In case you missed it, Jon Jones is about to make his first title defense at UFC 295 in November in opposition to heavyweight legend Stipe Miocic. The struggle marks a struggle between the 2 finest fighters in historical past from the sunshine heavyweight division and the heavyweight division. After years of lacking out on some of these fights, the UFC lastly obtained one proper and booked a legacy struggle that issues.
How is Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Doable?
It’s not usually in sport you may have two of the best fighters of all time in two totally different divisions obtainable to struggle one another. Floyd Mayweather and Roberto Duran have been in utterly totally different eras and never obtainable to struggle, oh what a struggle that will be. Michael Jordan and LeBron James by no means confronted off. And no person has even imagined how Babe Ruth would fare in opposition to Nolan Ryan. It’s a part of why GOAT debates are sometimes so futile. Joe Burrow and the 2019 LSU Tigers have been by no means given the chance to face the 2001 Miami Hurricanes due to time.
However with MMA, our sport is comparatively younger. Boxing introduced it’s first belt in 1810, the NBA began in 1949, and baseball began in 1839. These sports activities are a whole bunch of years previous (basketball is making it’s means). However MMA as a well-liked sport solely started in 1993, making it solely 29 years previous. Throughout that point, we’ve seen a fast enchancment of in talent and approach that has made fashionable MMA fighters leaps and bounds higher than their predecessors.
It’s onerous to think about anybody beating Jon Jones from UFC 1. He’d smash Teila Tuli, Gerard Gordeau, Ken Shamrock, and Royce Grace all on the identical night time.
It’s because of the age of the game that’s allowed us so many new GOATs in every division and given us alternatives at tremendous fights not doable in a sport like boxing.
Tremendous Fights: Missed Alternatives
Followers love tremendous fights. What Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic’s UFC 295 matchup represents is a make-up of kinds for missed “GOAT fights” prior to now. Take into consideration the fights that obtained away:
- Georges St-Pierre versus Anderson Silva
- Jose Aldo versus Dominick Cruz
- Georges St-Pierre versus Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Anderson Silva versus Jon Jones
- Israel Adesanya versus Jon Jones
There’s in all probability extra in there I missed as properly. However these missed fights damage and damage terribly. Maybe Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva essentially the most.
This isn’t to say the UFC doesn’t make tremendous fights. Most not too long ago we had Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski face off within the first ever #1 P4P vs. #2 P4P struggle. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier had a duo of fights that consisted of two double champions going through off. One other is GSP and BJ Penn going through off. Daniel Cormier, once more, when he had his trilogy with Stipe Miocic. The UFC makes large fights. They only don’t all the time make them. Maybe it’s not possible.
Boxing has had this drawback. Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. by no means actually fought. Mike Tyson and George Foreman is one other. Sugar Ray Leonard and Aaron Pryor. Roberto Duran vs. Alexis Arguello. Joe Frazier vs. Ken Norton. I can go on for days. However boxing has given us Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Firpo, Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman, and shortly to be Errol Spence versus Terence Crawford.
The UFC is giving us a legacy defining struggle at UFC 295. Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are already secured within the annals of MMA historical past. Having them struggle on high of all they completed, all that they’ve achieved, is simply icing on the cake. This time, we get our cake and eat it too.
Your pleasant neighborhood struggle fan. I watch means too many fights and my spouse lets me understand it.
