UFC 309 – Page 20 – Syndication Server

Ben Askren goes off on ‘addict’ Conor McGregor after Michael Chandler fight falls through

Ben Askren didn’t hold back on Conor McGregor: “This guy is out of control.”

[autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] didn’t hold back on [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] after his fight with Michael Chandler officially fell through.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was scheduled to return from a three-year layoff to face Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 in June but withdrew after breaking his pinky toe. Chandler exercised plenty of patience waiting for McGregor ever since they filmed Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in early 2023, but he finally decided to move on and will run it back with Charles Oliveira in the UFC 309 co-main event Nov. 16 in New York.

Askren believes McGregor’s lifestyle choices are to blame for why he’s yet to return to the octagon.

“It’s pretty obvious to me that Conor McGregor is an addict,” Askren said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Daniel Cormier. “And he is rich enough that it doesn’t really have a hugely negative impact on his life. Everyone kind of lets him do what he wants to do, but this guy clearly is out partying, can’t show up for training camp. And then because he can’t show up for training camp, he can’t get ready to fight. There’s videos of him partying constantly. And listen, if you’re rich and famous and you’re not murdering anyone or anything worse where you’re going to go to jail, I guess fine, whatever. Go live your life.

“But he did kind of drag on that he was going to fight for two years. So it’s really annoying, but I was on record saying he’s not fighting in 2023. I was on record saying Michael Chandler should move on and just say, ‘Hey, you’re not a serious fighter anymore, you’re an addict and you can’t train.’ I’ve said that many times. …Probably both (drugs and alcohol). I don’t know that I can make any pronouncements without actually seeing him do it, but I’ve watched videos enough to know that this guy is out of control, he’s partying constantly, and from all rumors, he’s on multiple substances.”

Dana White was never confident in a McGregor comeback in 2024 after he pulled out of UFC 303. However, McGregor remains perplexed by his delayed return, claiming that he’s been frequently drug tested and is ready to fight.

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Why Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones ‘completely insincere’ about retiring after UFC 309

Chael Sonnen isn’t buying what Jon Jones is selling when it comes to possible retirement after UFC 309.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] suggests [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] hinting at retirement after UFC 309 is simply a marketing ploy.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title vs. former champion Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the Nov. 16 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jones recently reiterated that Miocic will likely be his last fight, but Sonnen isn’t buying it. He believes it’s worth noting that Jones specifically used the words “more than likely.”

“I’m watching this, oh, Jon has grabbed onto that retirement idea,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He did not mean it. It was completely insincere. It wasn’t even his idea. Somebody else said it, he heard it, thought it might be good to go with. And (there are) a couple of different reasons guys that are not going to retire say that they’re going to retire.

“One could be he heard somebody else say it, thought it might be good marketing. He never comes out and does anything to try for marketing, and he went for it. Another one is just the same reason you did things like that when you were a child. So that somebody else would tell, oh no, hey, whoa, we want you, you’re great.”

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will be the official backup for Jones vs. Miocic.

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Video: Michael Chandler finally gives up on Conor McGregor fight. Right call?

Michael Chandler is FINALLY booked for a fight, and it’s not against Conor McGregor. We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

After almost two years, [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has decided to move on from his fight against [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

You read that right. Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is officially done waiting for McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) after he was booked to rematch Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 in November. It was one of several bouts announced for the event headlined by a heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challenger Stipe Miocic.

Did Chandler make the right call by moving on from the McGregor fight? How will he fare against Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC)?

MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George discuss the latest with Chandler, as well as the Jones vs. Miocic bout headlining UFC 309.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/3EgC1RE0PgU

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Dana White confirms Tom Aspinall as UFC 309 main event backup fighter

It’s no surprise who will be the first phone call if the UFC 309 main event takes a blow.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 309 main event backup fighter doesn’t come as a surprise.

Interim champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] will be the first phone call made should the heavyweight title fight between champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] or challenger [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] need a replacement, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Tuesday.

“Yes, Tom Aspinall is next in line for anything that happens after this fight,” White said after Dana White’s Contender Series 72 at the UFC Apex.

UFC 309 takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Should everything go according to plan and Aspinall not be need, the main event will mark the end of an ongoing logjam at the top of the promotion’s heavyweight division.

For over a year, the promotion has remained dead set on Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) as the next heavyweight title fight. It was initially scheduled for UFC 295 in November 2023, but an injury to Jones pushed the fight back 12 months.

In that fight’s absence, Aspinall defeated Serghei Pavlovich for an interim title. He then defended it against Curtis Blaydes in July. Both fights he ended inside the opening minutes.

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Although Jones has called Miocic his final fight (as recently as Saturday), White has continually voiced his hunch Jones’ fighting career will extend beyond that. White said he hasn’t spoken to Jones about fights beyond the one currently on the books.

“Why speak to him after this (past weekend’s) event?” White said. “You’ve got to figure out what’s going to happen in this fight, see how this fight plays out, and then we’ll go from there.”

Alex Pereira hopes to train with Jon Jones before UFC 309: ‘I want to grab his experience’

Alex Pereira knows he might never get to fight Jon Jones, but he’s content to just train with him.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] knows he might never get to fight fellow UFC two-division champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], but he’s content to just train with him.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

If UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) can come out unscathed in his title defense against Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 headliner Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, he hopes to get an opportunity to help Jones prep for Miocic. Pereira and Jones were seated next to each other this past Saturday while in attendance for UFC 306.

“We’ve been talking a little bit about training together for a long time, but I think now it’s going to happen,” Pereira told Full Send MMA through an interpreter. “His fight is going to be in November. Every time you leave a fight, it takes a week or two sometimes to recover from small injuries, but I think I’ll have enough time to go over there.”

Jones once argued that a matchup with Pereira would be the “biggest fight in MMA history.” But after Jones alluded that his upcoming title defense vs. Miocic will likely be his last fight, Pereira sees training with him as the more realistic option.

“Today I saw him more athletic, more fit since he last fought. He looks really good, and I want to grab his experience,” Pereira said. “People talk about us fighting, but people say he’s going to fight one time, once or twice more. I don’t know if I’ll be able to share the cage with him, but at least I want to get the experience of training with him.”

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Michael Chandler says UFC 309 rematch with Charles Oliveira could lead to lightweight title shot

Michael Chandler sees himself fighting for the UFC lightweight title should he beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

LAS VEGAS – It hasn’t been made official by the UFC, but [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is already calling his upcoming fight against [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] a No. 1 contender fight for the lightweight title.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is confident a win in his rematch against Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC), which goes down in November at UFC 309, will get him a title shot at 155 pounds despite being 1-3 in his past four trips to the octagon.

“Here we are: Now I’m fighting Charles, No. 1 contender fight,” Oliveira told reporters at UFC 306. “I’ve always wanted to chase the title. That’s always been my goal. I beat Charles and if Conor can get his house in order, finally, then me and him can finish that. If not, I’ll go beat Islam (Makhachev).”

Chandler has been waiting for a fight against Conor McGregor to come to fruition for well over a year. He hasn’t fought since losing to Dustin Poirier in November 2022. To many’s surprise, the UFC recently announced Chandler was moving on from the McGregor bout and fighting Oliveira.

Both Chandler and Oliveira fought back in 2021 for the vacant UFC lightweight title. After a wild, back and forth affair, Oliveira stopped Chandler in the second round.

“Charles is that guy, man,” Chandler said. “I’ve got so much respect for him. I think he knows that, and I know he’s got respect for me. I want to compete against him. I’ve never been a guy that looks back and says, ‘I want that one back. I want to right that wrong,’ but when these rematches happen, I’m excited for them because I know the mistakes that I’ve made, I know where I was in my mind, and I’ve matured so much as a man and as a fighter since that fight in Houston, Texas.

“That’s part of it, too. Maybe this is the way it was supposed to be the entire time. Maybe I was supposed to lose to Charles to then have a redemption story to beat Charles and then get my title shot to finally become UFC champion and cement myself as the No. 1 guy in the world.”

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Tom Aspinall reacts to official Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic announcement for UFC 309

Much to Tom Aspinall’s joy, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is finally official.

Much to [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s joy, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] is finally official.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has long awaited the fight announcement, which took a year to be rebooked, and he plans on being in attendance – not just as a spectator, but as a backup fighter.

“Big Jon Jones, big Stipe Miocic matched up with one another – finally it’s official,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “Nov. 16, MSG, New York City, the heavyweight title is on the line at long last. Finally, we are confirmed for it, and I will of course be there to watch these two gentlemen go at it.

“I, of course, have told the UFC that if anybody gets injured or there’s any other reason why nobody can make it to that fight, (if) one of them pull out, I’m ready to go. If I need to, I’ll fight both of them in the same night, no problem. Give me my undisputed title.”

After defending his interim title with a quick TKO of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, Aspinall can’t wait for the opportunity to prove he’s the true heavyweight champion.

“In my opinion, it should not be two champions in one weight division, I think that is silly,” Aspinall said. “This is not what UFC is about. This is not what MMA is about. There’s one guy in each weight division, and I believe it’s me.

“So I’ll be fighting the winner. I will be there if they need me. I’ll be fit and ready. I’m training right now. I’m ready to go. I’ll be ready to go on Nov. 16 if I need to. MSG is the place where I won the title, I’ll go back there and I’ll unify the title there as well if I need to.”

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Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 309 main event

Jon Jones is listed as a massive betting favorite over Stipe Miocic for their potential double retirement title fight at UFC 309 in New York.

The UFC will attempt to have [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] for the heavyweight title headline its annual Madison Square Garden event for the second year in a row at UFC 309 after Jones suffered an injury that forced him to pull out of the November 2023 date, and hasn’t competed since.

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic preview

Jones (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) could be the first double retirement title fight in UFC history, with UFC CEO Dana White recently stating he thinks Miocic will hang up the gloves regardless of result, and Jones claiming it will “more than likely” be the final fight of his career.

“Bones” has competed just once since February 2020, and that’s when the former longtime light heavyweight champion finally made his long-discussed jump up to heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane to win the vacant championship at UFC 285 in March 2023.

He will attempt to make a first defense of the heavyweight strap against former titleholder Miocic, who hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic odds

DraftKings released the opening odds for the title bout, in which Jones is a -410 betting favorite over Chandler, who is a +320 underdog.

How to watch Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 309

When: November 16
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Michael Chandler not mad at Conor McGregor over UFC career holdup, confident fight happens in 2025

Michael Chandler still believes he’ll be the one to welcome back Conor McGregor to the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has been though a lot in recent years, yet, he remains fully positive even if things didn’t pan out the way he wanted them.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), a former Bellator champion and current top UFC contender, is closing in on two years away from the sport due to hold-ups and postponements of a fight with [autotag]Conor McGregor [/autotag] that never came to fruition.

Chandler was always game to fight and remained training for the bout against the Irish superstar, but in the end, he had to move on and now finds himself booked in a rematch against Charles Oliveira in November at UFC 309.

Despite spending almost two, key years of his prime on the sidelines waiting for McGregor, Chandler doesn’t hold against grudges against him.

“No, I’m not going to let another man control my emotions and let another man control my life,” Chandler told reporters at UFC 306. “Over the last year and a half, it’s been an up and down of craziness. You guys see the way he lives his life, you guys see the Tweets, you guys see the media machine, and the constant attention that Conor is. And me, being the guy on the other side, I’m just a quieter guy by nature when it comes to not trying to put myself on the headlines nonstop and not trying to put myself in the conversation all the time.

“I’m not mad at him at all. I wish Conor the best. He’s earned every right to be in the position that he is. He’s earned every right to do what he wants to do and operate the way he wants to operate.”

While some doubt if McGregor will ever fight again, Chandler is confident McGregor will not only return, but have his welcome back to the UFC against him.

“Conor McGregor is still not off the hook,” Chandler said. “Conor McGregor’s road back to the UFC still goes through Nashville, Tenn., and Michael Chandler. We must finish “TUF 31.” It has to happen. We’re at the same weight class. It was too long of a buildup for it not to happen.”

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