The unveiling of the UFC 309 poster is the perfect selling point in the UFC-PFL war

The highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC MMA) and Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA) is less than a month away, headlining November 16th at Madison Square Garden in New York City appearing at UFC 309.

Jones and Miocic were scheduled to face each other at UFC 295 last fall, but a torn pectoral muscle forced Jones to withdraw. Miocic opted not to take another fight unless it was against Jones, but said his absence from MMA shouldn't be the reason the division is at a standstill.

Regardless of Miocic's comments, this fight was always destined since Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020. After arriving at heavyweight, he was always open to facing any challengers, although Francis Ngannou chose to leave the UFC following a contract holdout before signing with the PFL last May. Ngannou defeated Renan Ferreira last Saturday to become the organization's heavyweight champion.

Back to the UFC perspective: Jones vs. Miocic can fairly be described as one of the greatest fights in the company's history, let alone division history. That narrative was pushed even further on Monday when the promotion unveiled its poster, which featured the fight prominently placed in the foreground of a New York backdrop surrounding MSG.

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It's easy to blame the UFC for starting this fight a few years late, but Jones could never claim to be the best heavyweight the sport has ever seen if he wasn't the man with the most title defenses in history the division defeated.

The UFC is trying to give Jones a fairytale ending. Just like when Michael Jordan led the Bulls to six championship victories or when Tom Brady's run with the Patriots was marked by a defensive masterclass against the Rams, Jones has a chance to complete his version of history. For Miocic, a surprise win would help him remind the world that his title win from 2016 to 2021 was no fluke, it would help him ease the pain of the Ngannou loss and – assuming he retires – a one of the best careers the sport has ever seen.

Even if Jones never fights Ngannou, their careers simply aren't comparable, let alone considering Jones' dominance in two divisions instead of Ngannou's.

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Whatever the case may be, the debate over who is the best heavyweight in the world continues. But the fact is that it's no coincidence that Jones-Miocic is happening around the same time as Ngannou's victory. It's personal for both sides to outdo each other, and that's exactly what's happening here.

On November 16th begins a story that has waited three years for its climax and finally its decline. The time has finally come. Tom Aspinall will be waiting in the wings to pass the torch, and rightly so.

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