Jon Jones, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, looks to be the underdog in a potential match against Tom Aspinall. The UK-born Aspinall has been tearing through the UFC’s heavyweight division, looking so dangerous that he would be the betting favorite against all-time great ‘Bones’ Jones.
Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall
According to a sportsbook, Aspinall is a slight favorite at -150 to defeat Jones at +130. The UK-born Aspinall hold the interim heavyweight title in the UFC while ‘Bones‘ Jones, of the USA, holds the undisputed championship. These two are not yet booked against one another. While Aspinall is the clear top contender to claim Jones’ crown, the American athlete wants to defeat the former champion Stipe Miocic.
According to the UFC star Padd Pimblett, Jones is so heavily interested in the Stipe Miocic fight because he wants a leg up against his rival Daniel Cormier. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Low Kick MMA, Pimblett explained: “He wants to have that win over Stipe who’s beaten Cormier twice, just so it’s another f*ck you to Cormier. That’s how his brain works.”
Tom Aspinall Record
Tom Aspinall has quite an incredible record in MMA. In the UFC, he has eight wins all by way of knockout or submission. None of these victories went past the three-minute mark. Aspinall has a lone loss to Curtis Blaydes, due to a knee injury, which he later avenged at UFC 304. All 15 of Aspinall’s wins in MMA have come by way of KO/TKO or submission, the English athlete has never had to meet a judges scorecard.
With such an impressive run in the UFC, having won and defended his interim title, Aspinall wants a shot at the division king on Jones. He even pitched a heavyweight tournament idea featuring Jones, himself, Stipe Miocic, and the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
“So, they’re saying Jon Jones and Stipe are going to fight at MSG in November, why don’t we do a tournament: Jon vs. Stipe and me vs. Alex,” Pereira said. “Do a four-man tournament, two fights in one night, and let’s find out who the real Heavyweight champion is.
“We got the greatest Heavyweight of all time, we got the greatest MMA fighter of all time, we got the Light Heavyweight champion, and me who is just a poxy Interim champion. Let’s do that…wouldn’t that be a cool little thing, two fights in one night. I got the lowest average fight time in the UFC, and it’s even lower after tonight; my chances in that tournament are pretty good” (h/t Bloody Elbow).
Jon Jones Next Fight
Jon Jones next fight is not yet officially scheduled. Since defeating France’s Ciryl Gane in early 2023, ‘Bones’ has been inactive. At UFC 295 the 37-year-old was booked against Stipe Miocic on November 11, 2023, but Jones pulled out of the match due to an injury.
The status of all-time great has certainly been earned throughout the career of Jon Jones. Since becoming the youngest champion in UFC in 2011, he has defeated former or future UFC champions Glover Teixeira, Daniel Cormier, Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua, and Lyoto Machida, in addition to other contenders who would never hold UFC gold. Simply, ‘Bones’ has an incredible resume in MMA.
Fans are hoping to see Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall face off in a title unification bout sometime in 2024. Many MMA followers are not interested in the Miocic fight. The American athlete Miocic was a great UFC heavyweight champion but has been winless since 2020. ‘The Baddy’ Paddy Pimblett said, That’s the scenario that I think every UFC fan wants.”