One of many best fighters in MMA historical past returns on Saturday night time as Jon Jones defends his heavyweight championship in opposition to two-time former champion Stipe Miocic in the primary occasion of UFC 309. Jones is making the primary protection of the title he received with a first-round submission of Cyril Gane at UFC 285 in March of 2023.
Jones and Miocic had been initially set to satisfy the next November at UFC 285 just for Jones to tug out of the bout after sustaining a pectoral harm. The 2 legends now meet contained in the legendary Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis.
UFC 309’s co-main occasion is a five-round light-weight rematch between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. The pair fought for the vacant light-weight title at UFC 262 in Might 2021, which Oliveira received by way of second-round TKO. The struggle is most notable as a result of Chandler could have been absent for 2 years come struggle night time, largely as a consequence of ready for a highly-anticipated Conor McGregor struggle that fell by.
Elsewhere on the cardboard, rising middleweight prospect Bo Nickal makes his return when he takes on veteran Paul Craig. Nickal is without doubt one of the most adorned novice wrestlers to make the transition to MMA and appears each little bit of a future contender. He will get a sturdy veteran within the type of Craig, who’s simply 1-4 in his final 5 appearances. Different veterans set to make the stroll on Saturday embody former middleweight champion Chris Weidman when he takes on Eryk Anders and UFC document holder Jim Miller when he faces off in opposition to Damon Jackson.
These two showdowns characteristic among the sport’s most notable and completed fighters, and as such, there are many storylines heading into the occasion. Let’s check out among the largest of these storylines earlier than the fighters enter the Octagon on Saturday.
1. The Jon Jones legacy takes the highlight
Jones is, for sure, one of many best fighters within the historical past of MMA. Say what you’ll of Jones’ historical past of hassle exterior the cage, however he has been practically flawless contained in the confines of the Octagon. Nonetheless, Jones’ legacy has fallen on unusual occasions since 2019. He misplaced his struggle with Thiago Santos on one official scorecard that 12 months and adopted that up in 2020 with a struggle in opposition to Dominick Reyes that almost all of media shops believed he misplaced. Jones then appeared poised to lastly soar to the heavyweight division in a transfer followers had awaited for roughly a decade however bought caught up in monetary squabbles with the UFC over the concept of going through then-champion Francis Ngannou. The UFC has aggressively tried to reshape the narrative round why Jones and Ngannou did not struggle however the bout not coming to fruition was adopted by Ngannou leaving the UFC and Jones lastly debuting at heavyweight and beating Ciryl Gane to win the heavyweight belt.
Now, the struggle followers need to see is Jones in opposition to interim champion Tom Aspinall, the person who seems to be the way forward for the division. As a substitute, Jones has expressed nothing however disinterest in that problem, suggesting his two post-UFC 309 choices are retirement or a struggle with gentle heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Observers waited so lengthy to see Jones as a heavyweight and now may even see that run finish with out going through both of the 2 males who’ve some extent of declare as one of the best heavyweight on the planet. As a substitute, Jones’ heavyweight run might finish with a win over Gane — an honest fighter, however one who was outgrappled by Ngannou — and an aged, light model of Miocic. Is there something Jones can do on Saturday that may add to his legacy past successful and calling for a conflict with Aspinall throughout his post-fight interview?
2. Why is Stipe Miocic right here, and does he have an opportunity?
Very similar to Jones, there’s not a lot debate over Miocic’s place within the sport. He is one of many best — if not the聽best heavyweight fighter in UFC historical past — and holds the document for many consecutive title defenses within the historical past of the division within the UFC. Miocic is a legend and the result of Saturday’s important occasion will not change that.
With all that mentioned, why is Miocic even on this place? He suffered an all-time knockout loss to Ngannou in his most up-to-date struggle and that got here all the best way again in March 2021. Miocic has not received a struggle since his UFC 252 win over Daniel Cormier in August 2020, that is practically 4 and a half years with no victory. Tom Brady has hoisted a Tremendous Bowl trophy extra just lately than Miocic has had his hand raised within the Octagon — and Brady has since performed two extra seasons, retired, began a broadcast profession and submitted a bid to turn out to be a partial proprietor of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Miocic, now 42, is receiving a shot within the spirit of “We all know that man and he was good” of the identical kind UFC followers used to tease boxing followers over. He might need a shot to win as a result of everybody within the heavyweight division has a shot on any given night time, however even the +500 Miocic odds appear a little bit beneficiant contemplating all the above.
3. Michael Chandler tries to ease the sting of dropping out on a Conor McGregor struggle
Talking of fighters who’ve been out of the Octagon for a big period of time, Chandler returns to motion in opposition to Charles Oliveira within the UFC 309 co-main occasion. Chandler will cross the two-year inactivity mark simply days earlier than the occasion. In that point, Chandler has been ready for a struggle with McGregor that by no means materialized, seeming to die for good when McGregor suffered an injured pinky toe and pulled out of their UFC 303 struggle shortly earlier than the occasion. Chandler filmed a season of The Final Fighter reverse McGregor and noticed proposed struggle dates come and go earlier than all of it fizzled with him by no means getting the payday or publicity of a struggle with the UFC’s largest star.
A struggle with Oliveira is a positive comfort prize, however Chandler presently sits as a +225 underdog for the rematch with Oliveira, who stopped Chandler within the second spherical of their UFC 262 bout for the vacant light-weight title. A loss for Chandler could be a catastrophe, it could be his second-consecutive loss and provides him a 1-4 document over his 5 most up-to-date bouts (and a 2-4 run within the UFC total).
Chandler is a fan favourite fighter as a result of he is keen to throw down in wars, however going from the dream of a megafight in opposition to McGregor — and sidelining his personal profession whereas ready for McGregor to finally be prepared and keen — solely to undergo a second loss to Oliveira, would harm in methods which can be exhausting to fathom.
4. Is that this what Madison Sq. Backyard playing cards appear like going ahead?
UFC followers used to have the ability to stay up for a handful of annual occasions — together with the annual MSG card — every year figuring out they’d be served up a card loaded with big fights. UFC 309 feels prefer it’s missing the massive really feel of the previous. Jones vs. Miocic has star energy, however there’s not a lot thriller how the struggle will play out. In truth, the UFC 309 important card would not characteristic a single favourite presently listed below -250. Jones is -700, Bo Nickal is -1000 and Mauricio Ruffy is -750. This can be a card that feels a lot nearer to the heavily-criticized boxing pay-per-views of 5 to twenty years in the past.
Mixed with an Worldwide Struggle Week card that was already weak when McGregor pulled out of his struggle with Chandler solely to be reasonably rescued by a rushed effort to salvage the occasion with Alex Pereira defending the sunshine heavyweight title in a rematch with Jiri Prochazka, 2024 has not felt prefer it has captured that previous UFC magic for his or her conventional “huge occasions.”
Both the UFC is in a transitional interval because it seeks out new prime stars with Jones as the one remaining member of the “previous guard” stars of a era in the past, or that is what the way forward for the UFC seems like. Fight sports activities are inclined to work issues out over a protracted sufficient timeline, boxing has gained vital momentum after a dreadful stretch of years, however the UFC’s enterprise mannequin of promotion above fighter and the fixed churn of weekly occasions might have set the promotion up for some darkish days sooner or later.
