One of the most anticipated UFC cards is finally here! Jon Jones is finally back in the octagon, facing off against the legendary Stipe Miocic. This will be the first bout for Miocic in over 3 years after losing the title to Francis Ngannou in UFC 260. This could be one of the last times we see Miocic in the octagon, and it couldn’t come at a better time with Jon Jones squaring off against the 14-year UFC veteran.
Beyond the main event, this card is packed with world-class fighters. With up-and-coming stars like Bo Nickals taking on Paul Craig, two legends, Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira, squaring off in the lightweight co-main event. You won’t want to miss a single minute of this incredible card.
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This fight is nothing if not bizarre. There is no accurate gauge of what it will look like. Miocic's last fight was over 1300 days ago in 2021. Will ring rust be a factor? Will the 42-year-old version of Miocic hold up? Who knows?
Miocic path to victory seems clear, though. He’ll need to land big hits on Jones and win by knockout.
This is Jon Jones, though. He’s not known for having a glass jaw. Even at 37, he can still out-move and avoid significant contact. Using his range advantage and IQ to pull the big shots out of Miocic early.
Jones's versatility is Miocic's issue. His rare blend of size, strength, intelligence, and submission ability makes him one of the greats.
Miocic will have to land significant strikes early and push for an early-round knockout like his fight against Fabricio Werdum. Considering Miocic's advantage on his feet and his wrestling skills, we expect Jones to feel this one out early. Draining the 42-year-old of this stamina to force a decision or land a submission. We’re a bit more bullish on the former, though, as this fight feels like it will go the distance.
If this fight goes the distance, Jones will come away with the W in our opinion.
If this fight could be summarized in one word, we’d pick “Attrition.” This will be a war on the mat, as both fighters have a deep bag of tools to wield against each other. This fight could easily come down to who’s body fails first.
In their first bout, Chandler nearly toppled Oliveira early, landing several massive hits that forced Oliveira to take it to the mat. Oliveira survived the round, landing a hook that put Chandler on the run in the next round. Ultimately, Oliveira brought Chandler down to finish the fight.
The pure tenacity of Oliveira’s jiu-jitsu skills, paired with his knock-out power, justify him being the favorite, but that doesn’t mean Chandler can’t catch him. This fight will be about inflicting maximum damage.
However, with Oliveira's skill set, he’s much more capable of sustaining damage and surviving. While Chandler will rely primarily on landing a knockout here, Oliveira's ability to secure a submission makes him dangerous, even when injured.
We don’t see this one going the distance, as neither of these fighters has a long track record of going to the judges. We expect his one to end late, though, with our gut telling us Oliveira wins a second time here.
The only thing you need to know about this fight is the odds to go the distance are -1100. Bo Nickal has risen since his appearance on the Contender Series. He may only have a few fights logged, but there is a reason he is the overwhelming favorite.
Paul Craig is clearly on the decline following some bad losses to Caio Borralho and Brendan Allen. The 36-year-old has his work cut out for him, going against a skilled 28-year-old in Bo Nickals. Paul has been dangerous in the grapple game, landing multiple knockouts and submission, but we don't think he'll be able to outmaneuver Nickal.
We expect this one to end quickly, as Bo will likely take things to the ground and force a submission.
Speaking of another Contender Series fighter on the rise, Silva is 4-0, with three Ws coming via submission. She has been a bright spot in the Flyweight division.
Araujo, on the other hand, might be over the hill. She has struggled to find much success recently, dropping three of her last four fights. Araujo will struggle against Silva, as Araujo typically goes the distance in her bouts, whereas Silva continues to end by stoppage. If this fight doesn’t go all three rounds, Araujo is probably screwed.
Silva’s ability to bring fights to the mat will also hamper Araujo, with her takedown defense slipping in her last few fights. If Arauja can’t keep this fight standing and rack up the points, the odds of her winning are slim.
The only thing Araujo has going for her going into this bout is that she has never been submitted in her career. So, there is a strong chance that this fight will go the distance. We’re still going with Silva solely because of her ability to finish fights before the bell.
This is a short-notice fight, but these odds feel insane. The fighting nerd Ruffy showed his skill in his UFC debut against Jamie Mullarkey. His striking ability was downright impressive, as he landed heaps of high-impact strikes, securing a knockout victory.
James Llontop had a tough debut in the UCF, losing his first two fights. He showed he had the chops for it in his battle against Viacheslav Borshchev, losing in a narrow decision. His ability to take and dish out strikes makes him a dangerous match-up for Ruffy.
With the odds so heavy in Ruffy’s favor, we can’t help but look long and hard at the Llontop line. We're not going to say we’re confident, but with 6:1 odds, we’re taking the value on Llontop in this matchup.
Jonathan Martinez (+115) vs. Marcus McGhee (-135)
Chris Weidman (+115) vs. Eryk Anders (-135)
Jim Miller (+140) vs. Damon Jackson (-170)
Marcin Tybura (-148) vs. Jhonata Diniz (+124)
Mickey Gall (-125) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (+105)
Oban Elliott (-245) vs. Bassil Hafez (+200)
In a strange announcement, the UFC has decided to return to their old gloves. This is a surprise, as the current gloves have only been in service since UFC 302 in June. However, the UFC saw a noticeable drop in knockouts by nearly 10% since their introduction in June. This could be an attempt to return to the norm, but some have slightly more nefarious speculation.
One of the main features of the new gloves was to reduce the amount of contact with fighters' eyes, which Jon Jones has been notorious for. Some believe Jones is responsible for returning to the old gloves, but at this time, no clear reasoning has been provided as to why they switched. Regardless, this should add a new wrinkle to an already epic card!