Jon Jones’ Coach Predicts Tom Aspinall Fight Amid Negotiations for UFC Title Bout

Last year, Jon Jones decimated Stipe Miocic to defend his heavyweight title for the very first time. As he celebrated his victory inside the Octagon, ‘Bones’ asserted that he would not retire from the sport and would take on new exciting challenges ahead. This opened the doors for the interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall to call out the heavyweight champion for a clash but the result? Jones appears to want a hefty $30 million for the fight, and the UFC is scrambling to make the fight happen. Amidst the chaos, the British fighter has claimed that he has agreed to the battle but what about team Jon Jones?

In his most recent escapade, Tom Aspinall came forward to assert that he had already given his approval for the fight: “I have said yes to the Jones fight. I’d imagine I’m gonna find out in the next couple of weeks. ” He is waiting for ‘Team Bones’ to respond, but are they willing to fight? Tom Aspinall is a scary individual, who has been knocking out opponents in the first round. Of his 15 MMA victories, 14 were achieved via first-round finishes. Jon Jones might have a tough time dealing with someone who has such a mighty finishing rate. Does that mean Aspinall is a perfect fighter?

Well, according to Jon Jones’s head coach Brandon Gibson, Aspinall has holes in his tactics and they could exploit it if they want. While having a conversation with ‘From The Stands,’ YouTube handle, Gibson emphasized that Aspinall might appear to be a perfect fighter. However, he has tons of holes in his fights that could be exploited, “There’s still plenty of habits, tendencies, and repetitive motions to identify, develop a game plan and strategy on, and capitalize on. That’s what we do, and we’re pretty good at it too.”

He further added, “Yeah, you know, each fighter brings their own unique challenges, and Tom has a lot of great gifts, but no fighter is perfect. Jon has made a career out of exploiting flaws and tendencies. I actually just saw Cain Velasquez’s quote in an interview, where Cain said he’s seen some of these tendencies, and he believes John will exploit them as well. So, obviously, I believe in Jon, I believe in our team, and I believe in the work we’ve done. Tom brings a lot of unique challenges, but I think we’re open and willing to solve that puzzle.”

What makes Jon Jones the most terrifying fighter of all time? Is it his ability to turn his opponents into punching bags, or is it his capacity to leave them unconscious, as he did with Lyoto Machida? None of these are the right answer. It is the immense homework he undertakes to find loopholes in his opponent’s game plan. Fight IQ is something that is very important in MMA fights and Jones has mastered this area to near perfection.

Yet, Tom Aspinall is a unique case. Why? Because the fighter has seen the second round only a few times. This makes the interim heavyweight champion an anomaly for Team Bones. But according to the Jones’ camp they already have the answer to this. Interestingly, former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez also thinks that Jones can defeat the interim heavyweight champ, thanks to his ability to find loopholes. However, former middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen begs to differ.

Chael Sonnen issues a reality check to Cain Velasquez on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall prediction

In his most recent escapade with Ariel Helwani, former two-time heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez praised Jon Jones‘s ability to make sure his opponents don’t know what he is up to. In his conversation with the renowned MMA journalist, Velasquez asserted, “So me just watching him, I kind of saw his pattern a little bit—in striking, the way he comes in and strikes. I think Jon sees it too. Jon, he studies, man.” Using deceptive techniques while leaving his opponents confused is something that Jones has mastered. Regardless, Chael Sonnen had a different take.

In his conversation with his audience on his YouTube handle, the former middleweight title contender asserted that he doesn’t agree with Velasquez’s take, “If anyone who’s got a right for opinion it’s Cain fr–king Velasquez. But it’s the opinion of a human being and could it be. Could it be that he clings to an era? It was a pretty in-depth and breakdown analysis by Cain. Let’s start with Tom this is Cain talking let’s Start with Tom. Tom has patterns as fighters we all have patterns. I have patterns everyone has patterns.” 

There’s no doubt that Cain Velasquez is one of the greatest heavyweight of all time but the game of MMA has changed a bit too much since he retired from the sport. Chael Sonnen believes that the game planning against Aspinall might work. However, it might not mean a certain victory for the heavyweight champion.

Regardless, what’s your take on the analogy? Do you believe that ‘Team Bones’ has the right answer to Tom Aspinall’s relentless force or will Jon Jones become the new victim of the British fighter? State your opinion in the comments below.