Does Tom Aspinall know what it’s like to swim in deep waters with the sharks of MMA? Does he know what it’s like to fight more than 5 rounds with heavyweight veterans like Stipe Miocic and Cain Velasquez? Well, we got a straight response from the interim heavyweight champ after his UFC 304 triumph last year. “I prepare for a hard five rounds every time! I always get the same thing from my opponents. ‘We are gonna drag him into deep waters.’ The reason I have never been to them place is because no one is good enough to take me yet. And it’s not me being cocky, it’s the reality. Brilliant. I’m prepared for it. Take me there. Please. Because I’ve never been there and I want to see how it goes myself.” 

Emphatic right? The English juggernaut has won 8 of his 9 Octagon bouts and is currently riding a 3-fight winning streak. His last bout was almost 500 days ago, when he faced Curtis Blaydes for the interim belt at the aforementioned UFC 304. But here’s a mind-boggling fact: out of all his UFC wins, seven ended in the first round, and the only one that made it past was against Andrei Arlovski—and that fight only went into the second. Moreover, his average fight time in the UFC sits at blistering 2:02 minutes, the shortest in company history.

Now let’s talk about the GOAT, Jon Jones. This is a man who’s gone the distance in countless UFC fights. Five-round wars? That’s been part of Jones’ game for years. It takes elite cardio and grit to do what he’s done. Meanwhile, Aspinall has long been eyeing a title unification bout with ‘Bones’. But with repeated delays and Dana White’s public interest floating around, fans are still waiting for a date to be set. Once that day comes, the big question is: will Aspinall be able to hold his ground when it comes to cardio? UFC color commentator Joe Rogan and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria have their doubts.

In a recent episode of the JRE MMA Show (#166), Rogan spoke with ‘La Leyenda’, and their two-hour-long conversation naturally landed on the Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones saga. Rogan didn’t hold back: “That’s great, but it’s also not great because he [Aspinall] doesn’t have any deep water experience. You know if you’re fighting a guy like, imagine if he fought Stipe when Stipe was in his prime, or he fought Cain, you can’t have one-round fights and expect to beat Cain Velasquez in a 5 round war. Because the chances are you’re not gonna catch him in the first round and he’s gonna his cardio is just like an alien.”

Topuria then entered the conversation with an important observation, “You know, at the same time, you don’t know how he’s going to look at the 4th and 5th rounds.” But Rogan stuck to his point: “Sure, he might be great, but he doesn’t have that experience. So in his head, you’ve got to think there’s got to be something, no matter how confident he is. There’s gotta be a couple of questions.”

The UFC commentator further added about the difference between Aspinall and the undisputed champ’s mindset, “If you’ve never been to, like Jon has no questions right. There’s no question in Jon Jones’ head. He’s gone through five-round wars like the Gustafsson fight. Like a war with no training and wins. He knows he has what it takes. He’s got heart, it’s undeniable. So there’s no question, but with Aspinall, it’s like, yeah, he could get everybody out of there. He’s got the confidence that he gets everybody out of there, that’s for sure.”

Let’s be honest—Jones may have a controversial past, with legal troubles and PED accusations shadowing parts of his career, but inside the Octagon, he’s an undeniable force of nature. Few have even come close to dethroning him. Names like Dominick Reyes, Alexander Gustafsson, and Thiago Santos pushed him to the edge in closely contested, sometimes controversial decisions.

Jones has spent years dominating elite light heavyweights and now heavyweights, proving himself as one of the greatest dual-weight champions in UFC history. Still, not everyone is convinced it’s a smart matchup for Jones. UFC legend Vitor Belfort recently told Helen Yee, “Aspinall’s a risky fight for him. Aspinall would be great to see, but I mean, that guy is too young. He’s in his prime. It’s a risky fight for him. I don’t recommend that fight for him [Jones].” It’s a sentiment some fans share—why risk legacy against a surging, hungry contender?

But Aspinall isn’t backing down. In fact, he’s getting cheeky. At UFC London, he taunted Jones by holding up a rubber duck, accusing the heavyweight champ of ducking their showdown. And now, the Brit has issued yet another warning to the 37-year-old: he’s coming for him, duck or no duck.

Tom Aspinall sends yet another warning to Jon Jones

The Brit recently took to Instagram with a sharp jab—figuratively and literally—at Jon Jones. In a video showing off his lightning-fast combinations on a heavy bag, Aspinall added a pointed caption: “Blink and you’re in danger 👊🦆.” For fans in the know, that little duck emoji speaks volumes. Aspinall has repeatedly accused the heavyweight champ of “ducking” him, even bringing a rubber duck to UFC London and wordlessly presenting it to the media—an unsubtle dig at Jones’ alleged avoidance.

Aspinall’s campaign to get the fight he believes he’s earned hasn’t just been theatrical. He and his team recently met with UFC matchmaker Hunter Campbell to make their case. Speaking to The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Aspinall gave some insight into what went down: “We had a fantastic meeting… I understand my position now, I understand what the company’s doing now, and you’ve got to stay tuned because there’s some big news coming.”

That tease has fans buzzing. Meanwhile, UFC boss Dana White added more fuel to the fire during a chat with TNT Sports, confirming that a bout between Jones and Aspinall is 100% on the cards. So the question now isn’t if, but when. With both men healthy and hungry, all signs point to a showdown that could define the division. What’s your take—will we see Jones vs. Aspinall by the end of 2025? And who walks out with the undisputed gold? Let us know your picks in the comment section below!