Matches To Make After UFC 309

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

UFC 309 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., featuring Jon Jones defending his Heavyweight title with a third round stoppage of former two-time division kingpin, Stipe Miocic (see it again here). In UFC 309’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, Charles Oliveira secured his second win over Michael Chandler (highlights), while Bo Nickal defeated Paul Craig via unanimous decision one fight prior (recap here).

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Jon Jones
Who He Should Face Next: Tom Aspinall title unification bout

Look, I want to see a fight between Jones and Alex Pereira more than anyone else, but Dana White is completely against it. Furthermore, what’s the point in having an interim champion if he isn’t going to get the chance to unify against the division king? I get that Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall for one reason or another — and he does deserve to pick and choose what he wants at this point — but this is the fight to make next. After that, then I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing “Bones” and “Poatan” go at it in a mega fight.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Charles Oliveira
Who He Should Face Next: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan winner

Islam Makhachev is in talks to make his next title defense against Arman Tsarukyan in early 2025, but that fight has yet to be booked. If (and when) it does, “Do Bronx” will be an interested observer because he will more than likely face the winner. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the division behind Tsarukyan, and his second win over Chandler upped his stock. Oliveira came up short against Makhachev at UFC 280 for the vacant title, so that’s a fight he would love to get back. If Tsarukyan wins, then that would be a fresh fight for all parties involved.

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Winner: Bo Nickal
Who He Should Face Next: Anthony Hernandez

Nickal flipped the script last night, abandoning his wrestling against the aforementioned Craig in favor of showing off his ever-improving striking, eventually leading to a unanimous decision win. It wasn’t the most exciting fight (at all), and the fans inside MSG let him know about it. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and Nickal improves to 7-0, 4-0 UFC. Let’s give give him Hernandez next. I know “Fluffy” is currently ranked No. 13 and is likely looking to fight someone ranked ahead of him, but I highly doubt he would pass up the chance to be the one to stop Nickal’s momentum. This would be a big step up for Nickal ... but it’s time.

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Winner: Mauricio Ruffy
Who He Should Face Next: Charlie Campbell

Ruffy secured his second straight win inside the Octagon — seven in a row overall — by defeating James Llontop via unanimous decision. Llontop was a late replacement for Charlie Campbell, who was initially slated to face Ruffy at this event before he was forced out for undisclosed reasons. I would love to see UFC matchmakers re-book this firecracker.

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Winner: Viviane Araujo
Who She Should Face Next: Jessica Andrade

Araujo locked down a much-needed win over Karine Silva, which was a good bounce back performance following her loss to Natalia Silva. Currently ranked No. 9 in the women’s Flyweight division, I would like to see her face off against her fellow Brazilian standout (Andrade) next. Andrade made a return to the 125-pound division, but came up short against the aforementioned Silva. Andrade — a former women’s Strawweight champion — would be a great test for Araujo, and a win over her could get her closer to the Top 5.

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