Despite continuous claims, that he’s refusing to fight Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones has received support from one of the most unlikeliest sources in recent memory- the ever-critical and his former foe Chael Sonnen.
Jones, who himself owns a portion of the heavyweight crown, is currently at loggerheads with the promotion about a return. Meanwhile, akin to him, Aspinall also lays claim to the title – albeit interim. And the duo have been linked majorly with a showdown to unify the belts this year.
Out of action since last November, Jones has been widely criticized for his perceived inactivity. Jones has stepped foot into the Octagon just twice to boot since 2020. A quite staggering stat to say the least.
Nevertheless, making good on his sophomore heavyweight outing, Jones made good on his New York debut at UFC 309 last year. Stopping the returning Stipe Miocic in the third round, Jones landed a spectacular spinning knockout win at Madison Square Garden. But for as much praise he’s received for his win – equally, he’s been lambasted for his preference to wait out a fight with the Atherton star.
However, the outspoken Sonnen is not buying into claims Jones is trying his best to derail a grudge fight with Aspinall. In his humble opinion, UFC veteran, Sonnen claims a lack of dialogue between Jones and Dana White gives the former some leeway.
“Jon Jones will not turn that fight down,” Sonnen said on Instagram. “Jon has not been offered that fight. That’s the monster in the closest people seem to not want to be true. There has not been a suggestion of a date or a venue. Not yet. In a phone call to Jon, where his opponent would be Tom (Aspinall), the undisputed title”, Sonnen pointed out.
View this post on Instagram
“If you believe that Jon Jones is refusing to do those things, you’re wrong. He’s not yet been presented with that offer”, the former middleweight contender asserted with the confidence of someone with inside knowledge of the affair.
But while Sonnen believes Jones is not playing the proverbial game, Aspinall believes he’s already at the 1-yard line, amid a warning from a former UFC champion.
DC warns Aspinall amid UFC meet
Aspinall less than subtlety brought with him a rubber duck to UFC London over the weekend, in a bid to mock Jones. At the same event, the Brit also managed to get the ball rolling once more on a pairing with Jones, it seems. Locked in negotiations with UFC Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell, Aspinall admitted their low-key meeting in the capital went more than well.
“I feel like we’re in a good spot right now,” Aspinall told Ariel Helwani today.
“But first and foremost, I like fighting people. That’s what I like to do. And if I’m not doing that, I feel a little bit…I haven’t been doing that over the last seven months. But after the meeting I’m feeling very optimistic about things. And I’m in a really, really good spot with everything. My future moving forward, and it’s really exciting times.”, he told Helwani, further assuring his fans.
In the meantime, a former foe of Jones, Olympian, and two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier had a word of advice for the ‘would-be’ undisputed champion.
“He’s (Jon Jones) very mean. He’s durable, he’s hard to fight. And Tom Aspinall is going to find that out right”, DC said during an episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy.
While he admitted enjoying seeing Aspinall bring a duck to UFC London, DC also warned Aspinall not to second guess himself inside the octagon with Jones.
“Because you start rethinking things in there with that dude,” Cormier warned. “He’s going to run right through you. You cannot start going ‘Hey man it’s a little harder than I thought’. Because he is going to put it on you”, the former champion noted.
Aspinall will hope to pay attention to these men, all of whom have shared the octagon with the undisputed heavyweight champion.
