“He’s Proven Himself Time and Again…”: MMA World Reacts to UFC HW Prospect Tom Aspinall’s Brutal Dig at Jon Jones

The MMA world is only days away from the return of Jon Jones and the excitement could not be any higher. The former UFC light heavyweight champion is returning to action after a three-year hiatus. On March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Jones will face former interim-heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in a fight for the UFC heavyweight title.

Fans and pros are already speculating about how Jones will perform in the cage after such a long break. Furthermore, his return to the biggest division in the UFC only makes things more interesting. While there are those that are expecting Jones to put his masterful skills on display once again, there are others who doubt it as well.

Fellow UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall belongs to the latter category. The 29-year-old recently made some interesting observations about Jon Jones during an interview. He gave his thoughts on what to expect from Jones and he analyzed how Jones would perform at heavyweight.

One of the most exciting prospects in the company, Tom Aspinall, does not believe Jones will dominate the heavyweight division as he did in the light heavyweight division. In an interview with Jamal Niaz, the Englishman gave his breakdown of how Jones would fare at heavyweight.

Tom Aspinall on how Jon Jones will perform at heavyweight

Comparing the two divisions, Aspinall said Jones enjoyed the benefits of his attributes at light heavyweight. He said, “Jon Jones is an amazing wrestler. The massive advantage he has amongst the light heavyweights is he’s got a massive reach advantage.”

He continued, “So he gets a lot of his takedowns with the length of his arms and the leverage that he gets behind his takedowns.”

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However, Aspinall does not think these attributes will help him master the heavyweight division. He added, “I’m not discrediting his wrestling – his wrestling is amazing. But I’m saying the leverage he gets with his size advantage is incredible at light heavyweight, whereas at heavyweight, he’s an average size heavyweight.”

While Aspinall may not have meant any offense, his comment did not sit well with a section of the fans.

Fans react to Aspinall’s comments

Several fans thought Aspinall made a mistake in his observation. Many of them strongly voiced their opinion that Jones would prove Aspinall wrong. Some said that Jones has more skills as a fighter than just his reach. Therefore, he would still be a dominant force at heavyweight.

One fan cited the recent example of Alexander Volkanovski‘s UFC 284 performance to support his argument.

Another fan believed Jones’ talent separated him from the rest of the heavyweights.

Evidently, many fans are confident in Jones thriving at heavyweight. They still believe in his capabilities, despite Aspinall’s professional opinion.

Are you one of them? Do you think Jones will become the new heavyweight champion on March 4? Or do you agree with Aspinall’s observations?

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Let us know in the comments below.