After the much hype Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight fell through, all eyes have shifted to the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall showdown. This title unification fight between two of the biggest stars in the heavyweight division has become the talk of the year. UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has made it clear that he’s not eager for a fight with Tom Aspinall and would rather face Alex Pereira. However, Aspinall believes Jones is just playing the negotiation game and that he’s actually ready for the fight.
In a conversation with Adam Catterall on TNT Sports, Tom Aspinall pointed out that as a UFC fighter, it’s easy to avoid discussing opponents not involved in an upcoming fight. Yet, Jones repeatedly mentioned him in interviews. Aspinall believes this is “high-level business,” suggesting Jones is indeed interested in the fight but is using negotiation tactics to his advantage.
He said, “If someone asked me about a fighter not [in my upcoming fight], the easiest thing in the world would be to say, ‘I’m gonna talk about it after my fight.’ But he kept bringing that up in conversation. That’s high-level business.”
👀🤔Tom Aspinall believes Jon Jones is ready to fight him but is playing negotiating games.
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 3, 2024
“If someone asked me about a fighter not [in my upcoming fight], the easiest thing in the world would be to say, 'I’m gonna talk about it after my fight.' But he kept bringing that up in… pic.twitter.com/U90ICqrMNe
Dana White has confirmed that the winner of Jones vs. Miocic must face Tom Aspinall, making the fight almost inevitable. However, ‘Bones’ seems to have other plans, hinting at a different direction.
Jon Jones Ready To Vacate UFC HW Championship
Jon Jones recently addressed his earlier comments about prioritizing a fight with Alex Pereira for his legacy. He stated that fighting for the heavyweight championship would be exciting, but he’d willingly give it up for a bout with Pereira for the BMF belt.
In his words, “It’d be cool to fight over the heavyweight championship. But I would also willingly give up the heavyweight championship….Fighting Pereira for the BMF belt, that would be cool.”
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Jon Jones clarifies that the heavyweight title would not necessarily have to be at stake if he were to fight Alex Pereira and he has another belt in mind.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 11, 2024
Full interview with the 🐐 coming soon… pic.twitter.com/R43YlfB9Ze
There’s no doubt that while Aspinall tells one story, Jones’ statements suggest something different. The future of the heavyweight division is certainly shaping up to be exciting.
Also Read: Francis Ngannou Understands Jon Jones’ Reluctance To Fight Tom Aspinall
