Jon Jones has officially gone overboard.
Undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion, Jones, will not be fighting his division’s interim titleholder, Tom Aspinall, in his eventual return bout. Instead, he’ll likely face former two-time champion, Stipe Miocic, who hasn’t fought since a second round knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
Meanwhile, Aspinall will seek redemption against Curtis Blaydes by defending his title at UFC 304 in Manchester, England next month (Sat., July 27, 2024). Blaydes won the pair’s first encounter when Aspinall suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) a mere 15 seconds into the fight in July 2022. Despite that concise frame of action, Jones feels it was enough to determine that the American bested the Brit in their striking exchanges.
“I watched his fight against Curtis earlier today,” Jones tweeted. “Honestly, it was my first time seeing it. Your boy was getting that ass kicked. His knee blowing was the best thing that could’ve happened to him. I’ve learned over the years to never bet against American wrestlers. I’m going to laugh the hardest if your boy ends up losing.
“Go back and watch the fight, in the short time it lasted, Tom lost almost every exchange,” he concluded. “Curtis was touching that chin from the moment the fight started.”
To further try and prove his point, Jones posted the whole fight.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) June 13, 2024
Even after a devastating injury that sidelined him for a full year, Aspinall has managed to be more active in the time since than Jones has since February 2020. Jones’s lone appearance in that timeframe came when he won the vacant UFC Heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane via first round guillotine choke at UFC 285 in March 2023 (watch highlights).
Aspinall, 31, rebounded off his Blaydes loss with back-to-back sub-75 second knockout finishes of Marcin Tybura (watch highlights) and Sergei Pavlovich (watch highlights). The latter was the win that earned him the interim crown in the absence of Jones, who tore his pectoral muscle ahead of the previously booked Miocic clash at UFC 295 this past November 2023.
Ultimately, Jones is supporting his fellow American’s chances in the upcoming Heavyweight title fight rematch.
“I’m telling you guys film study is one of my great strengths,” Jones said. “If Curtis wants by knockout or ground and pound I would not be surprised.
“Anyone seen Gane’s training videos lately?” he asked. “The dude is absolutely massive, looking faster than ever, kickboxing is crazy creative and powerful. So funny how quickly everyone discredits him after our fight. Before our fight, everyone in their grandma was calling him the future of Heavyweight MMA. After the fight, everyone called him overrated. I’ve shown this fighting gift time and time again, your boy can never win.
“It’s not about the injury, it’s about your boy getting touched up,” Jones continued. “Even the moment his knee popped he was getting punched in the face. I’m just calling what I see. The fans get so impressed with the new guy, I look at was actually happening. I look at the tactics. I don’t hop on the train and get hyped like everyone else. stay around for a while, start breaking records. That’s when you get my full attention. I’ve seen this story too many times. [duck emoji]”