Sooo ... About Last Night

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Last night (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) quested forth to Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York for UFC 309. It’s hard to say whether or not this this pay-per-view (PPV) event was highly anticipated. On paper, the returns of Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic should mean something, but it sure felt like there was far more buzz around interim champion Tom Aspinall ... who wasn’t even competing! Still, nobody was arguing with Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2, and a pair of rousing knockouts early got the night rolling nicely (even without Chris Weidman).

Let’s take a look back over at UFC 309’s best performances and techniques:

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Jones Walks Through Miocic

I think this is the fight most of us expected, at least to some degree.

Jones opened the fight with the worst left hand I’ve seen in recent memory, stumbling forward and getting dinged by a Miocic cross. For a moment, there was hope? Maybe that’s too strong a word. Optimism? Some small feeling that Miocic was not some lamb too ancient for the slaughter.

Alas, that emotion didn’t last long. Jones quickly went back to his bread-and-butter with a left body kick that sapped a lot of life from Miocic. Then, we were transported back to 2011, the peak of “Bones,” when Jones’ brilliant clinch trip and subsequent savage assortment of elbows battered Miocic for the rest of the round. It’s a testament to the former champion’s toughness and legendary paste that those couple minutes didn’t send him to the glue factory outright, but ... they essentially ended the fight either way.

Miocic entered the second round wounded. Slow. Uncertain. He certainly didn’t push any of his advantages or capitalize on the windows in which Jones was out of position. Miocic looked old, frankly, as if Jones’ first round elbow flurry reminded him of just how many years on the sidelines it has been.

From there, it was clinical. Jones stabbed at Miocic with a surprisingly sharp jab, heavy left kicks, and other well-placed distance strikes. He never went back to the takedown because he never needed to — the damage was done! Before too long, a spinning back kick crumpled Miocic and sealed the deal.

Like many, I still want to see Jones vs. Aspinall. After his performance tonight, however, it’s much harder to criticize Jones too loudly, as he fought really well and dispatched a former champion with ease.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Do Bronx Takes Apart Chandler

Charles Oliveira beat up Michael Chandler for four straight rounds.

I don’t think Chandler anticipated such a wrestling-heavy attack from his opponent. Oliveira did really wonderful work in giving Chandler so many different weapons to think about. Chandler was rendered reactive, doing his best to dodge jabs, front kicks, jump knees, low kicks, elbows, and powerful right hands. Each of those shots were doing serious damage when they landed, and so Chandler had to be on high alert the entire fight. He certainly didn’t help himself by willingly fighting with his back to the fence so often!

As soon as Chandler got slipping or tried to swing back with something wild, Oliveira was on his hips. He wrestled really well, chaining together takedowns and continually advancing towards the back. It helped that Chandler was stumbling all over the place amidst the chaos, but even so, it was quite impressive to see “Do Bronx” so consistently control the decorated wrestler.

Really, Chandler had very, very little success until the closing round. Credit to “Iron” Mike, he dug deep and let it all hang out, stunning Oliveira with a monster overhand and pouring it on. He definitely hit Oliveira in the back of the head roughly 15 times — Chandler cheated impressively throughout this fight with his eye pokes, glove entanglements, and fence grabs — and nearly put the Brazilian out cold in the ensuing flurry.

Oliveira endured, however, further proof of his championship grit. He even finished the bout with one final back take! I don’t see how Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2 goes any differently — Oliveira has grown a touch slower since the first match — but “Do Bronx” has now positioned himself close to another title shot.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Lightweights Put On A Show

Mauricio Ruffy, as color commentator Joe Rogan pointed out quite a few times, does bear some resemblance to a prime Conor McGregor. His stance, reaction times, relaxed nature, that extreme looseness combined with formidable punching power — Ruffy is one of those strikers who looks untouchable when on his game.

James Llontop did not enjoy his first two rounds versus The Fighting Nerds product. Ruffy landed all sorts of punishing shots, notably a handful of crushing overhands and a no-look left hook. Llontop face was destroyed by all those blows, but the man is nothing if not a gamer.

The McGregor comparisons aren’t all positive. Ruffy definitely faded by the third, a directly result of his high output style. Llontop was too battered to fully take advantage, but he still landed quite a few hard shots in the final frame, clearly capturing the third round en route to a decision loss.

Ruffy still has some issues to solve if he’s to be an elite Lightweight, but the Brazilian is certainly a ton of fun to watch.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Old Dog, Old Tricks, New Victory

Jim Miller did it again!

Taking on a fellow veteran in Damon Jackson (who is still five years younger than Miller at 36 years of age), Miller was yet again able to show off his classic mix of skills. Most of the short fight was an entertaining striking match. Jackson found his range first, but Miller soon fought his way back into the fight with big swings and combinations punctuated by thudding low kicks. As soon as Miller started landing, Jackson opted to change course with a takedown ... directly into a guillotine choke!

That’s Miller’s fourth UFC finish via guillotine, which I have to assume puts him near the top of the list all-time for hitting that strangle in the Octagon. The New Jersey legend has won three of his last four, going 2-1 in 2024 alone. Not bad!

As for Jackson, “The Leech” left his gloves in the cage, signaling his intent to retire. A 33-fight veteran and 12-year professional, Jackson has faced many top talents throughout his career, most notably defeating the likes of Mirsad Bektic, Pat Sabatini, and Alexander Hernandez.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Marcin Tybura defeats Jhonata Diniz via second-round doctor stoppage: Diniz, an accomplished kickboxer who was supposed to fight Derrick Lewis two weeks ago, scored a knockdown almost immediately ... and that was his last real moment of success, as the fight soon moved into the grappling department. My favorite moment of the fight — better than the fight-finishing flurry of elbows even — was when a stunned Tybura still managed to execute a lovely x-guard sweep and gain top position. His opponent was immediately flummoxed by being trapped beneath an experienced grappler. That combination of actual skill and grit is rare at Heavyweight, and it’s why the 39 year old continues to find success as a UFC fighter against more explosive and dangerous opponents.
• Ramiz Brahimaj defeats Mickey Gall via first-round knockout (highlights): I’ll confess that I cannot recall ever being impressed by Brahimaj, particularly his striking. I recall him as a solid jiu-jitsu fighter with profoundly okay wrestling and kickboxing. It says something about his general perception that he entered as an underdog to Gall in 2024, but Brahimaj proved better than expected! His boxing was downright fluid, as he cut distance and got to his target repeatedly with powerful punches. Suddenly, an overhand right slept Gall badly, securing Brahimaj the first knockout of his career on the biggest stage he’s ever seen.
• Oban Elliott defeats Bassil Hafez via third-round knockout (highlights): This was largely a one-sided and tactical showing from “The Welsh Gangster.” He took apart the grappler, stranding him at distance with hard low kicks and solid counter punching. Hafez couldn’t get anything going, and he was clearly down with five minutes to go. Hafez pushed forward with a bit more urgency, but ultimately, Elliot lined up a crisp overhand right that crashed directly into his chin and ended the fight. It’s the first knockout win of his UFC career, as well as his third straight victory inside the Octagon.

For complete UFC 309 results and play-by-play, click here.