Trends to look out for ahead of UFC 309
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Undefeated UFC star Bo Nickal looks to extend his record against veteran Paul Craig, following his dominant UFC 300 win. Fans anticipate another big performance from the 28-year-old phenom.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is holding its three-hundred and ninth pay-per-view event this Saturday, Nov. 16. This card will be used inside Madison Square Garden (MSG), same as every November event at the UFC since 2016. With one of the biggest fights in the history of the heavyweight division, this card has a chance of being an iconic event. Here are some interesting talking points that can alter the UFC going forward.
UFC fans anticipate another dominant performance from the superstar in the making, Bo Nickal. Nickal beat Cody Brundage by submission at the iconic UFC 300 in April. In his post-fight interview, Nickal expressed anger at not finishing Brundage in the first round and explained how he would train to fix his mistakes going forward. Fast-forward seven months, and he now has an opportunity to put his words into action against Paul Craig.
The probability of a lopsided fight is a disappointing possibility in this matchup. Paul Craig is 36-years-old—compared to 28-year-old Nickal—and comes off of back-to-back losses in four of his last five fights. Nickal is going into this fight undefeated at 6-0. With that being said, if Nickal comes out victorious, he can possibly see his first-ranked opponent in the next fight or, at the very least, a credible opponent.
Another fight with massive implications is the co-main event between number two-ranked lightweight Charles Oliveira and number seven-ranked lightweight Michael Chandler. These two fought almost three and a half years ago when they faced each other on May 15, 2021; the two were the main event of UFC 262, with then-lightweight champion Charles Oliveira beating Michael Chandler in round two via knockout.
Oliveira is currently the number two-ranked lightweight in the UFC, so a win would likely give him a title shot against the prior winners of the championship, Islam Makhachev, and number one-ranked lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan. For Michael Chandler, a win against Oliveira would not only avenge his loss in 2021 but might also give him a better chance at fighting Connor McGregor. Chandler and McGregor were scheduled to fight in June of this year before McGregor pulled out late in the process due to a foot injury. McGregor seemed to be healthy, but Chandler took a fight against Oliveira instead. A win in this fight likely incentivizes McGregor to face Chandler— a fight everyone was excited to see.
The final fight to watch is the main event between heavyweight champion Jon Jones and the number eight-ranked heavyweight, Stipe Miocic. This is truly the fight we all anticipate, a heavyweight dream match between two of the best. This fight was scheduled to headline the previous UFC event at MSG in November 2023; however, Jones had to step out due to a torn pectoral muscle. Although this fight would've likely been much better five years ago, a dream match is a dream match, no matter when it occurs.
If Jon Jones were to retain his championship, he would likely move on to interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Aspinall won the interim belt in November, when Jones was scheduled to fight, and even defended the belt before Jones returned, so Aspinall deserves a crack at one of the greatest; though, it is a much more foggy scenario if Miocic wins this fight. Miocic is 42 years old and doesn’t seem interested in fighting unless it is against Jones. There is even the possibility that this is the last fight for both fighters, and Aspinall would ironically come out of this fight with the biggest victory of them all.
UFC events at MSG always seem to deliver. Although some points of this card seem uninspiring, the two main events could carry this card to infamy. Regardless of the outcome of UFC 309, the landscape of certain divisions will be altered significantly.