Stipe Miocic will challenge Jon Jones for the heavyweight championship at UFC 309 this Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Miocic returns to the octagon with a 20-4 record, having lost his last fight, in a title defense against Francis Ngannou, by knockout in 2021. Miocic is looking to earn his third heavyweight title but will have to overcome Jones.
Jones returns to the octagon after winning the vacant title in his heavyweight debut in March 2023. He has a 27-1 record and has won his last five fights.
The card will also feature Michael Chandler taking on Charles Oliveira and Viviane Araujo taking on Karine Silva. David Onama will take on Roberto Romero in a lightweight fight on the preliminary card after Onama’s featherweight fight with Lucas Almeida was canceled.
Here’s what you need to know about UFC 309:
Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight): Results, Analysis
Fighters walking to the octagon.
Mauricio Ruffy beats James Llontop (Catchweight): Results, Analysis
Round 1: After spending some time feeling each other out in the early minutes of the fight, Ruffy landed various strikes on Llontop in the final seconds of the round.
Round 2: Ruffy drops Llontop with a look-away left-handed punch with 3:30 left in the round. Ruffy took a few more shots while Llontop was on the ground. Llontop displayed a level of toughness getting back to his feet and bringing the fight to Ruffy. Ruffy returned with another right-handed shot that drew blood from Llontop’s face. Llontop’s left eye is clearly swollen.
Round 3: Ruffy had landed more shots to the head through two and a half rounds but Llontop had landed more shots to the body and legs. Llontop continued to push throughout the third round to keep it competitive. Both fighters acknowledge each other after the fight before Ruffy goes over toward Donald Trump and Elon Musk for a quick conversation. Ruffy wins by unanimous decision.
Donald Trump arrives to watch UFC 309 main card
The president-elect made a grand entrance following the conclusion of the preliminary fights at Madison Square Garden. Trump walked in alongside UFC CEO Dana White, Kid Rock and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Robert Kennedy Jr. and Jelly Roll were also among the notable names in attendance for the event.
Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman cancelled late
Anders had reportedly fallen ill and had to bow out of his fight with Weidman in the hours leading up to the event on Saturday. It remains unclear if the fight will be rescheduled for a later date.
UFC 309 PRELIM RESULTS
Marcus McGhee does enough against Jonathan Martinez (Bantamweight)
Both fights continued to feel each other out during the first two rounds. Martinez managed to land leg kicks to limit McGhee’s movement late in the second round. Martinez never took advantage of the hobbled fighter as time expired in the third. McGhee did enough in the early rounds to earn the unanimous decision victory.
Jim Miller submits Damon Jackson (Lightweight)
Miller earned his 27th UFC victory with a guillotine in the first round. He is the all-time winner in UFC history with the most victories. Andrei Arlovski and Donald Cerrone are second all-time with 23 UFC victories.
David Onama beats Roberto Romero (Lightweight)
Romero rocks Onama, dropping him to the ground and attempting to put him in a chokehold. Both men manage to get back on their feet in the first round. Onama landed a couple of shots to Romero that got a reaction from the crowd before time expired. Despite a late attempt by Onama to end the fight in the final seconds of the third round, the fight goes the distance. Onama wins by unanimous decision.
Marcin Tybura defeats Jhonata Diniz (Heavyweight)
Diniz had the early advantage against Tybura in the first round but things turned around in the second round. Tybura landed a series of elbow strikes to bloody Diniz’s face as time expired in the period. Diniz was wobbly getting back to the corner and after advice from the doctors on sight, referee Herb Dean called the fight.
UFC 309 main card: time, streaming for Saturday
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
Time: Main card: 10 p.m. ET; prelims start at 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+ with an additional PPV fee
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
Watch UFC 309 and more MMA with an ESPN+ subscription
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic start time
Prelims: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Main card: 10 p.m. ET /7 p.m. PT (PPV on ESPN+)
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic fight card
Main Card
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (Heavyweight)
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)
Prelims
Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee (Bantamweight)
Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders (Middleweight)
Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson (Lightweight)
David Onama vs. Roberto Romero (Lightweight)
Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz (Heavyweight)
Early Prelims
Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (Welterweight)
Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott (Welterweight)
Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura (Women Flyweight)
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic odds
All odds are for moneyline bets (as of Saturday afternoon unless noted otherwise), according to BetMGM.
Main Card
Jon Jones (-650) vs. Stipe Miocic (+475)
Charles Oliveira (-275) vs. Michael Chandler (+210)
Bo Nickal (-1400) vs. Paul Craig (+800)
Viviane Araujo (+240) vs. Karine Silva (-300)
Mauricio Ruffy (-1000) vs. James Llontop (+625)
Prelims
Jonathan Martinez (+115) vs. Marcus McGhee (-140)
Chris Weidman (-105) vs. Eryk Anders (-115)
Jim Miller (+135) vs. Damon Jackson (-165)
David Onama (-1400) vs. Roberto Romero (+800)
Marcin Tybura (-115) vs. Jhonata Diniz (-105)
Early Prelims
Mickey Gall (-185) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (+150)
Bassil Hafez (+240) vs. Oban Elliott (-300)
Veronica Hardy (-150) vs. Eduarda Moura (+125) — as of Friday
UFC 309 live stream
The prelims will be available for live stream on ESPN+. The pay-per-view main event can be purchased and streamed through ESPN+.
UFC 309 price
The UFC 309 pay-per-view can be purchased through ESPN+ (which requires a subscription) for $79.99.
UFC 309 location
The event will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York. MSG is a historic venue with a capacity of 19,500 and has hosted events in the past, including UFC 205: Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor.
UFC 309 predictions
Sporting News: Miocic could upset Jones
Daniel Yanofsky writes, ‘Miocic can cause a massive upset with one big punch. However, is his timing the same as it was in 2021? The fight going the distance seems unlikely, and Jones winning via TKO is a fair outcome. Will either retire, win or lose?’
MMAnews: Miocic’s inconsistency could be the difference
Ryan Jarrell writes: ‘I would love to pick Miocic to beat Jones and reclaim the heavyweight throne. But I just don’t see it happening at this point in his career. The former champ is much older now and hasn’t been fighting consistently at all.’
ClutchPoints: Jones will have to make proper adjustments to win
Dominik Zawartko writes ‘Ultimately, the difference for Jon Jones will be his striking and wrestling pedigree to lean on. His chin is much more solid at 240 pounds and he’ll make the proper adjustments if Stipe begins to tag him. We like Jones to win this fight, but the total over is more intriguing as we see a methodical fight from both men.’
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: Tale of the Tape
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