Jon Jones is starting to warm up to the idea of a fight with interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. The Brit proved that there are levels to the game after he dismantled his former foe, Curtis Blaydes in R1 of their contest at UFC 304. In fact, if Pereira vs. Jones gained hype after UFC 303, Aspinall vs Jones is currently the fight to make following the Brit’s spectacular finish.
Reacting to Aspinall’s 60-second finish of ‘The Razor,’ Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen joined on the Good Guy/ Bad Guy podcast to drop in their thoughts. Highlighting the change in narratives, Sonnen went on a rant, claiming how a fight against Aspinall never finds the hype, until the Brit takes matters into his own hands and proves his worth. He even took the example of Aspinall’s fight against Sergei Pavlovich, saying,
“The same thing happened to Jones last November when Tom goes out to Madison Square Garden, and ends up defeating Sergei Pavlovich, all the talk at that time was Jones vs Pavlovich and that switched to Tom, it goes to Poatan, now its back to Tom.”
Sonnen expertly pointed out how storylines can change within 24 hours. While it was the Russian juggernaut, Pavlovich who was touted as the next in line to challenge ‘Bones,’ back in 2023, Aspinall made quick work of the slugger and etched his name at the top as the interim champion.
Not to mention, Pereira‘s revelation of moving up to heavyweight and its ripple effects which had the fandom speculating about a potential Pereira vs Jones fight. Regardless of all the hypotheses and conjectures, Aspinall’s Saturday night KO has the match-makers and the fans yearning to see the Brit against the champion for a title unification bout.
On top of it, a former UFC champion and veteran has even picked Aspinall as the one who will dethrone Jones.
Michael Bisping picks Tom over Jones – “No one’s beating you”
Tom Aspinall aka the ‘Honey-badger’ is the ‘real’ heavyweight champion for many. While the legitimate champion, Jones is sidelined because of injury, Aspinall has made massive strides to elevate himself and cement his name in the annals of the HW division. Speaking to TNT Sports, the interim champion detailed his struggles, explaining why he is deserving of a title shot.
Subsequently, Bisping, who was present on the panel, threw his weight behind the Englishman and endorsed him, saying,
“That’s why you’re not only going to go down as the best British fighter that’s ever lived, but probably the greatest mixed martial artist we’ve seen in this sport. No-one’s beating you anytime soon.”
Tom Aspinall and Michael Bisping embrace and you love to see it! ❤️#UFC295 pic.twitter.com/zRhUHsB3oT
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) November 12, 2023
While Dana White confirmed Aspinall as the backup for Jones vs Stipe in November, the former proposed a new idea of a heavyweight tournament, that features Jones vs Stipe & him vs Alex Pereira on the same evening. No matter what, or how, Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones is now closer to reality than ever, especially after Saturday’s co-main event.
