The UFC 309 card at Madison Square Garden has been finalized except for one fight. Jon Jones will defend his UFC heavyweight title in the main event against Stipe Miocic, and Charles Oliveira will face Michael Chandler in a rematch at the co-main event.
Jones would love nothing more than to defend his heavyweight title by beating the man many regard as the greatest in the history of the division. If either of the legends falls out, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is the official back-up for the main event.
Chandler pivoted away from his on-and-off fight with Conor McGregor to take another shot at Oliveira. The latter won their first meeting by TKO and will be heavily favored the second time around.
The rest of the main card will see the return of Bo Nickal as the promising middleweight faces veteran Paul Craig. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman faces Eryk Anders in what could be the former’s final fight, and Viviane Araujo faces Karine Silva.
It’s unclear which fight will be the top prelim, but a candidate for that spot could have been exciting Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy against Charlie Campbell. However, Campbell withdrew from the fight, and now Ruffy is without an opponent.
The UFC’s website doesn’t have Ruffy listed on the event’s page, but with three weeks to go, there is still a chance someone could accept a short-notice fight against the 28-year-old with early Conor McGregor vibes.
Ruffy earned a UFC contract in Season 7 of the Dana White Contender Series, and he looked sparkling in the Octagon in July at UFC 301 when he scored a TO win over Jamie Mullarkey with a flying knee.
Other potentially exciting fights on the card will see long-time light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov take on undefeated 35-year-old Azamat Murzakanov in a fight that could lead to the latter joining the Top 15 if he wins.
Oban Elliott is an exciting up-and-coming welterweight with ties to McGregor. One of the most intriguing fights occurs at bantamweight when No. 13 Jonathan Martinez tries to rebound from a loss to Jose Aldo in May, but he has a massive test. Martinez will face Marcus McGhee; the latter has looked like one of the more talented newcomers with the promotion.
McGhee, 34, is 3-0 in the UFC, with performance bonuses in every outing. Because of his age, McGhee may need to be placed on a fast track. If he beats Martinez, he’ll be ranked and could get an even higher-ranked opponent in his next fight. Last but not least, the ageless Jim Miller takes on Damon Jackson.
Miller is coming off a brutally one-sided loss to Bobby Green. You have to wonder if Miller will continue his career if he takes another lopsided defeat. He’s 41 years old, and his fight at UFC 309 will be the 56th of his professional mixed martial arts career.
Here is a look at the entire UFC 309 card with Ruffy’s opponent spot still occupied by question marks. The event takes place on November 16.
- (c) Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – UFC Heavyweight Championship
- Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
- Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
- Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
- Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
- Mauricio Ruffy vs. ???
- Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
- Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
- David Onama vs. Lucas Almeida
- Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
- Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott
- Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
