When Jon Jones steps into the cage Saturday at UFC 309, it’ll mark more than 16 years that he’s competed as a professional fighter. The UFC snagged him within his first year of competition. He fought six times regionally before the promotion came calling. All eight of those bouts occurred between April and July 2008.

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.