Jones vs. Miocic card updates, results, analysis

On November 17, 2024By Littum

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 bout on the opening card after Onama’s featherweight bout with Lucas Almeida was called off.

USA TODAY Sports has results and highlights from UFC 309:

Next main event.

Round 1: Oliveira favored his eye early in the fight after he was poked by Chandler. Oliveira managed to gain the upper hand halfway through the period, taking control of Chandler on the ground for a good three minutes.

Round 2: Chandler slips and Oliveira moves quickly to try to capitalize. Chandler found himself back on several occasions. Oliveira takes Chandler back to the ground for a second time. Oliveira successfully landed elbow strikes to the face of Chandler, cutting him open in the forehead.

Round 3: Oliveira landed several punches on Chandler with him back on the ground again. Oliveira was in complete control through the first three rounds. Chandler continues to break away from his attempts at submission.

Round 4: Chandler came out a bit more aggressive as the two traded strikes. Oliveira worked Chandler back to the ground again to control the match with two minutes left in the period. Chandler continues to do enough to evade Oliveira’s submission attempts.

Round 5: Chandler gave himself a chance by landing some significant strikes that rattled Oliveira. Chandler had Oliveira on the ground for some time before letting him back up. Oliveira’s face is bloody but manages to take Chandler down again to establish control. Chandler took one last game by standing up with Oliveira on his back and falling backwards twice before time expired. Oliveira does enough to beat Chandler by unanimous decision to join Andrei Arlovski and Donald Cerrone for second all-time with 23 UFC wins.

Round 1: Paul Craig seemed unfazed after the round. He never sat down and chatted with his corner all the time. Craig looks significantly bigger than Nickal.

Round 2: Craig continued to chat with Nickal to start the round. Fans booed throughout the round as it appeared to be a bit of a standoff through the first four minutes of the period.

Round 3: Nickal lands a few shots on Craig to get the crowd going halfway through the round. Craig was cut open near his right eye. The crowd quickly lost interest in the match again and chanted “overrated”. Nickal goes over to talk to Trump. Nickal wins by unanimous decision to remain undefeated (7-0).

Round 1: Araujo dictated most of the round, but it was Silva who proved to be the aggressor in the final seconds of the period. Araujo’s nose was bloody at the end of the round.

Round 2: Silva landed a series of shots to rock Araujo with 3:15 left in the round. Silva then pinned Araujo against the fence after the attacks before taking her down to the mat. Silva began to bleed from her face. Araujo managed to get Silva in an armbar but was unable to hold it. The round ends with both fighters on the ground.

Round 3: The two Brazilian fighters share a hug before starting the round. It wasn’t long before both were back on the ground. Araujo let Silva back up and the fight resumed. There was a slower pace throughout the first four minutes of the round, with Silva appearing visibly tired. Araujo wins by unanimous decision.

Round 1: After spending some time feeling each other out in the early minutes of the match, Luffy landed various blows on Llontop in the final seconds of the round.

Round 2: Luffy drops Llontop with a left hand look away with 3:30 left in the round. Luffy took a few more shots at a grounded Llontop. Llontop showed a level of toughness by getting back to his feet and brought the fight to Luffy. Luffy returned with another right hand shot that drew blood from Llontop’s face. Llontop’s left eye was swollen.

Round 3: Luffy 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 match before Luffy goes over to Donald Trump and Elon Musk for a quick chat. Luffy wins by unanimous decision.

The President-elect of the United States made a grand entrance after the conclusion of the preliminary games at Madison Square Garden. Trump joined UFC CEO Dana White, Kid Rock and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Other notable names in attendance include: Kate Hudson, Karl Anthony-Towns, Adin Ross, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Jelly Roll.

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 is still unclear whether the match will be rescheduled for a later date.

Both fights continued to tag each other throughout the first two rounds. Martinez managed to land leg kicks to limit McGhee’s movement late in the second round. Martinez never capitalized on the hobbled fighter as time expired in the third. McGhee did enough in the early rounds to earn the unanimous decision victory.

Miller earned his 27th UFC win with a first-round guillotine. He is the all-time winner in UFC history with the most wins. Andrei Arlovski and Donald Cerrone are tied for second all-time with 23 UFC victories.

Romero shakes Onama, drops him to the ground and tries to put him in a chokehold. Both men manage to get back to their feet in the first round. Onama landed a few shots to Romero, who 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.

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 the bloodied Diniz’s face as time expired in the period. Diniz was staggering back to the corner and, on the advice of the on-look doctors, referee Herb Dean called the fight.

UFC 309 main card: time, streaming for Saturday

Date: Saturday 16 Nov
Time: Main Card: 10:00 PM ET; the prelude starts 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

Progress: 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT (ESPN+)
Motherboard: 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT (PPV on ESPN+)

Main board

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’s Flyweight)

All odds are for moneyline bets (as of Saturday afternoon unless otherwise stated), according to BetMGM.

Main board

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 Luffy (-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) — from Friday

The races will be available for live stream on ESPN+. The pay-per-view main event can be purchased and streamed throughout ESPN+.

UFC 309 pay-per-view can be purchased through ESPN+ (which requires a subscription) for $79.99.

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 previously hosted events including UFC 205: Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor.

Sports news: Miocic could upset Jones

Daniel Yanofsky writes: “Miocic could cause a massive upset with a big punch. But 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 draw say, win or lose?”

MMA news: Miocic’s inconsistency could be the difference

Ryan Jarrell writes: “I would love to pick Miocic to beat Jones and reclaim the heavyweight crown. But I just don’t see it happening at this point in his career. The former champion is much older now and hasn’t fought consistently at all.”

ClutchPoints: Jones will have to make the right 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 starts to tag him. We like Jones to win this fight, but overall is more exciting as we see a methodical fight from both men.”

Jon Jones	vs.	Stipe Miocic
27-1-0 (1 NC)	Record	20-4-0
USA	Country	USA
6-foot-4	Height	6-foot-4
248 pounds	Weight	240 pounds
84.5 inches	Reach	80 inches
45 inches	Leg reach	39 inches

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