UFC 309
Review
Favorites win on a great UFC night at Madison Square Garden.
Pure Domination
Jon Jones cements his status and does what he wants with Miocic
Jon "Bones" Jones remains UFC Heavyweight Champion after a third-round TKO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
Jones dominated the entire fight, using his reach and versatile skills to keep Miocic off balance. In the first round, he took Miocic down spectacularly, landing powerful punches and elbows from the top position. By this point, the fight was already close to over.
In round 2, Jones kept the fight on the stand and continued to control the pace, without Miocic ever really posing a threat to him.
In the third round, Miocic became more active, but Jones remained unfazed. Finally, Jones landed a spectacular spinning heel kick to the body that sent Miocic to the ground. The fight ended quickly.
While Miocic's ring rust was clearly visible, this was another impressive performance for the 37-year-old Jones. He has now won both of his UFC heavyweight fights by submission or knockout, extending his impressive career record to 28-1 (with one no contest). For Miocic, the former heavyweight champion and conqueror of Ngannou and Cormier, among others, it was also his final fight in the UFC.
The DoBronx Show
The UFC blockbuster kept its promise
In the co-main event, Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45).
More than three years after their first fight, Charles Oliveira dominated the rematch against Michael Chandler at UFC 309, securing a clear points victory.
In the first two rounds, Oliveira grounded and controlled Chandler, working from dominant positions and inflicting consistent damage. Chandler began the third round strongly with a precise jab, which only spurred Oliveira on. The Brazilian followed up with uppercuts, knees, and chokes. At the start of the fourth, Chandler landed more hard punches, but Oliveira remained calm, countered with strikes of his own, and took Chandler's back.
In the fifth round, Chandler was able to hurt Oliveira early and desperately tried to finish the fight. The crowd rallied their protégé, and DoBronx went into survival mode. But Oliveira held his ground, regained a dominant position, and safely survived the final seconds of the fight.
Despite Chandler's fighting spirit, Oliveira was superior from the start and showed clever tactics to secure his second victory against "Iron Mike," who showed his character in the final round and became truly dangerous once again.
The rest of the main card was less spectacular, with Bo Nickal, Viviane Araujo and Mauricio Ruffy winning three decisions (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) against their opponents.
What happens next?
For UFC fans, there's one fight everyone is hoping for: Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall. While Jon Jones seemed extremely averse to such a duel a few weeks ago, the duel between the young interim champion and the veteran and GOAT is becoming increasingly likely.
Charles Oliveira's performance demonstrated that he remains a top contender for the lightweight title. He is second in line for a title shot against PFP #1 Islam Makhachev, following Arman Tsarukyan, who narrowly defeated him this summer.