UFC 309 live blog: Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Lontop

This is the UFC 309 live blog for Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop, the main card’s catchweight bout this Saturday in New York City.

A member of the booming Fighting Nerds squad, Luffy made a huge impression in his UFC debut last May. After being written out of the Contender Series, the Brazilian striker scored a bonus-winning knockout of veteran Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 301. Ruffy has a 10-1 pro record, with all of his wins by way of KO/TKO.

Peru’s Llontop steps in with two weeks’ notice as a replacement for Charlie Campbell. The 25-year-old also earned a Contender Series contract, but has yet to score his first UFC win, going 0-2 to start his octagon run.

Due to the short notice call, Luffy vs. Llontop scheduled for a bout at 165 pounds, but Llontop missed that limit by 1.2 pounds. He forfeited 20 percent of his purse as punishment.

Check out the UFC 309 live blog for Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop below.