https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/116669-ufc-309
SATURDAY night early prelims 6PM EST/3PM PST - main card 10PM EST / 7PM PST
Spoiler:
My thoughts here are basically... yeah, mildly interested to not really interested even though it is some of the biggest names in the HW division
I'm more interested in the co-main and other bouts.I'm a firm believer that the lineal champ (Ngannou) and current Interim champ (Aspinall) are the HWs that should be fighting, but alas, it's not gonna happen. Thankfully Aspinall is the backup for this fight because Francis' and Dana's hatred for each other has pushed Ngannou to the PFL to limited success (heard the Renan/Francis fight didn't do well on PPV buys btw so PFL and Bellator might be a dying brand, we'll see). We get 3-years away from fighting Miocic, who is way past his prime and suffering from CTE when he speaks, and constant rule breaker Jones who is recovering from pec tear. Can't see Stipe winning, he'll retire after and Jones can call out Poatan and continue to duck Tom. [BTW basketball related, Stipe is a huge Cavs fan]
Anyway, rest of the card is cool except for a legacy appearance for Weidman. Chandler shirks McGregor (but still has a contract to fight him later) and has to deal with the grappling of 'do Bronx'. Picking Charles in this one again, I have a lot of faith in his game and he beat Chandler already. Could be a great performance though so I'm mega interested in this one.
Meanwhile, Karine Silva (I think she will be a future women's flyweight champ) is on the card, and grapplers Nikal/Craig face off. Jim Miller and Weidman are also on main card and are there to help the PPV card.
Sneaky Fights to watch:: Jonathan Martinez and Marcus McGhee -- could be an explosive bantamweight scrap. These guys are on the up and up.
HM: Karine Silva and Viviane Aruajo -- I love Silva's striking and ground game. Brazil v Brazil, picking a decision for her, but by dominant fashion.
Sneaky fights to avoid:: Weidman/Anders -- feels like low end of the card even if Weidman is like a UFC staple. His last fight he basically intentionally eye poked his way out and Anders is a has-been. Not interested at all and it could be a poor performance.
HM: Romero v Onama -- late addition fight probably will be a KO but shouldn't be competitive. Onama should be a massive favorite.
Final thoughts ? Not the matchup I wanted, but will be interested in how it plays out. I will be gutted if both Jones and Miocic retire. I'd like to see the latter hang'em up, and I'd like to see Bones call out Aspinall, not Pereira. I'm pro-Oliveira, so rooting for him, I really couldn't care less about Chandler's career prospects, I like the technical supremacy do Bronx displays in grappling. Jones should dominate. My predictions are below:
Spoiler:
He should've retired for sure
