UFC 309 delivered a wild night of fights at Madison Square Garden as the fight card delivered a night of entertaining action at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Saturday night.
Here, we take a look at the night’s big winners from the main card and order them in terms of the impact and importance of their respective performances in our post-fight power rankings.
MORE: UFC 309 results, highlights: Jon Jones takes out now-retired Stipe Miocic in MSG, ready to negotiate super fights
UFC 309 power rankings
1. Jon Jones
He was already considered the greatest UFC fighter of all time, but Jon Jones went a long way in convincing the MMA world that he’s also the best heavyweight on the planet, too.
Jones completely dominated Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 before finishing him with a vicious spinning back kick to the body that folded up the former champion in the third round to put the exclamation point on a stellar display.
Jones was calm, composed and considered, and he looked as good as we’ve seen him since his light heavyweight prime days. But a big question still needs to be answered.
After defeating a one-dimensional Ciryl Gane and dominating a 42-year-old Miocic, how will Jones fare against the best active heavyweight in the UFC, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall? It’s a fight Jones has repeatedly tried to distance himself from, but it seems the fans and the UFC brass want that fight to happen.
If the price is right, it’s a fight we should hopefully see next summer, possibly at UFC International Fight Week.
2. Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is doing it the hard way, but he’s working his way back to another shot at the UFC lightweight title. Oliveira lost his title on the scale before defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, then lost to Islam Makhachev in his bid to recapture the vacant belt.
Since then, Makhachev has gone on to become the UFC’s pound-for-pound number-one fighter, and Oliveira has been handed a trio of tough tests.
He stopped Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 only to lose a disputed split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in a fight many thought he’d done enough to win.
It meant that his fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 309 was a must-win for his title hopes, and “Do Bronx” showed his class in a dominant performance to put himself right back in the mix for a shot at the belt next year.
And with reigning lightweight champion Makhachev facing Tsarukyan in a rematch at UFC 311 on January 18, Oliveira will have revenge on his mind, whoever leaves Inglewood, California with the 155-pound belt.
MORE: UFC 309 post-fight bonuses: Jon Jones, Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler among those awarded in Madison Square Garden
3. Mauricio Ruffy
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Mauricio Ruffy’s performance was that there’s still plenty more to come from the Brazilian lightweight.
In a fight with a willing and durable James Llontop, Ruffy was perhaps a little guilty of trying to live up to his “One Shot” moniker a little too much as he spent much of the bout looking to land a spectacular one-shot knockout blow.
But, against a remarkably tough opponent, Ruffy was forced to battle in the trenches, and he showed the sort of composure and skill that suggests he’s going to be a real threat at 155 pounds.
After his unanimous decision victory, Ruffy called for a fight with French star Benoit Saint-Denis. That would represent a huge test for the Fighting Nerds product, but it’s exactly the sort of fight that could propel him to stardom at 155 pounds.
4. Viviane Araujo
Viviane Araujo won the battle of the Brazilian flyweights on the UFC 309 main card as she used her grit and experience to snap Karine Silva’s nine-fight win streak and put herself back in the win column.
Araujo had to withstand a tricky opening round as the in-form Silva came out strongly in the first five minutes. But “Vivi” turned things around in Round 2 as she not only took over the fight but also sapped the gas tank of her opponent.
And with Silva looking a completely different fighter to the one that started the matchup, Araujo battled to victory by claiming Round 3 and taking a priceless win.
It meant that Araujo defended her No. 9 ranking spot from 11th-ranked Silva and will set a platform for her to land a fight against top 10 opposition next time around. A bout with Rose Namajunas, who is looking to bounce back after losing out to Erin Blanchfield, might be a possibility and could offer a gateway to the division’s top five.
MORE: Jon Jones to pursue ‘fun fights’ against light-heavyweights instead of his new division’s interim champ
5. Bo Nickal
Former collegiate wrestling standout turned MMA super prospect Bo Nickal was expected to showcase his fighting talents in a breakout performance at UFC 309. But, despite claiming a shutout victory on the scorecards against Paul Craig, his performance did little to raise his stock significantly and may even have damaged it a little.
Despite his prodigious wrestling ability and solid grappling skills, Nickal abandoned his bread and butter entirely against submission ace Craig and instead chose to stand and strike with the Scot for the entirety of their three-round bout.
And with Craig looking improved on the feet and holding his own for much of the contest, any hopes Nickal had of scoring a highlight-reel finish evaporated amid a chorus of derisory chants from the nonplussed New York crowd, who serenaded Nickal with a chorus of “OVERRATED!” as the final seconds of the fight counted down.
The crowd reaction was partly understandable, given the promotional push Nickal has received and the sheer amount of hype around the emerging prospect. But you have to temper that with the knowledge that Nickal is still a relative newcomer to MMA and was competing in only his seventh professional fight.
It was another win for Nickal, who extended his undefeated record to seven wins and no losses. But he’ll need to look more impressive than that if he’s to eventually find himself among the division’s elite.
UFC 309 official results
MAIN CARD
- Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic via TKO (spinning back kick and punches) – Round 3, 4:29 – for heavyweight title
- Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
- Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Viviane Araujo def. Karine Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:43
- David Onama def. Roberto Romero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
EARLY PRELIMS
- Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:55
- Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:40
- Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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