UFC 309 largely went down as many fans expected – a blockbuster event that featured exciting fights and callouts, and the newly elected US president Donald Trump in attendance. Additionally, the penultimate pay-per-view of the year set an all-time record at the gate at $16.7 million, with an audience of around 20,000+ people.

While Dana White won massively as an event promoter, fighters on the UFC 309 main card experienced the thrill and agony of competing on the biggest MMA stage in the world. From the high drama of the co-main event bout and the spectacular finish in the main event, to a fighter’s hype diminishing in the third bout of the main card – UFC 309 had it all. So who all won big, and who walked away with a less than satisfactory outcome after the event? Let’s find out.

The Biggest Winners of UFC 309

However, despite the excitement of the main event, the co-main between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler event ended up being the fan favorite. Both fighters gave fans perhaps the most exciting 5-round scrap in recent memory. The fight was rife with all kinds of drama, with the winning fighter Oliveira almost getting finished in the 5th round, Chandler recreating the viral moment from their first fight when Oliveira took his back and ‘Iron’ slammed ‘do Bronx’ to the mat. With the win over Chandler, Oliveira inched closer to a title shot but also became the first fighter to win $1 million in performance bonuses in his career, making him the second-biggest winner on the card.

On the other hand, Michael Chandler was a winner that night, despite losing, as he put on a show for fans, both in the Octagon and on the mic. Cutting a WWE-style promo in his post-fight speech, he earned bragging rights through his performance and called out the who’s who in the lightweight division, even calling for a shot at the BMF belt. With the fight and despite losing, Chandler recorded his fifth performance bonus, with this fight being the third ‘Fight of the Night’ bout of his career. With that, Chandler was the third-biggest winner of the night.

Another winner of the night was Mauricio Ruffy who went against a tough opponent in James Llontop, who was heavier by 1.2 pounds in a 165-lb catchweight bout. Initially poised to fight Charlie Campbell at 155 pounds, his opponent pulled out at the last moment, causing Llontop to step in as a late replacement. Despite having a completely new opponent at a higher weight, Ruffy pulled off a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. With his win, he earned the right to call out French special-forces fighter Benoit Saint-Denis.

Last but not least, there was Welsh welterweight fighter Oban Elliot who continued his unbeaten run with a knockout of Bassil Hafez. With his first finish in the UFC, Elliot earned a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. For these fighters, the night of November 16th at Madison Square Garden was a moment to remember. After all, it’s not often that fighters get to perform at one of the most famed fight arenas in the world.

MMA is a sport where there is a clear winner and loser, and well, the night had its fair share of losers as well. Now, it’s time to look at who came up short in one of UFC’s biggest annual events.

The Biggest Losers of November 16th, MSG event

Once again, addressing the elephant in the room – the main event featuring Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones. With the win, Jones experienced the highest of the highs, but on the other hand, Stipe Miocic looked like a broken man. At 42 years old, the former heavyweight champion looked slow and sluggish throughout the fight, and the finish sequence involving Jon Jones’ spinning back-kick severely injured ‘Stone Cold’ with reports of his ribs breaking, and lacerations on his kidney and spleen. Furthermore, it was heartbreaking to see the greatest heavyweight in the world quietly retire with a loss like that.

Another loser in that bout, who didn’t fight was Tom Aspinall, as his presence was not acknowledged by the champion. All week, Aspinall was snubbed by Jones, but the interim champion remained stoic and collected despite not being given a shout-out. While this was a losing moment for Tom Aspinall, his anxiety was quelled a fair bit with Dana White and Hunter Campbell’s conversation with him, and White’s proclamation of Jones having to fight him next at the post-fight presser.

While Michael Chandler was in a position where he won over fans despite losing, the opposite was true for the undefeated Bo Nickal. Against Paul Craig, Nickal had the chance to put forth a spectacular performance that would silence his critics once and for all. Quite the opposite happened, where fans started chanting “overrated” at Bo Nickal’s hype when he failed to land any meaningful offense on his Scottish counterpart. Furthermore, this was Nickal’s first fight that went the distance. The NCAA Division-1 wrestler’s career is still young, and he has scope for improvement, but fans definitely think he’s not ready to take on the Chechen phenom Khamzat Chimaev.

On the other hand, BJJ specialist Paul Craig held his own against Nickal but came up short on the judges’ scorecards. With the loss to his American counterpart, Craig recorded his third straight loss in the promotion. With the fighter quickly approaching 36, things do not look bright for the Scotsman, given his recent spat of losses.

Despite the above fighters experiencing the thrill and agony of the fights, one legend was left waiting at the bleachers. The former UFC middleweight champion was due to face Eryk Anders on the main card. With the fight taking place in New York, Weidman had the chance to extend his winning streak to two in front of his hometown audience. Instead, Eryk Anders was forced to pull out of the bout due to food poisoning at the last minute, causing Dana White and the promotion to pull the fight off the card altogether.

UFC 309 was definitely one for the books, with all the fights and high drama at Madison Square Garden. Who do you think were the biggest winners and losers at UFC 309? Let us know in the comments below.