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Jon Jones returns to the Octagon for the first time in 20 months when he puts his heavyweight title on the line against Stipe Miocic in UFC 309 on Saturday in New York.
Jones (27-1 MMA) last fought in March 2023, when he won the then-vacant heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane with a first-round submission at UFC 285.
It was Jones' first fight in three years after he vacated the light heavyweight championship, which ended a decade-long stretch of title defenses against some of the sport's former champions, including Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans.
Jones said Thursday he isn't looking past Miocic (20-4 MMA) to focus on other noteworthy challengers, such as UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira or interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
"Right now, I'm focused on Saturday," Jones said. "Saturday is just a few days away, and that's the biggest thing for me right now."
Miocic, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is fresh off a lengthy layoff from the sport. He last competed at UFC 260 in March 2021 against Francis Ngannou, the current PFL champion. Ngannou won the fight by knockout to become the UFC champion at the time, beginning an era that saw him defend the belt just once amidst eventual failed contract negotiations with the promotion.
Miocic called out Las Vegas oddsmakers, suggesting he must prove his doubters wrong again as a sizable betting underdog.
"Nothing new to me," Miocic said. "I train just as hard as anyone else."
He added, "Vegas hates me. I'm gonna keep it that way."
The co-main event features a rematch of a UFC lightweight title bout from 2021. Charles Oliveira (34-10 MMA), who won the belt three years before losing it for missing weight the next year, opposes Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA) in a non-championship match. The winner will likely remain in title contention entering 2025.
Chandler initially was scheduled to face Conor McGregor in June in the main event of UFC 303, but a toe injury sidelined McGregor.
UFC 309 main card (start time 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV)
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, for Jones' UFC heavyweight title
Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler, lightweight
Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig, middleweight
Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva, women's flyweight
Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop, catchweight
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph Reveals Obvious Frustration Surrounding Quarterback Situations In The AFC
The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have a four-time MVP and future Hall of Fame quarterback at their disposal in Aaron Rodgers. The veteran has had an up and down opening month of the 2025 NFL season, mainly due to the overall performance of the team's offensive line. Despite that, the Steelers currently find themselves standing alone at the top of the AFC North with a record of 3-1 and will have an excellent opportunity to further pad their lead in the division over the next two weeks. The Steelers are the only team in the AFC North that have yet to have a legitimate issue at the quarterback position. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sidelined with a long-term injury earlier in the season, and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has dealt with an ongoing hamstring injury that could result in him missing Baltimore's Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Cleveland recently traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Bengals and the Browns will now turn to an inexperienced rookie in Dillon Gabriel to lead the way on offense for the rest of the season. With quarterback issues continuing to circulate around the AFC, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly recently revealed a conversation he had with the backup quarterback for Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph. "It's not a pretty situation," Kaboly stated. "I looked at Rudolph yesterday and said, 'Do you ever count the teams that you could be starting for right now?' And he glared at me." Kaboly continued to talk about a potential fit for Rudolph, as the insider claims the Steelers' backup quarterback would start on multiple teams in the AFC. "Pretty much every team in the AFC North, and there's a bunch of other ones too," said Kaboly. Rudolph has spent the majority of his six-year career in Pittsburgh. He had a brief stint with the Tennessee Titans that was extremely underwhelming last season, but he found his way back to the Steel City in the 2025 offseason. The veteran could still prove to be a solid starting option for a number of different teams around the AFC as Kaboly indicated, and Rudolph could possibly end up in the middle of trade talks as starting quarterbacks around the entire NFL continue to succumb to injuries. The Steelers would turn to rookie quarterback Will Howard and/or veteran Skylar Thompson as backup options should Rudolph be on the move. Howard is a promising first-year player who was a star on the college level at Ohio State, but the talented quarterback has dealt with a finger injury suffered in training camp for the majority of the season. Thompson is a rising quarterback that played at an extremely high level throughout the 2025 preseason, and the former seventh-round pick may prove to be a solid backup option if necessary. Steelers' Front Office Could Be Hesitant To Trade Rudolph Rudolph would absolutely prove to be a solid starting option on a number of different teams in the AFC currently. Pittsburgh could be reluctant to move the veteran however, as Rodgers is 41 years old and in his 21st NFL season. Rudolph is currently the next man up if Rodgers were to go down and Pittsburgh could opt to keep him on the roster due to the uncertainties of having the oldest player in the league at the quarterback position. The Steelers' offensive line struggles early on in the season could play a role in keeping Rudolph as well. Pittsburgh's offensive line has struggled to begin the year, but has slowly improved as the season rolls on, and limiting the amount of hits Rodgers takes could play a direct role in Rudolph's future with the team. Pittsburgh will host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as Rodgers will look to pick up right where he left off two weeks ago in Ireland.
Former Yankees, Mariners prospect hospitalized following motorcycle crash
Jesús Montero failed to develop into the baseball star that some thought he might, despite repeatedly appearing on preseason top prospect rankings. The former New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners catcher failed to capitalize on that potential and turn it into a long career. Once viewed as New York's "catcher of the future," Montero played in just 226 games during his five-year MLB career. His last professional appearance came during the 2020-21 Venezuelan Winter League, where he went 0-for-17 at the plate with six strikeouts. Montero, according to Spanish-language reports out of Venezuela, has been hospitalized in his home country following a traffic accident. The now 35-year-old was reportedly riding his motorcycle when a suspected drunk driver hit him. Montero is in critical condition after suffering multiple leg fractures, broken ribs and lung damage. Jesus Montero's Yankees stint lasted 18 games New York originally signed Montero as an international amateur free agent in 2006. The power-hitting prospect, one of the best bats available in the free agent class, was given a $2 million signing bonus. By 2009, Montero was appearing on preseason prospect rankings — landing on Baseball America's Top 100 list in four consecutive seasons. The Yankees called Montero up for his MLB debut when rosters expanded in September 2011. He'd appear in 18 games, hitting .328/.406/.590 with four home runs in 69 PA. Jesus Montero traded to Mariners in January 2012 Montero was traded, along with right-hander Héctor Noesí, to the Mariners the following offseason for right-handers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Over parts of four seasons, he batted .247/.285/.383 over 796 PA with 24 home runs. Seattle ultimately sent him down to Triple-A due to his defensive limitations with the hope that he'd learn to play first base. His Seattle tenure was marred by constant rumblings about his physical shape and attitude, including a 2014 incident where he threw an ice cream sandwich at a scout while on a rehab assignment.
Michigan football QB Bryce Underwood skyrockets up CBS Sports' QB rankings
Michigan freshman QB Bryce Underwood has seen his game steadily improve since Week 1 of the season. The second week, at Oklahoma, was a stumbling block for the former No. 1 overall rated recruit, as he threw for just 142 yards in a loss to the Sooners. But after that game, Chip Lindsey and the Wolverines have let Underwood loose and he is utilizing both his legs and his arms. This past week, in a win over Wisconsin, Underwood threw for 270 yards and a TD -- a career day for the young player. He has built trust with a few WRs and has found reliable targets in Donaven McCulley and Andrew Marsh. Where CBS Sports ranks Bryce Underwood among all the QBs in college football Following Week 6 action, CBS Sports updated its QB power ranking. Underwood made a huge jump after his performance against the Badgers. He jumped from No. 33 to No. 24 and is now a top-25 QB in the country, per CBS Sports. CBS Sports has six Big Ten QBs ranked ahead of Underwood, but the Michigan phenom is ranked ahead of Demond Wiliams, Malik Washington, Aidan Chiles, and Drew Allar. In his first five games of his career, Underwood has passed for 1,003 yards, three TDs, and one interception. He has also run for 181 yards and three TDs. Underwood is finding himself surrounded by playmakers Bryce Underwood is going to be the future of Michigan, the Wolverines are going to build their team around him, but this season, he doesn't have to do it alone. Michigan has one of the best rushing attacks in college football, with Alabama transfer Justice Haynes leading the way. Haynes has rushed for over 100 yards in every game this season, and he's averaging over 130 yards per game. Haynes has eight TDs this season -- fourth most in the country. As mentioned above, McCulley and Marsh appear to be go-to targets. McCulley is the first Michigan WR to catch for over 100 yards since 2023, and Marsh, the true freshman, has made a few 50-50 catches this season, and building an early rapport with Underwood will key for those two moving forward. Underwood will be tested this weekend in Los Angeles against a good USC team. Fans can see the Wolverines in action at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
4 concerning Vikings statistics that must improve after the bye
The Minnesota Vikings are a 3-2 football team heading into their bye week. They've done some good things through the first five weeks of the season, but they also have a lot of areas they need to improve. Frankly, the Vikings are a bit fortunate to have three wins, considering the comebacks they had to mount to beat the Bears and Browns. They've trailed going into the fourth quarter in four of their five games, including three games where they didn't score a touchdown in the first 45 minutes of action. That level of play isn't going to be nearly good enough for the rest of this season. The Vikings have had one of the easier schedules in the league so far, but they have one of the toughest schedules for the remainder of the campaign. Improvement must start with cleaning up these four unsightly statistics, which are all areas where the Vikings rank at or near the bottom of the league. Sack percentage (offense): 11.7 percent NFL rank: 32nd Through five weeks, no team has taken more sacks than the Vikings, whose quarterbacks have gone down 21 times on 180 dropbacks. That 11.7 percentage leads the league; the Ravens are the only other team with at least a 10 percent sack rate on offense. J.J. McCarthy was the worst offender, taking nine sacks on just 55 dropbacks over the first two weeks (16.4 percent). But Carson Wentz was sack-prone too, with 12 of them on 120 dropbacks. It's something McCarthy will have to show that he can improve in order to regain the starting role. Sacks fall on the play-caller, the quarterback, and the offensive line to varying degrees. All three have to find a way to fix this drive-killing issue for the Vikings after the bye week, starting against an Eagles defense that is surprisingly towards the bottom of the league in sacks so far. Third down conversion percentage (offense): 31 percent NFL rank: 31st This one, to some extent, goes hand in hand with the previous stat. The Vikings are converting third downs less than a third of the time, which is not where you want to be. Only the Titans and rookie QB Cam Ward have been less effective on third down this season (29 percent). Kevin O'Connell's team was up near 40 percent last year. Part of this stat has to do with the average third-down distances teams face. But despite their sack woes, the Vikings are actually near the middle of the pack in terms of yards needed on third down. One reason for that is that third down is where a big chunk of those sacks have occurred. Third and longs are tough for everyone, so a big key to being successful on third down is avoiding those situations by staying on schedule on early downs. With that said, the Vikings are also well below the league average with a 47 percent conversion rate on third downs of three yards or fewer remaining, so they also need to improve in short-yardage situations. Percentage of first downs gained via rush (defense): 47.1 percent NFL rank: 32nd Most of the statistics for the Vikings' defense are pretty positive. They've been good so far, even if it's fair to admit that their advanced numbers are skewed a bit by a dominant performance against the Bengals in Week 3. The one area why the Vikings could use some real improvement is in their run defense. The raw numbers for the Vikings' rushing defense (yards per game, yards per carry, etc.) aren't great. But this stat we found was particularly interesting. 47 percent of Vikings opponents' first downs are coming on the ground, which is the highest rate in the league. Teams aren't having a ton of success against the Vikings through the air, but why throw the ball when you're confident you can move the chains with the run game? That stat would be notable by itself, but it's even more interesting when you look at the 2024 numbers and see that the Vikings had the second-lowest rate in this category last season, with just 25.5 percent of opponent first downs being acquired via the run. Accepted penalties per game: 8.8 NFL rank: 1st (in a bad way) Simply put, the Vikings have to find a way to stop generating so many flags against them. They lead the league in both total accepted penalties (44) and penalties committed on a per-game basis. They've had procedural issues on offense, they've committed fouls on defense, and they've been flagged in the kickoff and punt phases on special teams. Across the board, they have to clean up their execution and avoid the negatives that put them in more difficult siutations.
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