Jon Jones 'more than likely' to retire after Miocic bout at UFC 309

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is leaning toward making his upcoming title defense versus Stipe Miocic his last Octagon appearance.

"It's going to be the last time. More than likely," Jones said recently when asked about retirement, per "Clocked N' Loaded."

Jones (27-1, 1 NC) will compete for the first time in nearly 20 months when he takes on former heavyweight champion Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 at New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.

The 37-year-old hasn't fought since capturing the vacant heavyweight belt with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. The promotion had initially scheduled Jones to defend the title against Miocic at MSG last November, but a torn pectoral that required surgery and extensive rehab forced him out of the bout.

Considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, "Bones" owns the record for being the youngest UFC titleholder, defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the light heavyweight belt at 23 years old in 2011. Jones defended the title 11 times. His only UFC loss is a disqualification to Matt Hamill in 2009.

Jones has remained adamant about wanting to fight Miocic despite the rise of British star and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. However, UFC CEO Dana White expressed optimism that Jones would be open to a unification title fight with Aspinall if he wins in November.

"I know for a fact that if Jon Jones wins this fight, and with all this talk that's out there, there's no way in hell he's not fighting Aspinall," White said Saturday, according to ESPN's Andreas Hale.