Jon Jones may not be afraid of Tom Aspinall, but he knows just how dangerous the Brit is.
It’s been 18 months since Aspinall scored a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich to claim the UFC interim heavyweight title. Since then, fight fans have been chomping at the bit to see him square off with reigning heavyweight king Jon Jones. Unfortunately, a year and a half later, we’re no closer to seeing that fight now than we were then.
Much of the blame for that has been laid at Jones’ feet, who has repeatedly been accused of ducking Aspinall for fear of tarnishing his own legacy as the undisputed GOAT of mixed martial arts.
However, not everyone thinks ‘Bones’ is scared to fight Aspinall.
During a recent interview with Comeon Sports, two-time Jon Jones opponent Alexander Gustafsson offered his take on the ongoing narrative that the former light heavyweight titleholder is scared of Aspinall.
“Is Jon Jones scared of Tom Aspinall? I don’t think he’s scared of anybody, but he knows for sure that Tom Aspinall is very dangerous,” Gustafsson said. “He’s a young guy with a lot of tools. He’s a strong guy and has a lot of drive right now. He has a lot of motivation.”
Despite an endless amount of delays and Jones insisting that he get at least six months to prepare, UFC CEO Dana White has promised to deliver the fabled fight before the end of 2025.
“It would be a great fight to watch, and it’s hard to predict a fight like that,” Gustsafsson continued. “You have a guy with all the tools and a fighting IQ like no one else, then you have a young guy who is so strong and a very good all-around fighter. It’s very hard to predict who would win and who would lose, but it’s a fight I wouldn’t miss.
‘The Mauler’ thinks Jon Jones may stick around just long enough to become the longest-reigning heavyweight champion
Jones recently made headlines by becoming the second-longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history, just behind Cain Velasquez. With ‘Bones’ roughly 100 days from overtaking that record, Gustafsson thinks we could see Jones hang onto the belt long enough to overtake Velasquez’s spot at the top before walking away from the sport altogether.
“Could Jon Jones retire after becoming the longest-reigning heavyweight champion? It wouldn’t surprise me,” Gustafsson added.
