UFC 309: B/R Scorecard for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

The highly anticipated fight between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champ Stipe Miocic went down in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.

Jones, arguably the UFC's GOAT, fought for the first time since he claimed the vacant heavyweight title with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane in March 2023. In training, he suffered a torn pectoral tendon that sidelined him for over a year and delayed that matchup against Miocic.

Miocic has been out of the Octagon for longer, as the former UFC heavyweight champion hasn't fought since losing his title to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. At 42 years old, Miocic hoped to solidify himself as the greatest heavyweight to compete in the UFC. He's held the heavyweight title twice and is the only fighter to defend it thrice.

During Jones and Miocic's time on the sidelines, the UFC crowned an interim heavyweight champion in Tom Aspinall. The 31-year-old rising star hopes to face the winner of Saturday night's main event, but nothing is guaranteed.

See how B/R scored the main event of UFC 309 with round-by-round analysis.

Stipe Miocic walks out to his usual "Till I Die" by his fellow Cleveland native Machine Gun Kelly, followed by Jon Jones with his patented mashup of New York hip hop that includes "Many Men" and "God Gave Me Style" by 50 Cent and "The Champ Is Here" by Jadakiss. They're both in the Octagon, Bruce Buffer delivered his trademark intros, and the fight is finally underway!

They touch gloves. Jones threw an early left hand and Miocic answered with a right. Jones scored with an inside leg kick and a left body kick before Miocic started pressuring with boxing combinations.

Jones caught Miocic off-guard with an outside trip to score a takedown with over three minutes left in the round. Miocic is doing his best to defend off his back, but Jones has landed some hard elbows.

Jones rained down several consecutive elbows that Miocic clearly didn't enjoy, but the former champ remained stuck on his back. Miocic recovered to get Jones into full guard and tied up his hands before Jones passed to side control.

The reigning champ dropped a few more elbows before the horn sounded.

B/R's First Round Score: 10-9 Jon Jones.

Miocic is bruised up to start the round while Jones looks fresh. A loud "Stipe" chant broke out from hopeful fans at MSG but was countered by a "Jonny" chant from those supporting the champ.

Miocic caught Jones with a couple of early punches, but Jones continued his forward pressure. Miocic, a former Golden Gloves boxer, added a couple body shots for good measure.

Jones threw a teep kick to the body that completely slowed Miocic in his tracks. However, the champ didn't follow up. Miocic scored with a clean right hand and later caught Jones with a grazing left hook. Jones answered with a high kick but his hands were still a bit low coming out of those exchanges.

Miocic caught him with a couple more punches as the round came to a close to regain some momentum.

B/R's Second Round Score: 10-9 Stipe Miocic; 19-19 overall.

Jones opened with a jab but Miocic answered with a combination that sent the champ running to avoid his shots. They tied up briefly and Miocic landed an uppercut.

Back in range, Jones landed a hard left-right combination and then connected with the same combo to send Miocic back to the fence. The former champ avoided further damage but then ate a head kick as they got back to the center of the Octagon.

Miocic is doing his best to close the distance, but Jones' jab and side kicks kept him at range. A hard left hand connected for Jones, but Miocic didn't go anywhere. Miocic pressured with a boxing combination, but Jones was able to avoid the worst of it.

Jones pressured Miocic back to the fence and threw a mean spinning back kick that landed flush to the body and sent the 42-year-old crumpling to the ground. After a few punches and elbows, referee Herb Dean saw enough to stop the fight at the 4:49 mark of the round.

Result: Jon Jones by KO, Round. 3