‘Didn’t Want To Fight Tom’- When Tom Aspinall Was Backed To Defeat Jon Jones By Former UFC Champion

The battle of the GOATs at UFC 295 is off. Jon Jones was set to face off against Stipe Miocic for his first title defense at the Madison Square Garden card on November 14. But unfortunately, Jones tore his pectoral muscle while training, forcing him to pull out.

The bout has now been pushed back to next year, pending Jones’ recovery. And as a replacement, the UFC has made another crackling heavyweight bout for UFC 295. Promising contender Tom Aspinall will face KO artist Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title. The same Tom Aspinall, who former middleweight champion Michael Bisping thinks will easily beat Jon Jones in a fight.

Bisping thinks Aspinall is far better than Jon Jones

In an interview with Sky Sports last year, Bisping gave his assessment of Aspinall and how he would match up against Jon Jones. The UFC commentator came out of the gate strong and claimed that while Jones was among the greatest fighters in MMA history, he was no match for the Englishman.

“Jon Jones is heavyweight champion, he’s an incredible fighter, incredible, one of the greatest of all time, but I don’t think he can hold a candle to Tom. I think Tom will do the same thing to Jon Jones as what he did to Marcin Tybura. I don’t think anybody can stop Tom Aspinall, he’s that good, that switched on,” he said.

He said that if Jones were to fight Aspinall, he would meet a similar fate as the BJJ black belt’s last opponent, Marcin Tybura. Aspinall had defeated Tybura in the first round at UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura earlier this year. Bisping thinks Aspinall is so good that he could finish Jones in the first round.

Aspinall is noted for being one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC with both, exceptional striking and grappling skills. Said to have the speed and quickness of a middleweight, his fight IQ and ability to handle pressure is what separates him from his competitors. Which is why Bisping suggested that Jones avoid fighting Aspinall. However, despite this, Bisping sees a no-win scenario that may stain his legacy.

Bisping predicts a no-win scenario for Jones

The YouTuber said that Jones is talking of retiring after the Miocic fight. But, even if Jones defeats Miocic, considered the heavyweight GOAT, and retires, he would be accused of avoiding Aspinall. On the other hand, if he fights the Englishman, he will lose, thus staining his perfect record (except for a DQ loss in 2009) and his legacy, according to Bisping.

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“So he becomes champ and beats the greatest of all time in term of heavyweights – what next? He (Jones) is talking about retiring soon because he doesn’t need to prove anything, but if he walks away there will always be talk ‘he didn’t want to fight Tom,'” Bisping added.

Jones will be out for 4-8 months before he can fight. And if Jones does beat Miocic, he will probably retire. However, if he wants to cement his legacy as unquestionably the greatest, a win over the winner of Pavlovich-Aspinall would go a long way. Do you think Jones will face Aspinall? Let us know in the comments.

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