NEW YORK (AP) — UFC hosts a card of the year contender each November at Madison Square Garden, where the main event matches often serve as a referendum on the company’s never-ending debate:

Who is the “greatest of all time” in UFC?

Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre And Daniel Cormier have all been choked, riveted and countered in the fighting cage at MSG.

Anyone could at some point claim to be the best mixed martial arts fighter to headline New York.

The real GOAT could be on deck when the star-crossed Jon Jones makes his anticipated debut at the Garden for his heavyweight title fight on Saturday night at UFC 309.

“It’s all a tremendous honor to have your face on the billboards of Times Square,” Jones said.

It is greater to have a hand raised in victory.

Jones is set to defend his title – a year after the fight was postponed when he suffered a torn pectoral tendon during training – against two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

The rehab is over, a year of hype has reached its peak and the fighters are ready to go down.

“Everyone cares about this fight, that’s what it feels like,” Jones said.

Jones, 37, has not fought since ending a three-year sabbatical and choking Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. Miocic, 42, last fought when he dropped the title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 280 in March 2021.

Jones stirs a crowd like few fighters outside of McGregor can, wherever he travels. After a series of undercard fighters came and went from a conference room in a downtown Manhattan hotel, most of the MMA media immediately stood up and crowded the stage with their smartphones for snapshots when Jones took the microphone. With his UFC belt on the table, Jones wasn’t quite ready for a fashion shoot; he briefly left in his black short-sleeved shirt to look for a jacket.

(“It’s a little cold here.”)

Jones is chilled by the idea of ​​fighting his next challenger, should he beat Miocic. British fighter Tom Aspinall has kept the division under control interim heavyweight champion – a title necessitated by Jones’ extended absence – and has been chirping about a unification fight for months.

Jones is probably trying to troll the overzealous Aspinall and say he has no interest in that fight.

“What’s in it for me?” Jones said.

Save for one profane shot as Aspinall, Jones was eloquent and expressive as he discussed his legacy, impeccable manners worthy of a man raised by a pastor and a nurse that belies a personal life haunted by demons that have marred his reputation and career.

His list of transgressions extends beyond his number of title fights, including doping suspensions, arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery domestic violence, arrested for aggravated DWI, and a collision incident at the top of the list legal and violations of the code of conduct.

His second win against Cormier, his longtime foil, was overturned to a no contest in 2017 after Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinabo. Cormier, a former two-division champion who now calls fights for ESPN, said Jones’ repeated fouls should factor into the “GOAT” debate.

“This is his big week and he should be praised and applauded,” Cormier said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But for me it’s just difficult. When I was on the outside and the other side of all these issues, that’s where the problem came. I’m not jealous of Jon Jones. It really doesn’t matter to me. It’s hard for me to say someone is the greatest of all time when there are so many negative things attached to your name, especially when it comes to fighting. You can’t test positive for steroids during fights, so that makes it difficult.

Jones talked in loose terms about living with regrets, but otherwise dismissed his detractors, quoting Scripture and saying, “I’m very aware that the man I am today has turned out to be a pretty solid human being.”

Try tossing away his criminal record – though it’s as much tied to his legacy as it is to the belt around his waist – and Jones can boast career achievements that make him a no-brainer as perhaps the greatest MMA ever.

At the age of 23, he was the youngest champion in UFC history when he defeated Maurício Rua for the light heavyweight crown. His only professional defeat came in 2009 on a controversial DQ for illegal elbows. Jones holds records in the light heavyweight division for most title defenses, most wins and longest winning streak before vacating his title. He then won his heavyweight debut against Gane.

The loudest cheerleader among those who think Jones is the best might be the champion himself.

“If I’ve come this close to being considered in that conversation, I might as well embrace it,” Jones said. “I might as well advocate for myself because reaching this level doesn’t happen often. What I have done is very special.”

Jones has teased retirement should he beat Miocic – the challenger will pretty much call it a losing career – but has also called for a fight against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

“Pereira is worth risking for me,” Jones said. “I’m looking for the legacy stuff.”

Jones can only replenish his GOAT credentials if he beats Miocic and the firefighter back to Ohio a loser of a title fight.

Even his biggest rival can’t deny Jones’ MMA greatness.

“I’ve never fought anyone better than Jon Jones,” Cormier said.

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