UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic official results

The UFC returned to Madison Square Garden with a heavyweight championship main event Saturday at UFC 309 with Jon Jones returning from a year-and-a-half injury layoff to defend his title against former champion Stipe Miocic.

Adding a layer of intrigue to an already tense atmosphere during fight week was the presence of Tom Aspinall. The popular interim heavyweight champion was brought in as the official backup fighter for the headline bout but ultimately was not required.

The co-main event featured a five-round lightweight tilt between two of the sport’s most exciting fighters when former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler met in a rematch.

Below are the official results from UFC 309:

MAIN CARD

Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic by technical knockout at 4:29 of Round 3

It had been a year-and-a-half since Jones last fought but it had been 3.5 years since we last saw Miocic and it showed in headliner. Jones landed an advanced trip takedown in the opening round and unleashed heavy ground-and-pound elbows in a dominant opening round.

Jones hurt Miocic with a body kick in the second, seemingly looking to set up a head kick, which he began throwing more frequently after Round 1. Jones stung Miocic with a jab and right hand in the third and ate any punches Miocic fired back well. Ultimately it was a spinning back kick to Miocic’s midsection that eventually put the former champion away.

Miocic announced after the fight it was his final bout.

Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)

The sequel was even better than the original and Oliveira got his hand raised yet again. The former lightweight champion out-skilled Chandler for much of their entertaining 25-minute co-main event. Round 5 was one of the best rounds of the year with Chandler attempting to mount a late comeback, hurting Oliveira with a right hand and slamming the Brazilian to the ground twice as the crowd roared and time expired. Oliveira is working his way back into lightweight title contention, while Chandler called out Conor McGregor.

Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Nickal was a phenomenal collegiate wrestler and Craig is a dangerous submission specialist so naturally this middleweight bout turned into a striking match..and not a great one. Nickal didn’t throw many combinations but landed some hard left hands, especially to the body, from his southpaw stance. Nickal hurt Craig in the third with an overhand left yet was hesitant to follow up. Nickal didn’t attempt a single takedown.

Viviane Araújo def. Karine Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Both women had their moments in this flyweight contest but some suspect fight IQ moments from Araújo and some possible conditioning issues with Silva resulted in the boo birds making an appearance.

Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Looking to play spoiler, Llontop stood his ground against Fighting Nerds standout Ruffy for 15 minutes. Ruffy mixed in flashy techniques like he has been known to do and dropped Llontop with a beautiful look away left hook and hard right hands had Llontop’s left eye nearly swollen shut. Llontop is now 0-3 in the UFC but that performance could keep him around for another go, keeping in mind he missed weight for this catchweight bout. Ruffy called out Benoit Saint Denis after his win.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

These two slick southpaws had a tactical outing with McGhee leading the dance for the first half until Martinez began turning up the tempo late in the second round of this bantamweight scrap. McGhee limped back to his corner after the second round when Martinez found a home for his patented leg kicks. Martinez hurt McGhee again in the third but McGhee had won the first two rounds and held on, backpedaling for much of the final round.

-- Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders

Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson by submission (arm-in guillotine choke) at 2:43 of Round 1

Miller added to his all-time UFC wins record, picking up his 27th victory and his 19th stoppage win in the UFC by locking up a terrific arm-in guillotine choke midway through the opening round on Jackson. Charles Oliveira, who fights later tonight, holds the record with 20 stoppage wins. Jackson took off his gloves and left them in the Octagon after the loss, indicating his retirement.

David Onama def. Roberto Romero by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Romero took this fight on short notice after Onama’s original opponent, Lucas Almeida, withdrew with an illness earlier in the week and Romero showed he belongs in the big show. Despite being a huge underdog, Romero imposed his will and rocked Onama in the opening round before Onama later returned the favour. Onama’s UFC experience showed the longer the fight went on. Although there’s a strong argument Romero won the first round, Onama swept the scorecards.

Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz by technical knockout (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2

Diniz is a high-level former kickboxer but didn’t have the ground game to keep up with a top-10 heavyweight contender like Tybura who controlled where the fight took place and battered Diniz with elbows from mount at the end of Round 2. Diniz was cut open on both eyelids and wobbled as he was helped to his corner and the doctor stopped the bout. Diniz had been scheduled to face Derrick Lewis in Edmonton at the beginning of the month but that bout was cancelled at the last minute when Lewis fell ill and the UFC re-booked Diniz for MSG.

Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall by knockout at 2:55 of Round 1

Gall was looking solid early, landing some decent one-twos on the feet but Brahimaj used feints nicely and put Gall down, ending a combination with a flush right hand.

Oban Elliot def. Bassil Hafez by knockout at 0:40 of Round 3

The promising welterweights started slowly with Elliot using a kick-heavy attack and Hafez loading up on power shots. Hafez made a positive impression on UFC fans by taking Jack Della Maddalena to a split decision in his short-notice debut last summer but hasn’t been able to capitalize one that momentum or turn it into a winning streak. Elliott landed a massive overhand right as he slipped a jab early in the final round. A great finish for the Welshman who has started his UFC career 3-0 with all three wins coming in 2024.

Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) 

Moura bounced back from her first pro loss and snapped Hardy’s three-fight winning streak. Even though hardy landed more significant strikes throughout, Mourna pulled ahead by using her size and strength to her advantage.