A title fight, title stakes and drama are all on tap at MSG -- but which of the 13 matches on the card matters most?
Two weeks ago was the 50th anniversary of The Rumble in the Jungle, and all of the bouquets being laid at the feet of that classic heavyweight championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman got me thinking about -- of all things -- this weekend's heavyweight championship fight at UFC 309.
Ali's upset of Foreman is remembered today as one of the fight game's greatest moments. Still, going into the 1974 bout, it was almost universally expected to be a massacre by"Big George," the brawny, destructive, undefeated 25-year-old champion. Ali was 3½ years removed from his championship run and was 32. If he was still floating like a butterfly, it was a sluggish, less elusive float that seemed destined to be swatted down by one of Foreman's sledgehammer fists.
What the UFC 309 main event will deliver is a monumental dose of history. Jones is the consensus greatest MMA fighter of all time in any weight class. Miocic is the most accomplished UFC heavyweight ever, an indisputable status he earned by making a record three consecutive title defenses.
Imagine if Jones and Miocic met in, say, the summer of 2019. Miocic had just secured his second heavyweight reign by knocking out. Jones was in the midst of his second run as light heavyweight champ, having already made 10 title defenses. Both men were active and at the top of their game. It would have been a true superfight.
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