Jon Jones has no plans to fight Tom Aspinall.
On November 16, ‘Bones’ will return to the Octagon for the first time since his quickfire submission victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. On that night, Jones claimed the vacant UFC heavyweight world championship. 20 months later, he’ll finally defend it when he meets the division’s consensus GOAT, Stipe Miocic, in the UFC 309 headliner at Madison Square Garden.
While Jones vs. Miocic will see two of the best in UFC history go toe-to-toe on MMA’s biggest stage, much of the hype surrounding their fight has been focused on what comes next. More specifically, will Jon Jones fight interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall should he come out on top against Miocic.
Jones had previously left the door open for a fight with Aspinall, but he seems to have slammed it shut during a recent interview with Kevin Iole.
“If there were to be a fight of a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it but legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira,” Jones said ahead of UFC 309. “Alex Pereira and I, we’re both 37 years old. Right now I weigh about 235 [pounds]. I’m an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240.
“I think that fight would go much farther on my legacy than a young man who’s cool today and maybe gone tomorrow.”
The “young man” Jones is referring to is, of course, Aspinall—an 8-1 heavyweight fighter under the UFC banner who has finished all but one of his opponents in the first round. The only man to make it past the opening five minutes was Andrei Arlovski.
Aspinall ultimately made him tap out 69 seconds into the second stanza to keep his 100% finish rate intact.
“More than likely not [fighting Tom Aspinall],” Jones revealed. “I feel like Tom Aspinall is, I don’t want to say nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything. He hasn’t done anything. I understand that he won his belt against Sergei [Pavlovich]. Sergei just got slaughtered by [Alexander Volkov]. I’m not here to gamble someone else making a name off of me.
“I’m here to compete against the guys when we look back 10 years from now like ‘Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy and this legend and this champion and this champion.’”
Jon Jones says he will “probably not” defend his title against Tom Aspinall if he beats Stipe Miocic at #UFC309
He also says if he fights again after Stipe, it will probably be against Alex Pereira
🎥 @KevinI #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/kIwVHdatJt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 7, 2024
We wonder where Jon Jones would be today if ‘Shogun’ Rua had that same attitude when the UFC asked him to give a 23-year-old ‘Bones’ an opportunity in 2011.
Jon Jones Excited to Use 12-to-6 Elbows After Recent Rule Change
When Jon Jones steps into the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years, he’ll have a whole new set of rules to play around with. As of November 1, the unified rules of MMA saw a significant update—chief among them being an abolishment of the ban prohibiting 12-to-6 elbows.
Though most fight fans have seen it as an unnecessary rule for many years, 12-to-6 elbows have had little impact on MMA fights—with one glaring exception.
In 2009, Jones was infamously disqualified for using the then-illegal maneuver against Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale.
Throw back to when Matt Hamill defeated Jon Jones with devastating head shots from the bottom. He is the only man to ever beat Jones. Think Ciryl Gane can be only the second man ever to defeat Jones at UFC 285?🔥 pic.twitter.com/4OMRu9buZv
— Conor Vanzant🇳🇪 (@ConorVanzant209) February 28, 2023
With the recent rule change, Jones is looking forward to unleashing some 12-to-6 elbows against Miocic.
“It just makes me wish that that disqualification was overturned,” Jones said. “That’s the biggest feeling that I have once I learned that the rule is no more. On the other hand, I accept the move more than ever now, and I’ve been training extensively on different 12-6 elbow attacks.
“It’s funny because it’s been such a big no-no move, and so you train yourself not to go there. Now, to be able to use that strike – I mean, it’s a very devastating strike. It just opens up so many more options, both on the feet and in the top position. I’m excited to hopefully be one of the first UFC athletes to legally display it at Madison Square Garden.”
Jones’ controversial loss against Hamill remains the only blemish on his otherwise spotless record.
“In this next fight, I feel like I will be putting myself in some really great positions to land the technique, and I’m really looking forward to it,” Jones said.
