Cormier believes we’ll see Jones vs. Aspinall after the UFC nudges the GOAT … with a whole lot of money.
As a former UFC double champ at the end of his career, Daniel Cormier knows a lot about how the UFC pushes you to keep competing when you’d rather retire. And in his experienced opinion, he thinks the UFC will make Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall happen before “Bones” rides off into the sunset.
Jones made it clear over UFC 306 weekend that his November fight against Stipe Miocic would most likely be his last fight. That gels with everything we’ve been hearing from the GOAT over the past few years. Which is why so many people are upset that his last fight will be against Miocic instead of interim champ Tom Aspinall.
Cormier and Ben Askren discussed the situation in the latest episode of Funky And The Champ.
“I actually think about Stipe favorably, but he hasn’t fought in forever,” Askren said. “It’s like, I just don’t understand. I know he’s had great results, but it’s been four years or something. And Tom Aspinall has been out here in the streets beating everyone up.”
“I would love to see Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones. So this is a case where we’re just not getting to see the best guys fight the best guys, and it sucks. Maybe we’re spoiled.”
Cormier disagreed with Askren’s matchmaking for UFC 309.
“In terms of name recognition, this is the fight that you want in Madison Square Garden, one thousand percent,” Cormier said. “But hearing Jones say, ‘This is it for me,’ it sucks because I do believe that there is some work left to be done. With Aspinall mainly. I don’t think anyone else right now warrants him sticking around. Because we saw what he did to Ciryl Gane.”
“The guy’s obviously doing well,” he said of Jones. “He probably just doesn’t want to fight anymore. So what happens, right? You walk away.”
But Cormier is convinced the UFC will put some serious pressure on Jones to stick around for one last fight. And it’ll be the good kind of pressure: one that involves more and more money until Jon can’t say no.
“I believe that when push comes to shove, they might nudge him if he gets through Stipe,” he suggested. “They nudge you, they nudge you, they nudge you, and then you end up getting more money and then you ultimately fight.”
Did all that nudging work out for Daniel Cormier? He initially planned on retiring with his double champ status after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 226. Instead, the UFC backed up a dump truck full of money to have him stick around for three more fights. He hurt his back badly before walking out at UFC 230 to beat Derrick Lewis, and then got beaten by Miocic in the last two fights of his career.
Was all that money worth the hit on his legacy? That’s up for each individual prize fighter to determine. But with GOAT status and legacy on the line, Jones may be thinking about more than cash these days.