Demetrious Johnson believes that Tom Aspinall has the right skills and strength to defeat UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Aspinall, who is waiting for a title unification fight with Jones, has been impressive in his career so far. After Jones successfully defended his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Johnson sees Aspinall as the fighter who could challenge Jones.
Demetrious Johnson Breaks Down Why Tom Aspinall Has the Tools to Beat Jon Jones
Despite Jones wanting a big paycheck for a potential fight, Johnson thinks Aspinall has what it takes to beat him.
“I think Tom Aspinall has the speed, the athleticism and the power to give Jon Jones problems,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “Tom Aspinall is still young, and he’s still getting better, but I think this version of Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is very – Tom Aspinall can beat him.
“I feel comfortable saying that just because you have somebody who’s going to take the fight to Jon Jones and not be scared. Now, can Tom Aspinall run into one of those elbows and a spinning back sh*t and a flying knee? One thousand percent.”
Demetrious Johnson says that right now, the best fighters at heavyweight are Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, and then Tom Aspinall. He thinks Ngannou would be a really tough fighter for Jones, too.
“I wish I would have seen Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall because once again, I still think the heavyweight king of the world is probably Francis Ngannou because he never lost the heavyweight championship,” Johnson said. “He knocked out Stipe Miocic, and that was when Stipe Miocic was a little bit more active. …
“I think Francis has the power factor and the athleticism, and I bet you he can probably defend Jon Jones’ takedown, and I bet you he can probably deal with Jon Jones’ range.”
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Dana White, the UFC boss, wants Jon Jones to fight Tom Aspinall, but Jon says he wants a big payday before agreeing to the fight. Jon is also more interested in facing UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, but Dana White isn’t as excited about that matchup.
