Fans will witness the first and perhaps the only clash between two G.O.A.Ts, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, in one of the biggest legacy fights in Dana White’s promotion’s history. UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes there could be a surprise waiting in the aftermath of the PPV, and if you’re wondering what that could be, well, it’s about retirement news.

Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have both been linked with retirement speculations, which started after the announcement of their heavyweight clash back in 2023. However, Chael Sonnen claims that this was always the plan from a marketing standpoint, so Dana White and Co. were able to sell this fight to their audience, who want Jon Jones to fight Tom Aspinall.

‘The American Gangster’, while claiming that Jon Jones used it as a tool to garner successful reactions across the MMA community, said, “There was for nothing more than marketing reasons, it was thrown out that both Jon and Stipe would retire after this fight and Jon grabbed it,” on his YouTube Channel. “After he said it [about the retirement], he got quite a reaction. So, he said it again, and he said it again.”

As we all know, Jon Jones, in his many recent statements, insinuated that he might be serious about hanging up the gloves. After all, he’s done it all, and his upcoming opponent has also made his mark here in the UFC. “Now, all of a sudden, it’s something that Jon has said and is starting to believe for the better part of two months,” Chael Sonnen added.

Jon Jones may have been vocal in hinting at a retirement move, but Stipe Miocic still hasn’t given any clear indication that he’d ride off to the sunset after his attempt to claim heavyweight gold for a third time. However, he did mention that, at any moment, any fight could be his last.

Stipe Miocic claims that he’s “always preparing for the last one” ahead of the Jon Jones clash

At 42 years old, not many fans and pundits are counting on Stipe Miocic to carry on for a couple more years, like they want Jon Jones to do. How about retirement post-UFC 309? Well, the former two-time champion asserts he has been contemplating retirement ever since he first entered the Octagon, which was quite some time ago. The toil in the gym for months just for a single fight isn’t necessarily enjoyable for Miocic, so it’s hard to estimate when he will finally lay his gloves on the mat.

“I think every fight, I’m always preparing for my last one [and] I always thought about retiring after my first UFC fight,” Stipe Miocic conveyed to ‘MMA Fighting’. “I say that all the time. Who wants to get beat up for 10 weeks, 12 weeks, come back and do it again?” Miocic seems to be a realist and has prepared well to bid farewell to MMA and conclude this aspect of his life whenever the time comes.

There is a lot of noise regarding the UFC 309 headliner, and whether there’s retirement news or not, fans are particularly excited about the fight. What do you think? Will the UFC witness a first-time occurrence of two rivals retiring on the same night?