UFC 309: Five Things We Learned

UFC 309: Five Things We Learned

UFC 309’s premier fights had high stakes. In those bouts, one fighter came out in a strong position while others altered their divisional standing. It is time to breakdown those results. Here are the five biggest lessons we learned at UFC 309.

Jon Jones Is Becoming A Better Heavyweight

The UFC 309 main event featured a heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Jones landed a knock in the third round and showed progression as a heavyweight.

Jones is the undisputed GOAT of mixed martial arts. It’s impossible to highlight specific skills that are significantly improving. That said, his UFC 309 bout was his second at heavyweight and he looked much better. This is largely because of body composition. Jones came into the bout with less body fat and saw positive results. This was best seen in his kicking game and movement.

In this matchup, Jones was the quicker fighter. This helped him dictate exchanges. Meanwhile, he landed a ton of body kicks that hurt Miocic. Eventually, he ended the fight with a spinning kick to the body. These weapons are a massive aspect of Jones’ game. It is positive to see those weapons translate to the higher-weight class.

Stipe Miocic Retires At The Perfect Time

On the opposite side of the UFC 309 main event, Miocic suffered a loss to Jones and called it a career. It was a wise decision for the most decorated heavyweight champion in UFC history.

Miocic did not go out on top, but that is okay. The list of fighters that have accomplished that feat is minimal. At the same time, he is one of the only fighters to leave the sport a the fight time.

At 42-years-old, it is clear that Miocic is a shell of his former self. It is hard to criticize him for staying around in order to get the fight against Jones. That is simply too good of an opportunity to pass on. Miocic made the smart decision not to extend his luck any further, however.

Charles Oliveira Separates Himself From Lightweight Contenders

The UFC 309 co-main event featured a lightweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. The bout had a lot of implications for the lightweight title picture as well as potential upcoming super fights. After five hard rounds, Oliveira was the fighter to get the decision victory.

Oliveira did a great job throughout this bout. In striking exchanges, he was more accurate and landed big shots with more frequency. This put Chandler in bad positions several times, but Oliveira never capitalized with a knockout. Plus, the former champion dominated in the grappling realm and spent a ton of time in dangerous positions.

Chandler nearly mounted a comeback in the fifth round after landing a massive shot that hurt Oliveira. Despite a flurry of ground and pound to what looked like shots to the back of the head, he was unable to get the referee to step in and stop the bout.

This victory helped Oliveira separate himself from other lightweight contenders. At the moment, it looks like Islam Makhachev will defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan. Those are the only lightweights to defeat Oliveira since 2018. The UFC 309 co-main event helped Oliveira position himself to fight the winner and attempt to regain UFC gold.

Michael Chandler Is The New Nate Diaz

On the opposite side of the UFC 309 co-main event, Chandler suffered a loss that pushed his UFC record to 2-4.

Chandler is on a poor run if you simply look at his resume; however, he continues to entertain fans. That holds a unique value.

In his recent run of losses, Chandler has shown a lot of similarities to Nate Diaz. Despite losing, Chandler will create a moment that resonates with the fans. In this fight, it was landing a pair of massive slams as the fight expired. Plus, his fifth-round flurry added excitement as well.

Chandler and Diaz have a massive amount of difference, but it looks like Chandler is taking advice from the Diaz playbook. Regardless of how the fight goes, Chandler entertains fans and provides a moment that will go massive on social media. It is not a great path to winning a UFC title, but fans will continue asking to see Chandler in the octagon.

Jon Jones Wants ‘F**k You Money’ To Fight Tom Aspinall

Bo Nickal Looks Unimpressive In Victory

At UFC 309, Bo Nickal picked up a decision win over Paul Craig. The victory kept Nickal undefeated, but he did not look impressive.

Nickal and Craig competed in a kickboxing bout for 15 minutes. That is a shock considering Nickal is a three-time Division 1 National Champion in wrestling while Craig is a BJJ black belt with six submission wins in the UFC.

In a purely striking-based matchup, Nickal beat Craig in a tepid decision. The difference maker was Nickal landing a handful of big overhands that hurt Craig.

In theory, it is impressive for Nickal to win a fight with his striking. The issue is that Craig is a notoriously poor striker with limited offensive tools and horrid striking defense. In his career, Craig has been knocked out on the feet and submitted in grappling exchanges. This is the type of fight that Nickal needs to finish. The fact that he did not shows he had serious improvements to make.

Nickal’s victory is a let down considering he is a must-watch prospect with elite potential. It does not mean he is horrid, but he has work to do in order to reach his potential.

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