Jon Jones might be the greatest fighter of all-time, but he’s come under fire lately after saying publicly that he has no interest in facing interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
The conversation started as Jones prepares to face Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event with rumors swirling that one or both of them might retire after the fight is finished. For his part, Jones admitted that there’s a world where he continues to compete, but if he’s going to stick around after Saturday night, a matchup against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira might interest him. Jones just doesn’t see what he has to gain by fighting Aspinall.
As a result, Jones has been accused of ducking Aspinall, who sports an 8-1 record in the UFC with all eight wins coming by knockout or submission inside two rounds.
“I guess you kind of have to define what ‘ducking’ is, right?” UFC legend Matt Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Jon’s not scared. I don’t believe that for a second. Is he playing the game and choosing not to fight Tom Aspinall? Absolutely.
“It’s the proper fight to make. I don’t think there’s any question about that. He wants the bigger fight with Alex Pereira. I don’t think that’s what a champion should do but that’s what every champion is doing now, right? They’re all wanting to move up a weight class. They’re all wanting to fight the big fights. Sean O’Malley wanted to fight [Ilia Topuria]. That’s what every champion is doing now.”
Matt Brown criticizes Jon Jones for openly avoiding a fight against Tom Aspinall: ‘It’s not a good look’ - MMA Fighting
