UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic Main Event & Undercard Tips
UFC President Dana White has billed this main event as 'the greatest of all time versus the best heavyweight of all time' as Jon Jones takes on Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
It will be the first time the undisputed Heavyweight championship will be on the line in over 18 months, with this fight now taking place a year after their original bout fell through.
The co-main event sees a rematch between two of the top lightweights as the always exciting Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler go head to head once more.
Tip 1 - Jones, Jon to Win & Under 3.5 Rounds - 8/15
Jon Jones (27-1-0, 1 NC pro) makes the long-awaited first defence of his Heavyweight title as he faces two-time belt holder Stipe Miocic (14-0).
Considered by many as the “GOAT” in MMA, Jones is a two-division champion with multiple records inside the Octagon.
Becoming the UFC’s youngest-ever champion when winning the Light Heavyweight belt aged 23, the American has gone on to earn the most title defences, most wins, and longest win streak.
A true legend killer, Jones secured wins over Maurício Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen.
Jones’s career has been littered with controversy, and he was stripped of titles for his involvement in a hit-and-run and for failing a drugs test between 2015 and 2018.
Undefeated during his title runs at 205 lb, the only loss of Jones's career came in 2009 when he was disqualified for using downward elbows against Matt Hammil, a rule which has recently been dropped.
Jones vacated the light Heavyweight belt in 2020 in order to bulk up for a move to heavyweight where he eventually fought for and secured the title in March 2023 when submitting Ciryl Gane in the first round.
Last year's cancellation of this fight has left both men with a prolonged period of inactivity; with Stipe Miocic last seen in March 2021 losing his title in a rematch with Francis Ngannou by devastating second-round knockout.
That defeat ended Miocic’s second run as champion, first winning the belt from Fabrício Werdum in 2016.
The American made three defences, including handing Ngannou his first loss in the UFC, before losing the first bout of a trilogy with Daniel Cormier in 2018.
Miocic regained his title at UFC 241 in 2019 by knocking out Cormier in the fourth round, before rubber-stamping their rivalry with a final win at UFC 252 in 2020.
Both men have long-standing success in the sport, but with Miocic now at 42 years of age and after over three-and-a-half years of inactivity it is hard to see him regaining his title.
Jones showed he can be a force at Heavyweight by submitting Gane, taking the centre of the Octagon in their exchanges on the feet.
Jones has five KO/TKO wins and six by submission and with his high fight IQ he is fancied to get this done inside the distance.
Tip 2 - Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler - under 2.5 rounds - 4/11
When these two first squared off in 2021 Charles Oliveira (34-10) secured the vacant Lightweight title with a second-round TKO of Michael Chandler (23-8).
Months earlier Khabib Nurmagomedov had retired in the Octagon following his win over Justin Gaethje, leaving the division in a state of flux.
The win was part of an 11-fight unbeaten run for the always-exciting Oliveira, who secured eight bonuses in the process.
The Brazilian would go on to lose the belt on the scales ahead of a win over Gaethje, before suffering a second-round defeat in rechallenging for the vacant belt against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 in October 2022.
Oliveira bounced back with a win over Beneil Dariush before losing a split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April.
Meanwhile, Chandler has been out of action since November 2022 in pursuit of welcoming Conor McGregor back to the Octagon.
However their UFC 303 fight booked for June was scrapped after the Irishman withdrew with a broken toe, with the American now deciding to return to action.
The former Bellator champion is 2-3 in the UFC with four of his bouts earning either fight-of-the-night or performance-of-the-night bonuses.
Although Oliveira walked away with the win in their first encounter, Chandler had some huge moments in the first round.
The American hurt the Brazilian twice with left hands in the opening round and was close to a submission when locking in a guillotine.
This one is set for five rounds, but the full championship distance is neither fighter's friend and we expect this one to be done inside 2.5 rounds.
Tip 3 - Nickal, Bo to win by Submission - 19/10
Bo Nickal (6-0) can take another step up the Middleweight ladder as he faces wiley veteran Paul Craig (17-8-1).
A three-time NCAA Division I national champion, Nickal was hyped as a potential future star of the sport even before his UFC debut.
The 28-year-old has won all three of his octagon outings so far, with first-round finishes of Jamie Pickett by submission and Val Woodburn by KO, as well as a second-round submission of Cody Brundage last time out at UFC 300 in April.
Meanwhile, Craig is always involved in entertaining fights, having gone the distance only twice in his 18 UFC contests.
Since dropping down to 185 lbs the 36-year-old is 1-2 and now on a two-fight skid after a submission loss to Brendan Allen last November and a KO defeat to Caio Borralho in May.
Overall, the Scottish fighter has three wins by KO/TKO and six by submission, while in defeat, he has suffered five KO/TKOs and two submission losses.
Craig has some big wins, albeit at light heavyweight, against former champion Jamahal Hill and Nikita Krylov, while he is also the only fighter to have beaten Magomed Ankalaev.
However, Nickal is backed to get this one done within the distance by beating Craig at his own game.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation