UFC 309 will bring the last dance of the two MMA superstars. Two legendary UFC champions, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, will clash to decide who is the best heavyweight in the organization and probably close their respective careers. Many expect that after this, both fighters will retire.
UFC odds present Jones as massive favorite, but Miocic got used to the role of an underdog in the past, and he did carry it very well with himself. After all Stipe was the two-time UFC heavyweight champ.
UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Preview
Jon Jones is the synonym for MMA nowadays. Or at least he was at some point. This guy is one of the greatest ever, and the way he ruled the UFC light heavyweight division was terrifying. During his turbulent and stellar career, Bones had 27 wins, one loss, and one no-contest. That one loss was, in fact, a disqualification against Matt Hamill, whom Jones destroyed with elbows, which wasn’t legal.
Jones won 10 battles via KO, the same number following a decision and seven after a submission. That no-contest was an overturned win against Daniel Cormier, whom he obliterated via head kick, though, while being positive for turinabol.
We don’t have to say too much about his style. Bones is one of the best MMA stars ever, as he is pretty much a complete fighter. He knows how to wrestle, he knows how to submit, his kicking and punching technique is incredible, and there aren’t too many guys who can demolish a rival as smoothly as him. On top of that, Jones has unreal athleticism.
Stipe Miocic is 42 now. Several years ago, he was the best heavyweight on the planet—period. However, after four years of absence from the octagon, plenty of questions surround the two-time UFC heavyweight champ. We remember that the Ohio native can eat so many punches that the rival becomes tired of hitting him and simply collapses. Maybe Stipe healed his body in these four years since losing the Ngannou and he looks better than ever.
Miocic has 20 wins and four losses in his MMA career, 15 coming via KO and five by a decision. He is one of the most brutal boxers and punchers in the past two decades, even though his KO power is far from Ngannou’s or Lewis’s. But the output and the precision this guy delivers is just unnatural. On top of that, the way he combines punches in the octagon is simply magnificent.
If he wasn’t impatient against Ngannou in the second fight, things might have been different. Though, his counter-punch tricked Stipe into rushing to finish the fight instead of waiting, and that’s why Francis managed to take the belt. That and the fact that the octagon was 30% smaller and that he didn’t have the space to move.
UFC 309 Jones vs. Miocic Prediction
We will go with Jones here for a few reasons. The first one is that he looked pretty confident against Gane in the title match and easily overwhelmed one of the best heavyweights in the division. Therefore, he is tested, and he proves his worth. The second reason is that we haven’t seen Stipe in four years, and he did look a bit slower than usual against Ngannou. Not that bad, but still, not very shinny. Another reason why we pick Jones is his takedown defense, which is excellent, and even if Stipe wants to wrestle Bones, that’s simply not going to happen because Jones can rebuff his attacks.
UFC 309: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler Preview
“Do Bronx” already beat Michael Chandler once before, and that was when he KOd the rival and took the lightweight belt. It was one of the rare times that the Brazilian didn’t defeat the rival via submission, as he currently holds the UFC record in that method of win, having 16 of them. He is by far the most skilled fighter in the division for submitting and grappling.
Charles Oliveira has no enemies 🤝#UFC309 | Saturday, 10 PM ET | ESPN+ PPV 🍿 https://t.co/EHJrdVQOG1 pic.twitter.com/maP3fPSLCx
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 11, 2024
On the other side is Chandler, the former Bellator champ who always brings spectacle and explosiveness to the table. He has three losses in the last four appearances, and if he loses here, he will not enter title talks again. After all, the losses were against all title challengers: Gaethje, Poirier, and Oliveira.
UFC 309: Charles Oliveira VS Michael Chandler Prediction
Our pick here is Oliveira due to his durability and the fact that Chandler simply doesn’t know how to defend from takedowns and grappling against a bit of skilled rivals.
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