New York City just hits different when the UFC comes to town. Madison Square Garden is the kind of place where legends are either made or where they finally say goodbye. Honestly, UFC 309 felt like both of those things wrapped into one chaotic night of spinning back kicks and bloody canvas. If you've been scouring the internet for the UFC 309 fight card time, you’re probably looking for more than just a clock setting. You want to know when the walkouts started, how the prelims unfolded, and exactly when Jon Jones reminded everyone why he’s considered the greatest of all time.
The whole thing went down on Saturday, November 16, 2024. It was a long road to get there. Remember, this fight was supposed to happen a year earlier before Jones blew out his pectoral muscle. The anticipation was basically at a boiling point by the time the doors opened at the Garden.
Breaking Down the UFC 309 Fight Card Time and Schedule
Basically, the UFC sticks to a pretty rigid three-tier structure for these big pay-per-view events. If you were sitting on your couch in New York or tuning in from a bar in Vegas, the timing followed the standard East Coast vs. West Coast split.
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The Early Prelims kicked things off at 6:00 PM ET (3:00 PM PT). These are usually the "hardcore fan" fights. You’ve got the up-and-comers and the gritty veterans who are fighting just to stay on the roster.
The Mid-level Prelims (the regular ones) shifted the energy up a gear at 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT). This is where the broadcast moves to bigger channels like ESPNews or FX. It’s the bridge between the prospects and the superstars.
Then came the big one. The UFC 309 Main Card time officially started at 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT). This is the portion people actually pay the big bucks for. If you were only there for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, you had to wait a while longer. Main event walkouts at MSG usually don’t happen until well after midnight on the East Coast. Jones and Miocic didn't actually touch gloves until roughly 12:30 AM ET.
Global Start Times: A Quick Glance
For the international crowd, the clock was a bit less forgiving.
- United Kingdom: The main card started at 3:00 AM GMT on Sunday morning.
- Australia: Fans in Sydney were looking at a 2:00 PM AEDT start on Sunday.
- Europe: Most of Central Europe saw the main card begin at 4:00 AM CET.
Who Was Actually on the Card?
The lineup was stacked, though it underwent some last-minute shuffling like most UFC events do. The main event was obviously the heavyweight title fight between Jon "Bones" Jones and the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, Stipe Miocic.
But the co-main was just as wild. Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira faced Michael Chandler in a rematch that everyone knew would be a car crash in the best way possible. They didn't disappoint. Oliveira ended up taking a unanimous decision after five rounds of absolute insanity, including a fifth round where Chandler basically tried to slam his way out of a lost fight.
The Main Card Order
- Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (Heavyweight Title)
- Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (Lightweight)
- Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig (Middleweight)
- Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight)
- Maurício Ruffy vs. James Llontop (Catchweight)
Bo Nickal, the wrestling phenom, had a bit of a polarizing performance. He won, sure, but the crowd at the Garden was actually booing at one point because the fight stayed on the feet longer than people expected and lacked the "blink and you'll miss it" finish Nickal is known for.
Why the UFC 309 Fight Card Time Matters for the Results
Timing is everything in MMA. By the time Jon Jones walked out to "The Champ is Here," the energy in the building was weirdly tense. Stipe Miocic had been away from the cage for over three years. Jones had only fought once in the last four.
When the fight actually started around 12:30 AM, it didn't take long to see the rust—or lack thereof. Jones looked sharp. He used his wrestling early, which was expected, but the finish was what caught everyone off guard. In the third round, Jones landed a massive spinning back kick to Stipe’s ribs. You could almost hear the air leave the building. Stipe went down, Jones followed up, and that was it. Ref called it at 4:29 of Round 3.
Notable Prelim Action
You can't talk about the UFC 309 fight card time without mentioning the guys who set the tone earlier in the night. Jim Miller, a literal legend who has been in the UFC since before some current fighters were in middle school, secured another submission win. He tapped Damon Jackson in the very first round. It's kinda crazy that Miller is still doing this at such a high level.
Also, Ramiz Brahimaj and Oban Elliott both walked away with "Performance of the Night" bonuses for their KOs. If you tuned in late for the main card, you missed some of the most violent highlights of the whole event.
What Most People Got Wrong About This Event
A lot of people thought this was going to be a retirement party for both guys. Stipe did retire—he made it official right there in the Octagon with Joe Rogan. But Jones? He teased everyone. He didn't lay the gloves down. Instead, he did the "Silky Johnson" dance and hinted that he might stick around, which basically threw the entire heavyweight division into a tailspin because Tom Aspinall (the interim champ) is still waiting in the wings.
The common misconception was that this card was "top-heavy." While the names at the top were huge, the depth of the prelims actually provided more consistent action. The Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders fight was unfortunately scrapped late, which changed the flow of the prelims, but the rest of the crew stepped up.
Actionable Takeaways for the Next Big Fight
If you're planning your Saturday night around a major UFC card like 309, there are a few things you should keep in mind for next time so you don't miss the action.
- Don't trust the "Main Event" time: If the UFC says the main card starts at 10:00 PM, the fight you actually want to see won't happen for at least two and a half hours. Plan your snacks accordingly.
- The Early Prelims are worth it: Most of the "Performance of the Night" bonuses come from the hungry fighters on the early part of the card. Use a service like UFC Fight Pass to catch those.
- Check the local time zones: If the fight is in Abu Dhabi or London, the times shift drastically. For New York events, it's always the standard late-night Vegas/NYC schedule.
- Watch the weigh-ins: If you want to know who's actually going to show up looking 100%, the ceremonial weigh-ins (usually Friday at 5:00 PM ET) tell you a lot about a fighter's state of mind.
UFC 309 was a massive success for the promotion, pulling in a gate of over $16.6 million. It was the highest-grossing event in the history of Madison Square Garden for the UFC. Whether you were there for the GOAT conversation or just to see Michael Chandler do backflips, the night delivered exactly what it promised.
Keep an eye on the upcoming schedule, as the fallout from Jones's win is going to dictate what happens with the heavyweight belt for the rest of 2025 and into 2026. If you want to stay ahead of the game, start looking into the UFC 310 and 311 lineups now, as the promotion tends to stack the end-of-year and beginning-of-year cards to keep the momentum going.