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UFC 309 Card Announced, But One Fighter Still Has No Opponent
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UFC 309 Card Announced, But One Fighter Still Has No Opponent

The UFC 309 card at Madison Square Garden is clinched with one fight out. Jon Jones will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the main event, and Charles Oliveira will face Michael Chandler in a rematch in the co-main event.

Jones would love nothing more than to defend his heavyweight title by defeating the man many consider the greatest in league history. If any of the Legends go down, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will be the official replacement for the main event.

Chandler abandoned his occasional fight with Conor McGregor and took another shot at Oliveira. The latter won his first meeting by TKO and will be heavily favored a second time around.

The remainder of the main card will see the return of Bo Nickal, with the up-and-coming middleweight facing veteran Paul Craig. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman will face Eryk Anders in what could be the former middleweight champion’s last fight, while Viviane Araujo will face Karine Silva.

It’s unclear which fight will be the prelims, but a candidate for that spot could be exciting Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy against Charlie Campbell. However, Campbell pulled out of the fight and Ruffy now has no opponent.

Ruffy is not listed on the event page on the UFC’s website, but with three weeks to go, there’s still a chance someone will accept a short-notice fight with early buzz from 28-year-old Conor McGregor.

Ruffy earned a UFC contract on Season 7 of the Dana White Contender Series and looked sparkling when he picked up the TO win by defeating Jamie Mullarkey with a flying knee inside the Octagon at UFC 301 in July.

Other exciting fights on the card will include long-time light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov taking on undefeated 35-year-old Azamat Murzakanov in a fight that could see him join the top 15 if he wins.

Oban Elliott is an exciting, up-and-coming heavyweight with ties to McGregor. One of the most interesting fights takes place at bantamweight as number 13 Jonathan Martinez tries to recover from his loss to Jose Aldo in May, but is facing a big test. Martinez will face Marcus McGhee; the latter appeared to be one of the more talented newcomers with the promotion.

McGhee, 34, is 3-0 in the UFC and gets performance bonuses each time. Because of his age, McGhee may need to be placed on a fast track. If he beats Martinez, he will be ranked and could face an even higher ranked opponent in his next fight. Finally, the ageless Jim Miller goes up against Damon Jackson.

Miller is coming off a brutally one-sided loss to Bobby Green. You have to wonder if Miller will continue his career if he suffers another lopsided defeat. He is 41 years old and his fight at UFC 309 will be the 56th of his professional mixed martial arts career.

Here’s a look at the entire UFC 309 card, with Ruffy’s opponent’s placement still rife with question marks. The event will take place on November 16.

  • (c) Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – UFC Heavyweight Championship
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
  • Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
  • Mauricio vs. Ruffy???
  • Nikita Krylov vs Azamat Murzakanov
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
  • David Onama vs Lucas Almeida
  • Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
  • Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura