Jon Jones may have solidified his legacy with a dominant win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, but the debate about his next opponent isn’t slowing down. There has been a clamoring for a showdown with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. While Jones has been dismissive of the idea, he’s found an unlikely supporter in former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou, weighing in on the matter, agrees that a win over Aspinall wouldn’t add much to Jones’ legacy.
The former champion, who Jones has been accused of having dodged for three years was asked to share his thoughts on the current standoff between White and Jones in terms of who should be next.
Surprisingly, Ngannou backed Jones saying that ‘Bones’ was in a position to pick whoever he wanted.
“As he said, ‘Aspinall needs that fight, I don’t need it,’ and when you look at it, pretty much true…. There’s nothing more that he’s going to [gain] In that fight other than money. But for Aspinall, which is someone that’s coming and trying to cement his way in the division, that would be everything.”
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Since winning the fight, Jones has stated that he wanted to focus more on money fights and not on taking on the up-and-comers in the division. The top target on his list is UFC’s new global superstar, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
However, White has flat-out refused any such matchups stating that Jones is way too big for Pereira. But that hasn’t stopped Jones from preparing for his comeback.
Negotiations underway for Jon Jones
Jones is already looking ahead to 2025 for his next fight in the UFC Octagon. The ‘undisputed’ heavyweight champion is back in training while negotiations with the UFC are seemingly underway.
“We’re in talks to see what happens next,” Jones shared with The Schmo.
“I’m back in the gym, feeling great, and ready for whatever opportunity comes my way. There is a number in mind, but that stays between us and the UFC.”
Since moving to heavyweight, Jones is 2-0, including a quick submission win over Ciryl Gane to claim the title. While that had left a bitter taste in his mouth as 3 years of preparation had culminated in only 2 minutes 4 seconds of fight time, Jones claims, “This one feels different. The world is buzzing, and I’m grateful to be in this position.”
