UFC 309 Fight Card: Early Betting Odds For Jones Vs. Miocic PPV Event

05 Nov 2024 by Trent Reinsmith · Forbes

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 04: Jon Jones reacts to his win in the UFC heavyweight championship fight ... [+] during the UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The next fight card on the UFC schedule takes place on November 16, when the promotion heads to Madison Square Garden in New York City for UFC 309. UFC 309 is headlined by a title fight between current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former two-time UFC heavyweight kingpin Stipe Miocic. The evening’s co-main event is a rematch between former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and three-time Bellator titleholder Michael Chandler. Before those two scraps, UFC middleweight contender Bo Nickal looks to continue his charge up the rankings against Paul Craig.

The UFC 309 PPV fight card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

UFC 309 Main Event: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones (27-1-0-1) captured the vacant UFC heavyweight crown in March 2023 with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane. The UFC heavyweight title was left vacant when Francis Ngannou departed the promotion as a free agent to sign with the PFL in early 2023.

The UFC initially booked Jones vs. Miocic for UFC 295. UFC CEO Dana White announced that fight in July 2023, saying at the time, “This is the fight that Jon Jones wanted. It’s the fight that Stipe wanted. It is a legacy fight for both of these guys.”

The Jones vs. Miocic fight fell apart when Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle in training. With Jones off the card, the UFC opted to book an interim title fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich. Aspinall won that bout, and the interim title, with a 69-second knockout.

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Miocic (20-4) has not stepped into the Octagon since he lost the title to Ngannou by knockout in March 2021.

With Jones healed from surgery on his pec and shoulder, that contest is fast approaching. Barring a last minute injury or illness, the Jones vs. Miocic fight looks like it will take place as scheduled at UFC 309.

The winner of the Jones vs. Miocic matchup could face interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in their next outing. However, there has been some talk that no matter who leaves Madison Square Garden with the title, that the champion will retire with the belt in hand.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 15: Stipe Miocic is interviewed backstage after his victory over Daniel ... [+] Cormier during the UFC 252 event at UFC APEX on August 15, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLC

UFC 309 Co-Main Event: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2

Charles Oliveira (34-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale.

Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year.

Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings.

Michael Chandler (23-8) had been waiting for a matchup with Conor McGregor. After a lengthy delay, that fight was booked for UFC 303 in June. However, a broken toe during training camp prevented McGregor from competing.

Chandler last fought in November 2022 when he lost to former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. Chandler signed with the UFC as a free agent in 2020. He made his UC debut in January 2021 with a knockout win over Dan Hooker.

Oliveira and Chandler met in the main event of UFC 262 in May 2021. Oliveira won that contest via second-round TKO, claiming the vacant UFC 155-pound title in the process.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 15: (R-L) Charles Oliveira of Brazil punches Michael Chandler in their UFC ... [+] lightweight championship bout at Toyota Center on May 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLC

UFC 309: Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

Bo Nickal (6-0) , who picked up a UFC contract after one fight on a Jorge Masvidal's iKON FC card and two appearances on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022, is 3-0 in the UFC with three submission wins. Nickal has not gone past the second round in any of his pro bouts, and before his UFC 300 matchup against Cody Brundage, he had not fought past the 2:54 mark of the first round.

Paul Craig (17-8-1) has been with the UFC since 2016. Things have not gone well for Craig over the past two years. He is 1-4 over that time, with a TKO victory over Andre Muniz and losses to Volkan Oezdemir, Johnny Walker, Brendan Allen, and Caio Borralho. His most recent outing was a knockout loss to Borralho in May.

Nickal has been a monster betting favorite in all his UFC outings. In his promotional debut, Nickal was a -2500 favorite over Jamie Pickett. His next fight, against late replacement Val Woodburn, Nickal came in at -2200. In Nickal's most recent outing, he was a -1800 favorite over Brundage.

Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion for head coach Cael Sanderson and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Nickal took second in the 2016 NCAA finals, losing to Myles Martin of Ohio State. Nickal beat Martin in the 2018 finals. Nickal had a career record of 131-5 with Penn State. He went 61-0 in his final two years.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 13: Bo Nickal faces Cody Brundage in their middleweight fight at T-Mobile ... [+] Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)Getty Images