Jon Jones keeps heavyweight belt at UFC 309

Reuters

Jon Jones defended his heavyweight title during the main event at UFC 309 in New York on Saturday night, using a spinning back kick to beat Stipe Miocic by technical knockout.

The bout was called at 4:29 of the third round.

It was Jones' first fight since March 2023, and the 37-year-old successfully returned to the octagon after undergoing pectoral surgery that postponed a meeting with Miocic at UFC 295.

Jones (28-1-0) paid his respects to Miocic after the fight on Saturday, admiring his toughness.

"He's really, really good," Jones said of Miocic. "He's really tough. He's really durable. I hit him with some pretty decent shots, and he just kept coming forward."

Jones had zero glaring holes, having an answer for every Miocic strike thrown his way.

While Miocic (20-5-0) opted to retire after the fight, Jones plans to stick around at heavyweight.

"I've decided maybe I will not retire," Jones said, noting that he plans to speak with UFC CEO Dana White and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell. "We'll negotiate. If everything goes right, maybe we'll give you guys (the fans) what you want to see."

Lightweights Charles Oliveira (35-10-0) and Michael Chandler (23-9-0) met in the co-main event, a rematch of a championship fight that happened over three years ago. Oliveira won four of five rounds, making the most of several submission attempts and unorthodox striking.

Round 5 saw a near-dramatic turn for Chandler. After dropping Oliveira with a hook, Chandler landed several non-defended strikes, some of which were to the back of the head. Despite that surge, Oliveira reversed position and found Chandler's back.

Oliveira took the cards 49-46, 49-46, 49-45. Despite dropping his fourth fight in five outings, Chandler called out Conor McGregor following his bout on Saturday.

Middleweights Bo Nickal (7-0-0) and Paul Craig (17-9-1) were next. Nickal won by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), keeping his name in the running as a divisional contender entering 2025.

Viviane Araujo (13-6-0) avoided a potential losing streak, defeating Karine Silva (18-5-0) in women's flyweight action. Araujo's control time was too much for Silva, as she utilized her clinch work to dictate the fight's pace.

The main card opened with Mauricio Ruffy (11-1-0) winning by unanimous decision against James Llontop (14-5-0) in a battle of catchweights.