It’s hard to imagine a former rival of Jon Jones not only complimenting him but also picking him as the winner in a hypothetical fight against Tom Aspinall. Yet, that’s exactly what Donald Cerrone has done. The ex-UFC fighter and Hall of Famer has seemingly mended fences with Jones after years of tension.

In a recent conversation with Adam Pacman Jones and Evan Rosenblum on BetOnline, Cerrone was asked to weigh in on a potential Jones-Aspinall matchup. Without hesitation, he picked Jones and praised him, “I have known Jon for 10 years now, and he is by far the guy that would literally train with the worst training partners or not train at all and still go in there and compete at the highest level. Blows my mind. He has that ‘it’ factor for sure. He is the greatest to ever do it, I believe.”

Cerrone elaborated on why Jones would prevail over Aspinall, “And he’ll go and do what he does to everybody else—make him look like, ‘How was that guy with all the hype?’ You know what I mean? Jon is very good at exposing and making people look like they are not the people they are.”

Cerrone’s newfound admiration for Jones is a stark contrast to their rocky past. For the unversed, their infamous feud also included a direct verbal altercation. This was described by ‘Cowboy’ on an episode of The Fighter and the Kid way back in 2016. At that time, Cerrone talking about Jones’ controversial and exotic life outside the cage riled him up and it nearly resulted in punches being thrown at Jackson Wink MMA where the duo were training partners.

“What had happened was all the UFC cameras were there that day. I came at Jon like, ‘What’s up?’ and he comes at me, puts his God hat on, and got to work. He just said, ‘Cowboy, I just don’t understand. I’m so nice to you, always try to help you, and this is how you treat me? This is how you want to come at me?’ I remember pointing at him like, ‘You motherf**ker”

After the dust settled, Jones openly admitted to his struggles outside the Octagon. Moreover, his relationship with Cerrone took a surprising turn—they became friends. With the entire combat sports community fixated on this dream matchup, we even asked AI for its take on a potential Jones vs. Aspinall matchup—because when it comes to settling debates, no stone should be left unturned!

AI weighs in on the potential Jones vs. Aspinall showdown

After gathering opinions from UFC pundits, it’s time to consult AI as the final arbiter. So, what does ChatGPT have to say about the heated Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall debate? Interestingly, the friendly neighborhood AI leaned toward Aspinall, presenting a compelling case for the interim heavyweight champ.

Aspinall’s grappling game, honed from a young age under his father’s guidance, is one of his standout skills. Combine that with his speed, agility, and sheer force, and you have a fighter poised to challenge even Jones. According to the chatbot, Aspinall’s key to victory lies in maintaining an aggressive, attacking stance and controlling the fight’s tempo. Although both fighters wield devastating right hands, the Brit could use his explosive striking as a critical advantage.

While Jones may have his sights set on Alex Pereira for legacy reasons, a fight with Aspinall could add immense value to his resume. So, will Cerrone’s bold prediction come true, or will ChatGPT’s analysis reign supreme? Let the debate rage on—and share your thoughts in the comments below!