 3-time heavyweight champion.
The co-main event in New York City is set to be a 5-round rematch between former champion Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. The bout comes three-and-a-half years after their championship bout in Houston at UFC 262 when Oliveira knocked out Chandler in a come-from-behind effort. Oliveira went on to defend his belt once but is coming off two losses in his last three fights to Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. “Do Bronx” hopes to get back on track and maintain his spot in the title picture with a win.
Meanwhile, Chandler competes for the first time since his submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Since then, the former title challenger coached opposite Conor McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter. The two were set to fight at UFC 303 before an injury to McGregor delayed the matchup even further. The 38-year-old Chandler called for a rematch with Oliveira multiple times, his confidence coming from the 10-8 round he scored on Oliveira in the first round of their title fight.
Also on the card is a matchup between hot prospect Bo Nickal and Scottish submission ace Paul Craig. Nickal is coming off a second round finish over Cody Brundage at UFC 300, while Craig is seeking a bounce-back win after losing to Caio Borralho at UFC 301. The 28-year-old Nickal could launch himself into the middleweight rankings with a win over Craig, who has fought some of the best names at light heavyweight and middleweight.
UFC 309’s main card will also see a bout between former title challengers in Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes. Smith is hoping to bring his 2024 record to above-.500 with a win after splitting fights against vitor Petrino and Roman Dolidze. His submission of Petrino at UFC 301 once again cemented the Nebraska-native’s place in the rankings, but he turned in a disappointing performance in a short-notice decision loss to Dolidze at UFC 303. Reyes, on the other hand, earned his first win in nearly five years when he knocked out Dustin Jacoby in Louisville. The knockout was Reyes’ fourth in the Octagon and flashed some of the brilliance that brought him one step away from UFC gold.
Additional bouts announced for UFC 309:
- Natalia Silva vs Viviane Araujo
- Chris Weidman vs Eryk Anders
UFC 309 in scheduled for November 16 in New York City. Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates to every fight card.
