5 observations from the UFC 309 weigh-ins

With less than 24 hours to go before UFC 309, anticipation is rising. This event should prove to be a big one.

UFC 309's weigh-ins took place yesterday. The early weigh-in was followed by its traditional ceremonial counterpart later on.

As always, there were several observations to be made at the weigh-in, so could some clues to the event's results have been visible? You never know.

Here are five observations from the UFC 309 weigh-in.

---

#5. Despite not being involved at UFC 309, Tom Aspinall was in phenomenal shape

Coming into UFC 309, a lot of focus has actually centered on a fighter who isn't even scheduled to be involved: interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

That's because Jon Jones - who will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the event's headliner - has continually suggested he doesn't want to fight the British star.

Accusations of "ducking" have naturally circulated this week. However, one of Jones' points of contention in explaining why he doesn't want to fight Aspinall is the Liverpool native's size.

Earlier this week, 'Bones' claimed that Aspinall was 30 pounds heavier than him, which isn't necessarily true.

Although he wasn't around for last night's ceremonial weigh-ins, Aspinall actually weighed in for UFC 309 as an alternate, should anything happen to either of the headliners.

The interim champ tipped the scales at 254 pounds, some 17 pounds heavier than Jones. More to the point, though, despite not being in full training, Aspinall was in phenomenal shape.

Basically, the message sent by the Brit was a simple one: he's ready to dethrone whoever wins this weekend's headliner, assuming Dana White and company can manage to put the fight together.

Despite not being scheduled for this weekend's event, Aspinall has somehow become a bigger star while also proving with this weigh-in that he's willing to help with the promotion.

---

#4. Just one fighter missed weight for his bout

Fighters missing weight for their bouts is a specter that seems to hang over every UFC event. Thankfully, this weekend's fighters didn't have too many issues with this.

Only one fighter—James Llontop—missed his allotted weight yesterday, while the other 25 athletes hit their mark perfectly.

Even Llontop's miss should come with a caveat of sorts, though.

The native of Peru only took his fight with Mauricio Ruffy on October 30—just over two weeks before the event—and the lightweight clash was changed to a 165-pound catchweight fight this week.

However, Llontop could only make 166.2 pounds, meaning he'll now be fined 20% of his purse for the fight.

If anything, that seems slightly harsh given the late notice, but to be fair, Llontop would've known the rules coming in.

All things considered, it's unlikely that Llontop will gain any advantage over Ruffy after failing to make weight, and he remains one of the event's biggest underdogs.

---

#3. Paul Craig did not look overly healthy at 186 pounds

The biggest betting underdog in action at UFC 309 is Paul Craig.

'Bearjew' is set to face hot prospect Bo Nickal, and DraftKings has him as a +475 bet to defeat the three-time NCAA National Champion.

Judging by yesterday's weigh-in, Craig isn't just the weekend's biggest underdog; he could also be the weekend's biggest weight-cutter.

The Scotsman hit the middleweight limit for his fight, coming in at 186 pounds. However, he looked very drawn out in doing so, sporting a gaunt face and visibly sunken cheekbones.

Craig did look like he'd rehydrated well for the later ceremonial weigh-ins, and judging by their staredown, he may also have a slight size advantage over Nickal.

However, whether moving to middleweight after spending most of his career at a seemingly healthy 205 pounds is a good idea is still a question mark.

With this considered, Craig's performance will be one to watch tonight.

---

#2. Michael Chandler looks in great shape - but is still smaller than Charles Oliveira

It's arguable that the fighter who appeared to be in the most impressive shape at UFC 309's weigh-ins was Michael Chandler.

'Iron Mike' weighed in for his lightweight bout with Charles Oliveira at 155 pounds and looked absolutely ripped to shreds, with a remarkably low body fat percentage.

If anything, it could be argued that the 38-year-old is in the best shape of his life.

Judging by their staredown at the ceremonial weigh-in, though, Chandler might be at a slight size disadvantage when he faces 'Do Bronx'.

Oliveira also weighed in at 155 pounds, but looked to tower over 'Iron Mike' when they faced off, and appears to have a bigger frame in general.

The stats suggest that 'Do Bronx' stands two inches taller than Chandler and will have a four-inch reach advantage, but if anything, the eye test suggested that it would be more than that.

Whether this affects Chandler come fight time, of course, remains to be seen. Win or lose, though, nobody will be able to question his preparation based on the shape he's in.

---

#1. Jon Jones' staredown with Stipe Miocic was a respectful one - eventually

The ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 309 ended with a staredown between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, who will do battle for the heavyweight title in the event's headliner.

While their staredown was intense enough, it also began with a handshake and definitely didn't feature any of the wild behavior we've often been treated to in the past at these kind of events.

In many ways, that was a surprise, given what happened at Thursday's pre-event press conference.

That event saw Jones snub a handshake from Miocic before getting right in his face to talk some trash.

Reportedly, the bad blood was triggered by 'Bones' feeling that Miocic had talked badly about his children during an episode of UFC 309 Countdown.

The tension, though, appeared to have cooled at the ceremonial weigh-in. Jones looked far less intense as he walked towards Miocic and was happy to accept a handshake.

Of course, whether this was only the calm before the storm remains to be seen, but it was still interesting to see 'Bones' apparently bury the issue directly before the fight.