Calling Jon Jones “scared’ is not something Tom Aspinall is willing to do. Despite this, the UFC interim heavyweight champion believes that by picking Stipe Miocic for his first defence, Jones is opting for the easier matchup.
UFC 304 saw Tom Aspinall defend his interim heavyweight title in a rematch against Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes. Aspinall knocked out Blaydes in the 1st round, avenging his only loss inside the UFC so far.
Unification of the two titles is the usual route for interim champions. However in unprecedented fashion, England’s Aspinall was opted to defend his, as opposed to stay sidelined until the Jones matchup becomes available.
UFC Heavyweight Championship Plans
The UFC’s current vision is for Jones to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November. Meaning that Aspinall would have been out of competition for the foreseeable future if he had not defended.
Aspinall’s impressive KO of Blaydes was not enough to sway Dana White from pursuing the Stipe/Jones matchup.
Talking to reporters after UFC 304, White confirmed that Stipe/Jones was still the plan. The only thing on offer for Aspinall was a spot as the backup fighter, regardless of his efforts in Manchester.
The Heavyweight Landscape: Aspinall’s Assessment
Speaking to MMA Fighting after his victory, Aspinall explained that Jones is far more intelligent than he lets on. Believing that his push for the Stipe fight is nothing but calculated.
“Jon Jones is not an idiot. Even though he might act like it sometimes. He’s not unintelligent. Stipe, one of the best heavyweights – if not the best heavyweight of all time. Stipe’s also 43 years old, coming off a three-year layoff and his last fight was a knockout loss.”
“Obviously he’s going to want to take that fight before me because it’s easier. Way easier. Way, way, way easier. He knows that I’m the tougher fight for him.”
Now 8-1 in the UFC with all eight victories coming by way of finish, Aspinall is largely considered the most dangerous active heavyweight in the UFC.
During his run so far, he has finished near every notable heavyweight on the roster. Including, but not limited to Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes.
The singular loss he endured came from a leg injury in the 1st round of his fight against Blaydes. A loss that he has now avenged in dominant fashion.
“I’m not going to say he’s scared [Jones], because he isn’t. But he’s smart in his approach and he’s going to fight Stipe before me every time.”
Will the Title Unification Ever Manifest?
Jones has not been seen inside the Octagon since winning the heavyweight title in March of 2023.
A pectoral injury took ‘Bones’ out of competition for the foreseeable future and since then, a timeframe on his UFC return has been somewhat unclear.
Per Dana White, November is the current date being targeted for his comeback.
A recent flaky attitude has left fans skeptical on whether Jones will stick around after fighting Miocic – or whether he will make his return at all.
Aspinall is part of this crowd, admitting that he is not positive that the Jones fight will ever come to fruition.
“I have no idea,” Aspinall declared. “I’d like to think he would, but at this point is Jon Jones even fighting Stipe? We don’t know. We have no idea.”
“Like I said, Jon Jones is a bit of an unusual guy. You don’t get what you see. He’s tricky, slimy, snaky, he’s does different movements. He says one thing, does another. So I don’t know. I have no idea to be honest.”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
