UFC 309 – When PPV starts and how to watch

On By Littum

Are you ready to watch some authentic martial arts with trained fighters who are not competing with a three-decade age gap?

UFC 309 will be a breath of fresh air after Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson on Friday night.

UFC 309 takes place Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main event features the greatest mixed martial artist, Jon Jones, defending his UFC heavyweight championship against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic.

We will see a rematch between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler in the co-main event.

The first two stages of the event will start at 6 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET. The featured early preliminary bout is a heavyweight bout between Marcin Tybura vs. Jonathan Diniz.

The mid-level prelims will be topped off with an excellent bantamweight bout between Jonathan Martinez and Marcus McGhee.

Jones and Miocic likely won’t make their Octagon trek until midnight ET. The co-main event will likely begin around 11:30 PM ET.

Here’s a look at the full map.

Full UFC 309 CardMain Card – 10:00 PM ET – ESPN+ PPV

  • (c) Jon Jones vs. No. 8 Stipe Miocic
  • No. 2 Charles Oliveira vs. No. 7 Michael Chandler
  • Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
  • No. 9 Viviane Araujo vs. No. 5 Karine Silva
  • Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Lontop

Prelims – 8:00 PM ET – ESPN News and ESPN+

  • No. 13 Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Chris Weidman vs. Eric Anders
  • Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
  • David Onama vs. Roberto Romero

Early Prelims – 6:00 PM ET – ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass

  • No. 9 Marcin Tybura vs. Jonathan Diniz
  • Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
  • Oban Elliott vs. Basil Hafez
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduardo Moura

UFC 309 potential bonus winners

Oliveira vs. Chandler jumps off the page as a potential Fight of the Night. Neither man knows how to put on a boring fight. Their first meeting was epic and all signs point to a similarly spectacular match in the rematch.

Another fight that could produce great action is Martinez vs. McGee.

Martinez will be desperate for a win. He is coming off a loss to Jose Aldo in his last fight, and a loss to McGhee will push him close to falling out of the Top 15.

Meanwhile, McGhee could be ranked for the first time in his UFC career. He looks like a potential candidate. With the opportunity to make a power move, I would expect him and Martinez to put on a great show.

From a pure nightly performance, Luffy, Jones, Oliveira, Nickal and Elliott would be my top picks. All five men are favorites to win and a dominant performance is on the cards.

Llontop missed weight as a late replacement and Luffy’s skill level as a striker is vastly superior. Jones is the big favorite over Miocic. The GOAT should look to get caught with something significant from Miocic.

However, most expect Jones to have an advantage as a striker and wrestler. Seeing him dominate and win a bonus wouldn’t be a shock. Oliveira won the first meeting with Chandler and I think he is the better overall fighter. However, there is a path to victory for Chandler – especially if he doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him.

Nickal and Elliott should be sure bets for wins and strong performances. Look for coverage after UFC 309.