“He has not proven anything,” said Jon Jones when he downplayed Tom Aspinall‘s standing in the heavyweight division, triggering many members of the UFC community. However, his coach, Brandon Gibson, appears to claim that the undisputed champion always knew who the interim champion was during his time off, and what he’s capable of.

Yes, you’ve heard exactly right! Although Jon Jones doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about a potential title unification fight against Tom Aspinall, he and his camp were dialed into the Englishman’s rise when Jones was still out of action during his 3-year layoff. Moreover, he and his camp didn’t seem too shocked to see how far Aspinall has come.

“[Aspinall’s rise in the UFC was] no surprise at all. Back in the day when Jon was originally making his move up to heavyweight, we thought Francis was gonna be the opponent. We were studying the heavyweight landscape. Aspinall was a guy that we always had our eye on… for years now,” Jon Jones’s coach said on ‘Submission Radio’.

The initial consensus for Jones was a big-time heavyweight clash against the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, Francis Ngannou, but his departure made his camp shift their attention to another rival, Stipe Miocic, whom he called out after his triumphant return at UFC 285. In the present scenario, Jones has been the focal point of ridicule as he is getting called out for ‘ducking’ Tom Aspinall, who is the backup fighter for UFC 309’s headliner.

Brandon Gibson was all praises when it came to Tom Aspinall, which was surprising considering Jon Jones had been snubbing Tom Aspinall and throwing barbs at the interim champion for quite some time. But his coach got honest with his opinion on the Brit, claiming that he’s skills are a “powerful thing.”

“He’s very smooth, great takedowns, quick, you know, he’s a finisher, and in heavyweight, that’s a powerful thing. He has incredible footwork in defense. So, Aspinall’s been a guy who we’ve always had our eye on, for sure,” Gibson added. Meanwhile, when ‘Bones’ shared those statements about the self-proclaimed ‘Honey Badger’ having some more proving to do, it appeared to some as if he was trying to avoid the Englishman. But the heavyweight king claims that isn’t the case.

Jon Jones claims he’s not ‘ducking’ Tom Aspinall

Fans on social media didn’t seem to buy what Jon Jones was selling when he downplayed Tom Aspinall. For them, those claims indicate a sense of avoidance from the undisputed champ’s side. They believe that Jones’s snub stems from the fact that he doesn’t want to take on Aspinall inside the Octagon, but the supposed greatest of all time claims, while denying that sentiment, that it doesn’t make any difference to him.

“I see quite a few people in here calling me a duck. I’m a duck. Call me a duck, call me a chicken,” Jon Jones opened up during an interview with ‘MMA Junkie’. “Call me a GOAT, call me a dog. I’m not in high school anymore, guys. Grown man out here chasing his dreams. It’s funny that we really live in a world where being called a duck should affect me. Guys, come on.”

While this chatter may never end, Jon Jones has another thing to focus on, which is even more important – the legacy fight against Stipe Miocic. The question in everybody’s mind right now is – will Jones fight Tom Aspinall next if he beats the former 2-time champion? Let us know what you think considering the fact that the Englishman has been on his radar for quite some time.