Update to UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic as fight canceled over medical issues, debutant to step up on short notice

UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic takes place this weekend from Madison Square Garden, with the PPV event set to feature 13 fights across the preliminary and main cards.

Sadly, it has just been confirmed that one of these matches has been cancelled. Fortunately, the UFC has already found and announced a replacement on short notice.

Photo by Mike Stobe/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC 309 loses preliminary bout due to medical issues; rookie steps up

As confirmed just a few minutes ago by the MMA promotion, the UFC 309 preliminary card fight between featherweight prospects Lucas Almeida and David Onama has unfortunately been canceled.

According to the announcement post shared on the UFC website, Almeida has been forced to withdraw from the event due to 'medical issues' – it is currently unclear whether these issues are related to the Brazilian's weight cut.

Fortunately, the promotion has already found a replacement opponent at short notice to keep David Onama on the card.

'The Silent Assassin' will now take on UFC newcomer Roberto Romero, with that fight understandably moving from 145 pounds to 155 pounds.

Romero is 24 years old and hails from Mexico, with a professional record of 8-3-1 (three wins via KO/TKO, two via submission and three via judges' scorecards) with five first-round finishes.

Onama is 4-2 in the UFC and is on a two-fight winning streak, a finish over Gabriel Santos last summer, followed by a hard-fought decision win against Jonathan Pearce in April.

Almeida vs Onama is the fourth fight to be removed from UFC 309, with Nikita Krylov vs Azamat Murzakanov, Carlos Prates vs Randy Brown and Charlie Campbell vs Mauricio Ruffy also previously canceled.

UFC 309 will feature a big change that could lead to more knockouts

Assuming there are no more last-minute cancellations, UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic will feature 13 fights; all 13 will feature a major change that has also just been revealed.

As Ariel Helwani reported earlier this week, the old gloves will return at UFC 309, five months after they were introduced at UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier.

“UFC has informed the fighters competing on Saturday's 309 card in NYC that they will be using the old gloves and not the new ones introduced in June, according to multiple sources,” Helwani wrote on X, adding that the “Specific reason is unclear at this time.”

The new gloves were supposed to minimize hand injuries, cuts and especially eye punctures, but have proven controversial since their introduction, with data suggesting they have inadvertently resulted in a 10% drop in knockouts.

In summary, since the switch to the new gloves, UFC fights have seen an 11.5% increase in the number of fights going to a decision compared to the average of the last three years, and a 10% decrease in the number of fights going to a decision that ends with a knockout compared to the average of the previous three years.

— hayjive (@hayjivepicks) October 10, 2024

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Back at UFC 303, Dana White himself would acknowledge that the promotion was following the trend: “Let me tell you what, I and [Hunter Campbell] looked at each other and asked, “Are these gloves broken?”

'Believe me, we said the same thing. You guys were wondering too… I don't know. I think it's just a coincidence. Hopefully.”

UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic takes place on Saturday, November 16 from Madison Square Garden.

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