Jon Jones and the Real Winners and Losers from UFC 309
Jon Jones was in a New York state of mind. At last.
For the first time in a career that stretches back to 2008 and had earned him widespread acclaim as the greatest mixed martial arts athlete ever, the 37-year-old earned a paycheck fighting in the state where he was born and raised.
A native of Rochester and alumnus of a high school near Binghamton, Jones took his talents to midtown Manhattan on Saturday night to make the first defense of his 20-month reign as heavyweight champion atop the UFC's annual show at Madison Square Garden.
The five-bout main card was billed as UFC 309 and was headlined by Jones' matchup with Stipe Miocic, a former two-time king of the division who'd earned his laurels as the greatest heavyweight to climb steps into the octagon.
It was Miocic's first appearance since his second reign ended at the fists of Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. Ngannou's subsequent separation from the company paved the way for Jones to claim the vacated throne by defeating Ciryl Gane in March 2023.
The main show also featured a rematch between former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, as well as an appearance by unbeaten middleweight Bo Nickal, who'd won three times in nine minutes or less since exiting Dana White's Contender Series in 2022.
The B/R combat team was in place to take in the action and deliver a real-time list of the big event's definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Winner: Acting His Age
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Madison Square Garden is more than 1,500 miles from Dallas.
But in a lot of ways, what went on in a midtown Manhattan cage on Saturday night resembled what had gone down in an AT&T Stadium ring just 24 hours earlier.
Faced with an opponent who was far older, far slower and inactive for several years, heavyweight champion Jon Jones did exactly what the experts said he would and dispatched former two-time champ Stipe Miocic by brutal third-round TKO.
It was Jones' first defense since winning a vacated title against Ciryl Gane in 2023 and the match with Miocic was billed going in as the greatest MMA athlete of all time against the greatest heavyweight of all time. But it never materialized beyond a one-sided beatdown by a younger, longer, faster and more skilled man against another whose best days had long passed.
Miocic announced his retirement in the cage after the fight.
"I'm done. I'm hanging it up," he said. "I ain't got it anymore."
The result seemed inevitable through two rounds as Jones cracked Miocic with precise punches and punishing kicks, and the end finally came in the last minute of the third when Jones launched a spinning left heel kick that landed squarely on the Ohio native's rib cage.
"He's really tough. He's really durable. It was like fighting against the Terminator," Jones said. "But no matter how tough you are, the liver's the liver. He doesn't react much to getting punched in the face so our plan was to work the body."
Jones extended his unbeaten streak to 20 fights, his UFC record to 22-1 with a no-contest, and became the fourth champion to defend titles at least once in two weight classes.
And he's not done yet.
"Maybe I will not retire," Jones said. "I have some conversations to have with Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell). We have some negotiations to do and we'll give people what you want to see."
Winner: Denting Iron
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You had to remind yourself it was Michael Chandler.
The decorated Bellator champion who'd been hugely celebrated upon his arrival in the UFC and won fights with sixth-ranked Dan Hooker and former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
You had to remind yourself, because for four out of five rounds in the co-main event against second-time foe Charles Oliveira, the fighter known as "Iron" was far closer to a tomato can.
The popular Brazilian handled Chandler standing, took him down in every round and chased his signature choke-out submissions, then gamely endured his foe's desperation across the final five minutes to secure a clear, unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45.
It was a second win in two tries for Oliveira against his American foe, who dominated the first round in their first match three years but was finished by TKO early in the second.
He seemed close to a similar end or a submission finish this time around, but managed to survive through 25 minutes despite being taken down five times, controlled for just short of 15 full minutes and hit with double-digit strikes to his head, body and legs.
"(Chandler) is one of the toughest guys I've ever fought," Oliveira said. "He has all my respect."
The win was Oliveira's 23rd in the UFC, tying him for second on the all-time list for a promotion in which he already holds the record for most submissions and finishes.
And now, his eyes are on another title shot against the winner of January's planned bout between current titleholder Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
"Whatever is next in line, I'll be fresh in early January," he said. "Whoever it is, I'm ready."
Loser: Capturing the Crowd
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It wasn't supposed to be this way for Bo Nickal.
The Penn State product rolled through his first three UFC assignments while barely breaking a sweat and came into his main-card date with Paul Craig on Saturday as a prohibitive favorite expected to hand the Scotsman his eighth loss by finish.
Well, he got the win. But he didn't get the acclaim.
Nickal was drawn into a tactical chess match against a foe not concerned about his wrestling prowess and went the 15-minute distance for the first time – never attempting a single takedown and ultimately settling for a shutout unanimous decision.
And to say the crowd was unimpressed would be an understatement.
The New York crowd serenaded Nickal with "overrated" chants down the stretch and booed throughout his post-fight interview, less than 30 minutes after greeting his arrival with "USA" hype.
Still, if it all bothered Nickal he didn't show it.
"I went out there and I dominated for 15 minutes," he said. "They want to see blood. They want me to knock guys out in 25 seconds. They want me to choke guys out in a minute. The reality is these guys are all professional fighters who've been doing this for decades.
"Paul Craig had 26 pro fights and I have six. And I whooped him for 15 minutes. I'm fired up."
Loser: Meeting the Challenge
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Karine Silva had championship-chasing momentum.
The 30-year-old hadn't lost anywhere since 2019, was a submission winner on Dana White's Contender Series, and had won four straight – including three by submission – in the octagon.
So when she climbed in against 37-year-old Viviane Araujo, the ninth-ranked flyweight who'd lost four of her last six and five of her last nine, it was a clear ascension opportunity.
Or maybe not.
Instead of blowing through her veteran foe with fight-ending urgency, the 11th-ranked prospect was frustrated by a moving target and paid the price with her gas tank on the way to a unanimous loss in which all three judges scored 29-28.
Araujo set the tone in the first with a pecking, poking style, then survived Silva's d'arce choke try in the second and reasserted herself in the third against an exhausted opponent.
Araujo converted all three of her own submission tries, defended six of Silva's seven attempts and won the striking battle by a 105-76 margin while improving to 13-6 as a pro.
Silva, meanwhile, dipped to 18-5 overall and 4-1 in the UFC.
Winner: Notorious Namesake
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Conor McGregor comparisons are a mixed bag.
Depending on the time frame being cited, being measured alongside the notorious Irishman can be either a praise or a penalty.
But Joe Rogan meant it as a compliment.
The cage-side analyst labeled streaking Mauricio Ruffy as a next-generation McGregor and the Brazilian rewarded the acclaim with an early high-end striking clinic on the way to a unanimous decision defeat of late sub James Llontop in the catchweight main-card opener.
All three judges scored it 29-28 for Ruffy, who left Llontop swollen and bloodied with single hard shots from both sides in the first two rounds before tiring late and evading danger across the final five minutes.
His stance and striking style were indeed reminiscent of a prime McGregor, who earned the featherweight title with a memorable 13-second blowout of Jose Aldo in 2015.
"What he has that's similar to Conor is that he throws stuff with much explosive force," Rogan said.
It was a second win in two UFC tries for Ruffy, who called out Benoit Saint-Denis amid a flood of positivity in his post-fight chat.
"It's part of the process," he told Rogan, who'd asked if there was frustration about difficulty in getting opponents. "I want to thank the UFC for the chance that they've given me."
Winner: Veteran Virtuosity
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Sometimes, it's hard to believe Jim Miller is 41 years old.
Because the speed and alacrity with which he can snatch an opponent's neck into a compromising position are typically associated with a much younger fighter.
"I figured out the guillotine, it's almost 20 years ago now," he said. "It doesn't matter how long I'm in there, I can squeeze it."
It happened again on Saturday's prelim card when another veteran, 36-year-old Damon Jackson, chased a single-leg takedown and instantly found himself in peril. Miller wrapped his left arm around Jackson's neck and jumped backward to add torque, drawing a tap within seconds that ended their fight at 2:44 of Round 1.
Miller added to his UFC records in both fights (45) and wins (27) and claimed he's aiming to stick around for at least five more. He also ended Jackson's career when the beaten man removed his gloves and left them on the mat.
Miller's 13 submission wins are second only to Charles Oliveira.
"This was 45 in the UFC. Let's see if I can make it to 50," he said. "I come in here and I'm always looking for the finish and I'm happy I can give you guys a good one."
Loser: Mastering the Craft
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It's a recurring theme in the UFC.
At least one time each week, it's all about the levels.
Though Brazilian heavyweight Jhonata Diniz had won eight fights as a pro and was unscathed through two octagonal outings, it was clear he'd not done anything to advance beyond the kickboxing skills he'd already mastered.
And ninth-ranked contender Marcin Tybura was happy to school him.
The burly Polish grappling ace shook off some early difficulty on the feet and eventually got his man to the ground, where he controlled in the first round and dominated in the second on the way to prompting a doctor-advised stoppage before the third.
Diniz was hammered with a series of elbows in the final 20 seconds of Round 2, which opened cuts on both eyelids and the bridge of his nose and left him a wobbly mess as his corner team essentially dragged him to the stool.
It was that sequence that forced the hand of the cage-side physician, who recommended a wave-off to referee Herb Dean that drew a protest from Diniz but was supported by the broadcast team. The 33-year-old had been scheduled to face Derrick Lewis two weeks ago in Edmonton but was moved to Saturday's show when Lewis pulled out.
"He was tough. I got him with so many punches and elbows," Tybura said. "I wasn't surprised because I saw the cuts and I saw how much blood was there."
Loser: Keeping a Job
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If you're a Mickey Gall fan, it was hard to watch.
The 32-year-old from nearby New Jersey was happy to be in his big backyard at Madison Square Garden, but given the three straight losses with which he entered it was particularly important that he deliver an impressive – and job-saving – performance.
Didn't happen.
Rather than flowing with confidence in his home region, Gall looked preoccupied and tight from the jump against Ramiz Brahimaj and it got worse from there in the form of a left-right combination that dropped him to the base of the fence and officially ended matters with a jump-in from referee Kevin MacDonald at 2:55 of the first.
He arrived at the UFC in just his second pro fight in 2016 and won six of his first nine with the promotion – including five by submission – before things started turning south with a Fight Night decision loss to Alex Morono three years ago.
Mike Malott stopped him in a single round at UFC 273 five months later and things didn't improve after a two-year hiatus yielded another decision loss, this time to Bassil Hafez.
Brahimaj, meanwhile, won for the third time in six UFC fights since 2020.
"(Gall's) back was against the wall. And with that brings nerves and tension," analyst Joe Rogan said. "He was fighting for a job and it showed."
Winner: Technical Gangster
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He picked and poked from the outside, worked opponent Bassil Hafez with jabs and kicks up the middle and seemed content to cruise to a non-violent three-round decision.
But that's when his "Welsh Gangster" persona took over.
The 26-year-old flicked a switch and turned on the destruction, dumped Hafez to his back with a hard right hand and followed with eight vicious hammer fists to force referee Marc Goddard's hand and record the KO at 40 seconds of Round 3.
"I've been calling to fight on this card forever and I didn't think they'd give it to me," Elliott said. "I'll bet they're glad they did now."
The win was his third straight in the UFC since completing a run on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023, and prompted a celebratory Hulkster pose and a strong post-fight promo.
"This is home for me," Elliott said. "Pay-per-view. Madison Square Garden. The world's most famous arena. They just got to see the world's most dangerous gangster put that man flat on his back."
Loser: All-American Letdown
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Chris Weidman's wait to return to his New York stomping grounds isn't quite over.
The ex-middleweight champion is a Long Island native but hasn't appeared in his home state since meeting Ronaldo Souza at UFC 230 in November 2018. So he was particularly excited about the prospect of fighting Eryk Anders on Saturday's preliminary card.
But it's not going to happen.
The UFC opened the early preliminary show with the announcement that Anders was felled by a medical issue and therefore wouldn't be able to fight, leaving Weidman without a chance to build on a Fight Night victory over Bruno Silva in March.
Now 40 years old, the "All-American" took the 185-pound title from Anderson Silva in 2013 and defended three times before losing to Luke Rockhold two years later. He's spent time in both the middleweight and light heavyweight ranks since and has won just three of nine, including a TKO loss to Uriah Hall in which he suffered one of the most gruesome leg injuries ever.
Elsewhere on the show, featherweight Lucas Almeida was pulled from his prelim match with David Onama by medical issues and replaced with UFC newcomer Roberto Romero, who made his octagonal debut after going 8-3-1 across three promotions since 2018.
The late switch prompted the fight to be moved to the lightweight limit and it was a back-and-forth scrap for a while before Onama took over and emerged with a unanimous decision with a trio of 30-27 shutout scores.
Full Card Results
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Main Card
Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic by TKO (kick), 4:29, Round 3
Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Viviane Araujo def. Karine Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson by submission (guillotine choke), 2:44, Round 1
David Onama def. Roberto Romero by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz by TKO (doctor's advice), 5:00, Round 2
Early Preliminary Card
Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall by KO (punch), 2:55, Round 1
Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez by KO (punch), 0:40, Round 3
Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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