Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 309 took place at Madison Square Garden last weekend, featuring a dominant title defense, a breakout performance by an up-and-coming star and much more. The excitement started with a fight from Bo Nickal, one of the UFC’s most highly touted prospects. Nickal is a three-time wrestling NCAA Division 1 champion and four-time finalist for Penn State. His opponent was Paul Craig, a skilled Scottish mixed martial artist. The fight was evenly matched until Nickal hit Craig with a right overhand that shifted the momentum drastically.

Nickal secured a decision victory, but received an unexpected reaction from the crowd as they were hoping for a dominant finish, like those of his previous victories.

The co-main event featured a thrilling showdown between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveria. Jack Horan ’26, UFC savant, had this to say about the fight, “I thought Oliveria was going to lose. He definitely surprised me with how strongly he performed. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll do next.” Oliveria dominated the first 4 rounds of the fight, constantly controlling Chandler on the ground. In the final round, Oliveria clinched Chandler and neutralized Chandler’s offensive presence. Fans saw a great ending with Chandler body-slamming Oliveria twice to cap off the eventful fight.

The last fight of the night was the highly anticipated Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. When the fight started, Stipe looked very frail and confined. At the end of the third round, Jones crippled Miocic with a spinning back. The Ohio-born fighter fell to the ground, and the New Yorker Jones capitalized with some ground and pound to secure a TKO victory.

“I thought Jones fought a beautiful fight and ended it perfectly with his highlight knockout. Jones proved that he’s definitely still one of the greats within the sport,” concluded avid UFC fan, Aaron Williams ‘26.