JON JONES’ rescheduled showdown with Stipe Miocic has officially been announced.
The Hall of Famer was set to defend his heavyweight title against the division’s former long-time ruler last November at UFC 295 but was forced out of the Madison Square Garden melee due to injury.
GETTYMMA legend Jon Jones will defend his heavyweight title at UFC 309 on November 16[/caption]
Jones will defend the belt against former champion Stipe MiocicGETTY
UFCThe pair were set to headline UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden last November[/caption]
INSTAGRAM@DANAWHITEBut a torn pectoral muscle for Jones scuppered the clash of legends[/caption]
But ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’ won’t be robbed of the pair’s deeply divisive showdown.
MMA‘s premier promotion announced early on Sunday morning that the duo will top the bill of their yearly visit to MSG on November 16.
Jones and Miocic’s legacy fight will close out what will be a stacked UFC 309 card in The Big Apple.
Both men will enter the battle of legends on the back of lengthy layoffs.
Former long-reigning light-heavyweight champion Jones claimed the then-vacant 265lbs title last March with a first-round demolition of Ciryl Gane after a three-year layoff.
But he hasn’t set foot inside the cage since fulfilling his 11-year promise to capture heavyweight gold.
Miocic, meanwhile, has had an even longer hiatus – with his last outing being the brutal second-round KO loss he suffered to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
The shadow of Brit sensation Tom Aspinall will loom large over Jones and Miocic’s potential final forays to the octagon.
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GettyInterim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will be the back-up fighter for the main event[/caption]
The Wigan warrior claimed the interim heavyweight title last November with a 64-second KO of Sergei Pavlovich at MSG.
The UFC introduced the belt in light of Jones’ pectoral tear but have been steadfast in their refusal to abandon the Miocic fight and book a unification bout with Aspinall.
Aspinall, however, will be the BACK-UP FIGHTER for the main event – just over three months after retaining the interim strap with a 60-second KO of Curtis Blaydes in Manchester.
And UFC President and CEO Dana White has GUARANTEED the 31-year-old will face the winner of the main event.
When asked if Aspinall would face the winner of the bout if he beat Blayde, White said: “Absolutely.”