Jones has cooled on the idea of fighting his next challenger, should he defeat Miocic. British fighter Tom Aspinall has held down the division as interim heavyweight champion — a title necessitated by Jones’ lengthy absence — and has been chirping for months about a unification bout.

One of the greatest fighters in MMA history returns on Saturday night as Jon Jones defends his heavyweight championship against two-time former champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309. Jones is making the first defense of the title he won with a first-round submission of Cyril Gane at UFC 285 in March of 2023.