During the UFC 306 Noche UFC broadcast, the company officially announced that Jon Jones would defend his UFC Heavyweight Championship against former Heavyweight king, No. 8 Stipe Miocic. This fight was originally scheduled for UFC 295 but Jones tore his pec and withdrew from the bout. In spite of the injury, UFC President Dana White has continued to state that this matchup between these two all-time greats would still take place in the next UFC Heavyweight title fight.
Miocic hasn’t fought since March 2021, when he was viciously knocked out by former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Miocic is widely viewed as the greatest UFC heavyweight champion in history as he is a two-time champion with four title defenses and six total championship wins. Jones last fought at UFC 285 in March 2023 where he beat Ciryl Gane to win the vacant UFC heavyweight championship. Since Jones hasn’t fought in the last year, Tom Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title and recently defended it against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall has publicly challenged Jones many times to unify the heavyweight title to no avail.
The UFC announced the full main card for UFC 309, taking place at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Here is what the rest of the PPV card looks like.
Co-Main Event: Lightweight Bout
No. 2 Charles Oliveira (34-10, 23-10 UFC) vs. No. 6 Michael Chandler (23-8, 2-3 UFC)
Middleweight Bout
Bo Nickal (6-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Paul Craig (17-8-1, 9-8-1 UFC)
Women’s Flyweight Bout
Viviane Araujo (12-6, 6-5 UFC) vs. Karine Silva (18-4, 4-0 UFC)
Middleweight Bout
Chris Weidman (16-7, 12-7 UFC) vs. Eryk Anders (16-8, 8-8-1 UFC)
Chandler was scheduled to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 303 on June 29, but the bout was canceled after McGregor injured his toe. He will wait for McGregor no more. Chandler has stated that he is still open to a matchup with McGregor in the future but his eyes are set on a title opportunity against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev.
Chandler now has a rematch with the former lightweight champion who he first fought at UFC 262 in May 2021. In that fight, Chandler hurt Oliveira in the first round but ended up getting finished in the second round. Chandler’s last fight was against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. Poirier submitted Chandler in the third round of that contest via rear-naked choke. Chandler is 2-3 since leaving Bellator and joining the UFC. His last win was at UFC 274 in May 2022 against Tony Ferguson.
Bo Nickal is one of the greatest prospects to ever enter the UFC. He is 3-0 in the company and has won each of his fights by submission or knockout in the first or second round. Nickal last fought Cody Brundage at UFC 300 in April 2024. In this matchup with Craig, Nickal is taking a massive step up in competition. Craig has been in the UFC since 2016 and has 18 fights in the UFC with key wins over former champion Jamahal Hill and top-five light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev.
Jones has opened as a -410 favorite while Miocic is +410 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Oliveira is the -245 favorite in the co-main event, with Chandler being the +200 betting underdog.
Play at DraftKings UFC Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ryanwohl) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
