UFC 309 will see the notorious Jon ‘Bones’ Jones return, defending his Heavyweight Title for the primary time in opposition to Stipe Miocic. Nevertheless, a preferred debate surrounding the battle is that it needs to be Interim Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinall, in Miocic’s place – with many followers claiming that Jones is avoiding the Aspinall battle.
Jones vs Miocic
Maddison Sq. Backyard would be the residence of the extremely anticipated UFC 309 principal occasion, the place we are going to see Jones, who many take into account the consensus Best of All Time, return after an extended spell of restricted exercise. Jones has had just one battle within the final 4 years, together with his final bout being in opposition to contender Cyril Gane in early 2023 – who he dominated and beat within the 1st spherical to say the Heavyweight Crown.
Nevertheless, each events in the principle occasion have had minimal exercise during the last 4 years, with Miocic’s final battle in 2020, the place he was brutally knocked out by Francis Ngannou – dropping the Heavyweight Title. Stipe returns to the octagon with 4 years off at 42, and plenty of followers are questioning what makes him deserving of this title shot.
Though this battle is being marketed as a legacy-defining bout – with arguably the Best of All Time, in Jones, vs many individuals’s Greatest Heavyweight Ever, each fighters’ inactivity has been a speaking level within the lead-up to the battle. Many followers are questioning why two fighters with a mixed two fights in 4 years are nonetheless ready to be preventing for the title – particularly with Interim Champion Tom Aspinall actively calling for a title unification battle with Jones for nearly a yr.
Is Jones Avoiding Aspinall?
In a current interview with Kevin Iole, Jones said that even when he defeats Miocic, he’ll probably not defend his title in opposition to Aspinall. His reasoning stays according to what he’s said for almost a yr when requested about defending in opposition to Aspinall: he believes a win over Aspinall does nothing to additional his legacy. Jones went on to say that he “appears like Aspinall…simply hasn’t confirmed something, hasn’t completed something…” and that he’s “right here to compete in opposition to guys the place we glance again 10 years from now and say, Jon Jones fought this legend and that legend and this champion”. Over the previous few years, Jones ‘legacy’ is one thing he has mentioned increasingly, and was an enormous a part of why he took the Stipe battle – defeating arguably the Best Heavyweight of all time is sort of the feather in a fighter’s cap in any case.
Jones’s feedback about Aspinall not furthering his legacy have sparked debates amongst followers relating to if Jones is ducking the battle as he doesn’t wish to threat the possibility of dropping to an athletic, highly effective, and hungry 31-year-old contender. At the moment, Aspinall has extra simultaneous Prime 10 wins than any Heavyweight in historical past. He has dismantled 5 out of the present Prime 10 contenders, all through first-round finishes – with wins over names resembling Blaydes, Volkov, and Spivac. The battle by which he received his Interim Title was in opposition to Sergei Pavlovich, who Jones appears to ignore as a worthy contender in his interview. Paradoxically, Pavlovich was coming off a 6-fight win streak all with 1st Spherical knockouts, earlier than Aspinall completed him in only a whole of 1:09.
Aspinall’s resume speaks for itself, making Jones remark that he has not proved something a remark which followers are utilizing to advertise additional the concept that Jones is avoiding Aspinall. Regardless of the discussions it has prompted, Jones stands agency on his opinion that he’ll solely be taking fights that he considers to be furthering his legacy, and he doesn’t see how Aspinall would do this. Suppose Jones efficiently defends his title in opposition to Miocic. In that case, he has alluded {that a} tremendous battle with Gentle Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira might curiosity him.
