Michael Bisping believes Jon Jones‘ legacy is at stake.
The two-division UFC Champion hasn’t fought since winning the heavyweight title at UFC 285, where he submitted Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes. Injury prevented Jones from defending the strap against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295, saving that title fight for another day.
Following this, an interim title would be created and won by England’s Tom Aspinall— who destroyed Sergei Pavlovich in the first round of their encounter. The Brit has been campaigning for a title unification bout with Jones ever since.
Unfortunately for Aspinall, it looks like ‘Bones’ is only on board with fighting original opponent Miocic next and there’s no guarantee he sticks around to face the interim title-holder.
Bisping Argues There’s (A Bit) More To Prove For Jon Jones
Despite already having one of he best resumes in MMA, former UFC Champ Bisping believes Jones must fight Aspinall before he calls it a career.
“I always said him going up to heavyweight– he doesn’t need to stick around for a long time and defeat the best up and coming contenders,” Bisping said of Jones on his YouTube channel. “He doesn’t need to do that. He’s got nothing to prove. His resume at 205 was ridiculous. Comes up to heavyweight, beats Cyril. Beat Stipe… he needs that third fight.
“You have to beat somebody to become the champ. You have to beat Stipe to be considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, and then you have to beat the number 1 contender. He doesn’t have anything to prove other than he can beat Tom Aspinall.”
Bisping On What Will ‘Forever Be The Narrative’
Bisping thinks Jones’ legacy could take a major hit if he doesn’t take on Aspinall.
“If he does retire right now, that is always going to be the narrative,” Bisping continued. “There’s people out there, and I know this annoys Jones, so I’m sorry to bring it up: people say that he avoided Francis Ngannou. I’m not saying that, but that’s a narrative that exists. I don’t think that’s true, but people do say that. As I say, he’s a sensitive guy. Fight us off, especially when you attack our work. So that annoys him. If he doesn’t fight Tom Aspinall, if he beats Stipe, that will forever be the narrative.
“That will forever be the narrative that he’s ducking Tom Aspinall, that he’s afraid of Tom Aspinall, that he looks at Tom Aspinall, this gigantic man, a true heavyweight that moves like a middleweight, that has ridiculous finishing ability. A heavyweight Georges St-Pierre. A mixed martial arts version of Muhammad Ali. That is what I think Tom Aspinall will go down as and that will be the person that Jones will be forever accused of avoiding in a fight.”
‘How On Earth Can Jon Jones Retire When…’
As a result of this ‘narrative’, Bisping says the ‘incredible’ Jones simply can’t call it quits without first unifying the title.
“He can’t retire without taking out the next top guy. Right? Especially when that next top guy has an interim belt, especially if Tom Aspinall goes out there and defends the interim belt… How on earth can Jon Jones retire when there’s another active defending heavyweight champion? You just can’t do that. That is madness, and it will affect his legacy and tarnish his accomplishments forever.
“Jones is incredible,” Bisping said. “I’m a fan. I say he’s the GOAT, but things change, times change, people change.”
