UFC 309 Preview – Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, Best Fights & Fighters to Watch

Check out a preview of everything UFC 309 has to offer.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden this Saturday (November 16) for UFC 309, headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

The Main Event

The main event will see Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic finally square off after the pair were originally scheduled to headline UFC 295 last year.

The moment he became a TWO-DIVISION CHAMP 🏆🏆@JonnyBones defends his HW title THIS WEEKEND at #UFC309! pic.twitter.com/5mZvXEe9Dd

— UFC (@ufc) November 11, 2024

Jones returned from a layoff of more than three years for his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 and submitted Ciryl Gane to claim the division’s interim belt, and now “Bones” will welcome Miocic back to the Octagon for what will be the former two-time champion’s first fight since 2021.

He won the heavyweight title in an unforgettable way 🤩@StipeMiocic returns Saturday night looking to become the heavyweight champ once again! #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/6kr8F2z8St

— UFC (@ufc) November 11, 2024

Jon Jones Sends Chilling Threat to Stipe Miocic on UFC 309 Fight Week

The Co-Main Event

The night’s co-main event is a huge lightweight rematch between #2-ranked Charles Oliveira and #7-ranked Michael Chandler.

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan (blue gloves) fights Charles Oliveira (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The two men previously headlined UFC 262 with a fight that saw Oliveira win the vacant lightweight title, but the Brazilian has gone 1-1 since losing his belt to Islam Makhachev and will now try to stifle Chandler’s hopes of jumping back into title contention after “Iron Mike” missed out on a fight with Conor McGregor.

May 15, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Charles Oliveira defends against Michael Chandler during UFC 262 at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Fights You Don’t Want To Miss

Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

Scheduled to take place just before the high-profile main and co-main events for UFC 309, this middleweight matchup will see Nickal face the most significant test of his young MMA career against Craig.

Jul 23, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Paul Craig (red gloves) and Volkan Oezdemir (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. / Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

“Bearjew” is famously dangerous when working for submissions off of his back, but if Nickal is able to avoid getting caught in anything then this fight presents an opportunity for the wrestling standout to get a win over a well-known name and start working his way towards the UFC middleweight rankings.

Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

The only bantamweight matchup on this card will see Martinez try to rebound from his loss to UFC Hall of Famer José Aldo against a relative newcomer to the promotion in McGhee.

May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Jose Aldo Junior (red gloves) fights Jonathan Martinez (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. / Jason Silva-Imagn Images

“Dragon” was on a six-fight win streak prior to meeting Aldo at UFC 301, and McGhee will be eager to hand Martinez the first back-to-back losses of his career and snatch his #13 bantamweight ranking after starting his own UFC career with three-straight stoppage-wins.

Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson

Miller makes history every time he steps into the Octagon as the UFC’s all-time leader in total fights, and he’ll also try to extend his lead in the all-time UFC wins category when he meets Jackson at Madison Square Garden.

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Bobby Green (red gloves) fights Jim Miller (blue gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“The Leech” heads into this matchup on a 1-3 run that most recently saw him drop a decision to Chepe Mariscal, but Jackson has the opportunity to add a true legend to his record at UFC 309 after Miller also came up short in his last outing against Bobby Green.

Charles Oliveira Gets Custom Shorts for Michael Chandler Rematch at UFC 309

Fighters To Watch

Chris Weidman

The former UFC middleweight champion finally returned to the win column with a controversial victory against Bruno Silva in March, and many fans expect that a fight in Weidman’s home state might present the perfect chance for the 40-year-old to finally hang up his gloves.

Mar 30, 2024; Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; Chris Weidman (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Bruno Silva (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

“The All-American” certainly won’t be guaranteed a send-off win when he meets Eryk Anders at Madison Square Garden, but if this is the last time fans get to see Weidman in the Octagon then it will be the final chapter of a career that will almost certainly be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Mauricio Ruffy

Coming off a successful promotional debut against Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 301 earlier this year, Ruffy will try to continue the rampant success of the "Fighting Nerds" in the UFC when he takes on James Llontop to kick off the UFC 309 PPV.

May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights Jamie Mullarkey (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. / Jason Silva-Imagn Images

Brazil’s "Fighting Nerds" earned another massive win just last weekend when Carlos Prates stopped Neil Magny in Prates’ first UFC Fight Night main event, and with Llontop stepping in on short notice this looks like a significant opportunity for Ruffy to add another big finish to the gym’s growing highlight reel.

Jhonata Diniz

Diniz was set for his first crack at the UFC rankings earlier this month when he was scheduled to face Derrick Lewis, but after that fight unexpectedly fell through the 33-year-old was quickly rebooked to meet #9-ranked Tybura at UFC 309.

Diniz will try to vault into the heavyweight rankings at UFC 309. / Louis Grasse/AgFight

The perennial top heavyweight represents a major step up for Diniz, but if the former GLORY kickboxer can extend his unbeaten MMA record against Tybura it will establish him as a legitimate contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

Jon Jones Fends off Tom Aspinall Ducking Accusations from #1 Light Heavyweight

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10:00 p.m. ET)

• Main Event: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic - For the UFC Heavyweight Championship

• Co-Main Event: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

• Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

• Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araujo

• Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop

Preliminary Card (ESPN News/ESPN+, 8:00 p.m. ET)

• Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

• Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders

• Jim Miller va. Damon Jackson

• David Onama vs. Lucas Almeida

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6:00 p.m. ET)

• Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz

• Mickey Gall vs.Ramiz Brahimaj

• Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliot

• Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

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