In the lead up to UFC 309, one man sits on the sidelines looking at the heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. The UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall has repeatedly been snubbed by divisional champion Jon Jones for a title unification bout, much to the ire of fight fans. It doesn’t help Aspinall’s case that Jones is unequivocally backed by UFC president Dana White. What’s even worse for the Englishman is the fact that Jones has expressed an interest in fighting Alex Pereira next, instead of unifying the interim and undisputed titles. While journalist Luke Thomas has blatantly accused Jones of ducking Aspinall, former UFC fighter and insider Brendan Schaub has stated that ‘Bones’ has every right to turn down ‘Honey Badger’.

In a recent Instagram video, ‘Big Brown’ shared the thought that while Aspinall needs Jon Jones to further his UFC career, it’s not the same for Jones. He further added that Aspinall’s constant accusation of Jones ducking him in favor of Stipe Miocic, is disrespectful towards ‘Stone Cold’ who is widely considered the UFC’s greatest heavyweight champion ever. Brendan Schaub further laid out Jones’ true plan and reveals why the heavyweight fighter is going against Aspinall’s wishes.

He said, “I think this will be a much tougher fight than you think. I think it’s going to push the narrative of ‘Man, Jon’s lost a step, and that just builds the momentum for whatever he does next.’ Whether he retires, whether he fights Alex, whether he fights Tom. This just builds it.” Schaub further added, “Jon is playing the game. Jon’s playing the game. ‘I’m not worried about Tom; I’ll fight Alex.’ That builds this narrative. It’s the ‘Real Housewives’ of the UFC. It’s a soap f***in opera.”

To play the Devil’s Advocate for Jon Jones, he has been with the UFC for 15+ years, and has been a company man through and through. Despite his out-of-Octagon antics, Jones maintained his dominance in the fight game, disposing of whoever the company put in front of him. In that sense, the heavyweight champion has the right to call his shots. MMA storylines and matchups aren’t one-size-fits-all, and the narrative for Jon Jones is much different from any fighter who has fought under the promotion’s banner. Not just Jones or Dana White, but even Jon Jones’ coach feels like the heavyweight champion has earned the right to choose his opponents.

Jon Jones’ coach claims rules aren’t the same for all

During a recent interview with Shak MMA, Jon Jones’ coach Brandon Gibson shared his belief that ‘Bones’ does not have to obey the rules unlike other fighters who don’t share his accolades or stature in the promotion – “When you’re trying to, you know, claim a matchup against the greatest of all time, sometimes the rules aren’t the same. It’s not always about who’s next in line, and a mandatory title defense. This is Jon Jones, and he’s the one that’s in control of his legacy.”

Coach Gibson went on to explain how important luck and circumstance are in securing a historic bout like Tom Aspinall sought versus Jon Jones. He remembered how ‘Bones’ was lucky to face the then-UFC light heavyweight title Mauricio Shogun Rua in 2011, after stepping in as a replacement for Rashad Evans withdrawing from the bout. Gibson believes Aspinall was simply unlucky in this case and will have to accept it as being part of the game.

This development is quite disappointing for fight fans as many think Tom Aspinall is true champion of the heavyweight division. However, it seems more unlikely that a title unification bout will come easily to the Englishman, given the heavyweight champion’s wishes to face Alex Pereira. As fans, we’ll just have wait for UFC 309 to conclude, to gain a sense of where this story is headed.

Regardless, what is your take on Brendan Schaub’s assessment of the whole situation? Do you think he’s right in backing Jon Jones against Tom Aspinall? Let us know in the comments below.