Are you ready to see some authentic combat sports with trained fighters who aren’t competing with a three-decade age gap?
UFC 309 will be a breath of fresh air after Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson on Friday night.
UFC 309 will take place on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main event features the greatest mixed martial artist, Jon Jones, defending his UFC heavyweight championship against former two-time champ Stipe Miocic.
We’ll see a rematch between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler in the co-main event.
The first two legs of the event begin at 6 pm ET and 8 pm ET, respectively. The featured early prelim fight is a heavyweight clash between Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz.
The mid-level prelims will be topped off with an excellent bantamweight fight between Jonathan Martinez and Marcus McGhee.
Jones and Miocic will probably not make their Octagon walks before midnight ET. The co-main event will likely begin around 11:30 pm ET.
Here is a look at the entire card.
Full UFC 309 CardMain Card – 10 pm ET – ESPN+ PPV
- (c) Jon Jones vs. No. 8 Stipe Miocic
- No. 2 Charles Oliveira vs. No. 7 Michael Chandler
- Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
- No. 9 Viviane Araujo vs. No. 5 Karine Silva
- Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop
Prelims – 8 pm ET – ESPN News and ESPN+
- No. 13 Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
- Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
- Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
- David Onama vs. Roberto Romero
Early Prelims – 6 pm ET – ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass
- No. 9 Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz
- Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
- Oban Elliott vs. Bassil Hafez
- Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
UFC 309 Potential Bonus Winners
Oliveira vs. Chandler jumps off the page as a potential Fight of the Night. Neither man knows how to have a boring fight. Their first meeting was epic, and all signs point to a similarly spectacular fight in the rematch.
Another fight that could produce great action is Martinez vs. McGhee.
Martinez will be desperate for a win. He’s coming off a loss to Jose Aldo in his last fight, and a loss to McGhee will push him close to falling out of the Top 15.
Meanwhile, McGhee can be ranked for the first time in his UFC career. He looks like a potential contender. With the opportunity to make a power move, I’d expect him and Martinez to put on a great show.
From a pure performance of the night standpoint, Ruffy, Jones, Oliveira, Nickal, and Elliott would be my top picks. All five men are favorites to win, and there is a path to a dominant performance.
Llontop missed weight as a late replacement, and Ruffy’s skill level as a striker is massively superior. Jones is a big favorite over Miocic. The G.O.A.T has to watch being caught with something significant from Miocic.
However, most expect Jones to have an advantage as a striker and wrestler. Seeing him dominate and win a bonus would not be a shock. Oliveira won the first meeting with Chandler, and I believe he’s the better overall fighter. However, there is a path to victory for Chandler–especially if he doesn’t allow his emotions to get the best of him.
Nickal and Elliott should be safe bets for wins and strong performances. Look for post-event coverage following UFC 309.
