5 questions that could be answered at UFC 309

We're now just ten days away from UFC 309. It's safe to say that the octagon's annual trip to Madison Square Garden looks like a hugely intriguing show.

UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic features key fights across a number of divisions, and naturally, plenty of questions should be answered in New York City.

So what's in store for the likes of Jon Jones, Michael Chandler and Bo Nickal? We'll find out next weekend.

Here are five questions that could be answered at UFC 309.

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#5. Will this be the final bout of Chris Weidman's UFC career?

UFC 309's main card opener will see former middleweight champ Chris Weidman take on fellow veteran Eryk Anders.

It's now been well more than a decade since Weidman shocked the world by knocking out Anderson Silva to claim his title. Since losing the belt to Luke Rockhold in 2015, it's fair to say it hasn't been easy for 'The All-American.' In fact, since that title loss, he's won just three of his last nine fights and has suffered five nasty finishes, including a terrible leg break against Uriah Hall.

Many fans thought Weidman would hang up his gloves after that injury, but after a tight win over Bruno Silva in March, the former champ is back to fight in his home state.

The question, then, is whether win or lose, this will be his last fight. Weidman turned 40 in the summer, has suffered more hardship than most fighters, and has nothing left to prove.

A win over Anders would absolutely offer him the storybook ending that few fighters in the UFC manage to achieve, so hopefully he has the right advice in his ear leading into next weekend.

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#4. How far along is Bo Nickal at this stage?

Few prospects have come into the UFC in recent years with as much hype as Bo Nickal. A three-time NCAA National Champion amateur wrestler, Nickal won twice on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022 to earn a contract with the promotion. He was so confident in his abilities that he named Khamzat Chimaev as his "dream opponent" even before his octagon debut.

Nickal has since won his first three bouts in the promotion, but his most recent fight, with Cody Brundage, wasn't that impressive. The wrestling standout struggled to land takedowns, and his striking also didn't look great, even if he did submit Brundage with a second round choke.

It's now been seven months since that fight, but the matchmakers haven't given Nickal a softball in MSG. He's set to face Paul Craig, a hugely dangerous veteran.

Sure, 'The Bearjew' has only won once in his last five fights, but he's also got a deadly guard and has finished numerous big-name fighters, including Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill.

Essentially, this is a huge step up in competition for Nickal. To call this a sink-or-swim fight would be an understatement, and after next weekend, we should have an idea of quite how far along this prospect is.

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#3. Will Michael Chandler's decision to abandon his fight with Conor McGregor pay off?

UFC 309's co-headliner will see a rematch between former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira and former Bellator champ Michael Chandler.

The two men famously fought for the lightweight strap in 2021 in a wild fight that Oliveira eventually won, but that isn't the story here.

The big question coming into this fight is whether Chandler's decision to abandon his fight with Conor McGregor - something he'd been promised by Dana White since 2022 - will pay off.

Chandler likely would've made a career-high payday for a bout with 'The Notorious' and judging by McGregor's recent form, could've claimed a massive scalp, too.

However, since the bout was scrapped in July, there's been no further word on McGregor's return. He now hasn't fought since the summer of 2021, when he suffered a severe leg injury against Dustin Poirier. With Chandler realistically not knowing how long he'd be waiting for the Irishman, he almost certainly needed a fight, if only to get paid.

'Iron Mike' could easily have asked the UFC for a softball of some kind, though, and then hoped to set the McGregor fight up later down the line.

Instead, he's facing Oliveira, who remains one of the most dangerous 155 pound fighters on the planet. At best, he's got a 50/50 chance here. Win, and Chandler could find himself in line for a title shot. If he loses, though, his dreams of facing McGregor are probably dead in the water. That means that this fight with Oliveira is a big risk, but there is a big reward on the line as well.

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#2. Can Stipe Miocic justify his special treatment from the UFC?

UFC 309's headliner will see Jon Jones defend the heavyweight title against former champ Stipe Miocic in a fight that has been over a year in the making. There are plenty of issues around this one, and one major drawback to this bout is that most fans would have rather seen Jones face interim titleholder Tom Aspinall.

Because of that, the onus is definitely on Miocic to justify the treatment he's received from Dana White and company. There's no doubt that his reputation and tenure, as well as Jones wanting his scalp for his record, have gained him this opportunity.

The fact is, though, that Miocic hasn't fought since his April 2021 loss to Francis Ngannou and hasn't won in over four years. If we're going strictly by recent form, Miocic does not deserve this fight. In the octagon, though, particularly at heavyweight, nobody can be truly written off, especially a fighter as credentialed as the former champ.

Therefore, at 42 years old, Miocic will need to deliver something special, even if he can't win. Whether he can do it, of course, is another thing entirely.

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#1. If he wins, will Jon Jones finally fight Tom Aspinall?

While Stipe Miocic basically needs to justify his title shot at UFC 309, for reigning heavyweight champ Jon Jones, things are a little different. 'Bones' whitewashed Ciryl Gane to claim the title vacated by Francis Ngannou last March.

Even though he hasn't fought since, he's heavily favored to do the same thing to Miocic in Madison Square Garden. The big question around Jones, then, involves his future plans.

He's already labelled his clash with Miocic a 'legacy fight,' suggesting that he wants to beat the most decorated heavyweight in UFC history to add more credence to his claims of being the GOAT.

He's also been around for a long time now, and has already hinted at retirement in the past. However, if he beats Miocic, the big question will be whether he'll stick around to fight interim champ Tom Aspinall.

Many fans already believe Jones should be facing the UK-based fighter in MSG rather than Miocic. There may very well be a good chunk of the fanbase who would say he ducked Aspinall if he were to retire rather than face the interim champ.

It could be, then, that the long delay to this fight has already left Jones in a lose-lose situation of sorts. Whether Jones will stick around after UFC 309 may well be the most fascinating question going into next weekend's event.