Last week, following his victory over former two-time champion Stipe Miocic in the heart of the “Big Apple,” UFC heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones made a surprising reversal of his earlier retirement stance. This shift led UFC president Dana White to “wink” at Tom Aspinall, signaling the confirmation of a unification title bout and reigniting fans’ excitement for what is being touted as the “biggest” heavyweight showdown between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.

Since earlier this year, Tom Aspinall has set his sights on Jon Jones in his quest to become the leader of the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Jones had expressed a preference for facing UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, which Dana White initially shut down. However, White made it clear in the post-fight interview that a potential fight between Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall may be on the horizon.

As the fight gains momentum and sparks interest among fans, many are wondering if the younger Aspinall can overcome Jones. While many analysts favor Aspinall’s chances, fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen offers a different perspective. Let’s see what he has to say.

Chael Sonnen challenges the narrative of Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones

Will fans witness Tom Aspinall defeating Jon Jones? Many hope so, with various odds earlier this year speculating a scenario where Aspinall could rise as the fan favorite, potentially dethroning Jon Jones’ long-held dominance.

However, the topic has sparked considerable discussion within the MMA community, particularly on Submission Radio, where Chael Sonnen weighed in on the potential matchup. When asked for his prediction, Sonnen shared insights from a conversation he had with Tom Aspinall, who had also watched Jon Jones’ impressive victory over Stipe Miocic. Despite Jones’ dominant performance, Aspinall was underwhelmed, describing Jones as “slow” while expressing his thoughts to Sonnen.

Sonnen challenged the narrative surrounding Aspinall, emphasizing his concerns about Aspinall’s ability to finish fights quickly. Sonnen said, “One thing that worries me about Aspinall is what people only praise him for, which is that he’s only been out of the first round a couple of times. People praise him for that, but he had to go almost seven minutes to finish Andrei Arlovski. I don’t like that. I think that’s a problem.”

While continuing, Sonnen also reminded everyone of Jon Jones’ ability to push fights into later rounds, something that was evident this past weekend. Now, with Jones’ first title defense in the pipeline, what about the potential showdown between Jon Jones and Alex Pereira? What’s the fan sentiment surrounding this matchup, and is there any indication from Dana White on when this fight might take place?

Dana White will only make the Jones-Pereira fight under one condition

Earlier this year, after successfully defending his light heavyweight title against Jiří Procházka at UFC 295, Alex Pereira made it clear that his time at 205 pounds was likely coming to an end, revealing his ambition to step up to the heavyweight division to make history as a three-division champion. While a potential showdown with either Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall has gained significant traction, the possibility of Aspinall facing Jones has fans gunning for that fight. What about Dana White? What does he think about the drama in the heavyweight division?

During the UFC 309 post-fight press conference, Dana White shot down the idea of Pereira fighting Jones, claiming, “There is no f-king way I make the Pereira fight.” White also emphasized that Jon Jones must first fulfill his responsibility as the division leader and take on Tom Aspinall for the unification title. That said, White left the door open for a potential Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira fight, but only under one condition. White explained, “Now as he sits where he sits, it’s his obligation to give it to the younger guy and give him that opportunity. But if he beats Tom Aspinall, then yes, I would do the Alex Pereira fight.”

Do you believe that Tom Aspinall’s gas tank could genuinely be an issue when he potentially faces Jon Jones, despite Aspinall being around 7 years younger? Drop your opinion below.