The oddsmakers might need to reassess their evaluation of the fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall because a former UFC champion seems to disagree with their choice of the favorite and the underdog. Eddie Alvarez recently chimed into the discussion about the big-time heavyweight clash, leaning more towards ‘Bones’ to hand the Briton a defeat similar to Ciryl Gane.

Jon Jones only needed a couple of minutes to deal with Ciryl Gane, who, at that time, was considered to be the best heavyweight, according to Dana White. Similarly, Eddie Alvarez believes a similar story will unfold against Tom Aspinall. “When I see the Aspinall fight, I just see Jon taking him down and doing what does to him on the ground the same way he did to Ciryl Gane,” the former UFC champion told Ariel Helwani ahead of his BKFC KnuckleMania 5 showdown.

Nevertheless, Eddie Alvarez hasn’t downplayed what Tom Aspinall is capable of. While he admitted that the Greater Manchester native has some unusual skills for a fight at heavyweight, he still doesn’t see how he can excel on the ground against Jon Jones, because there’s a high percentage possibility that he succumbs to a submission loss.

“Aspinall is, like, a crazy dangerous threat standing up. He moves like a lightweight. Crazy athletic. But none of that matters when you’re on the ground. I feel like that allure of Tom Aspinall being so great—the movement, the speed, the athleticism—all goes really out the window when Jon rips him to the floor and submits him,” Eddie Alvarez further stated.

The 29-6 (1 NC) former UFC fighter also added that even Tom Aspinall‘s black belt won’t help him against Jon Jones because if what some of the most dominant UFC champions have shown, it’s wrestling that can change the whole game. “I Don’t care if you have a black belt. I’m more concerned with your wrestling. Cause look, you get punched, you go from black belt to purple belt, then you get punched again, and you’re a white belt. I’ve submitted so many black belts after a few shots to the head. Your black belt doesn’t mean anything,” Eddie Alvarez added.

So far, Tom Aspinall has had to face defeat thrice in his professional MMA career. While the second one happened due to an injury, his first two losses came way back before he entered the UFC, and interestingly, one of his former rivals outside of the UFC, who defeated him, seems to have sided with the oddsmakers when it comes to predicting an outcome against Jon Jones.

The first person to finish Tom Aspinall fancies his chances against Jon Jones

During his time fighting under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, or BAMMA, Tom Aspinall saw himself getting submitted by Stuart Austin, handing the now-UFC interim champion his first MMA loss. Having shared the cage with the Greater Manchester native, Austin has seen how Aspinall has developed into the killer that he is today.

It was after a video of Stuart Austin defeating the now-UFC star popped up on social media that prompted a reaction from him. In his response, he believes that when ‘Bones’ steps inside the Octagon with Aspinall, he will learn that the self-proclaimed ‘Honey Badger’ is the “real deal.”

“I’m the guy from the video and personally I think Tom has got better [and] I think he KO’s Jon,” Tom Aspinall’s former rival stated on social media. “I think Aspinall is the real deal [and] I saw errors in what Jones was doing that I don’t hear anyone talking about [so] I’m pretty sure Tom’s team will have seen them as well.”

What are your thoughts on all the predictions regarding the outcome of a Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall fight? Drop your comments below.