We may never actually see Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall step inside the Octagon against one another, but that hasn’t stopped the two heavyweight titleholders from trading jabs on social media.
After claiming the interim heavyweight belt at UFC 295, Aspinall has been angling for a title unification clash with ‘Bones’ on social media and in interviews. However, Jones and the UFC seem intent on rescheduling the superfight between Jones and former two-time champ Stipe Miocic that was originally scheduled to go down the night Aspinall claimed his first piece of UFC gold.
As a result, Aspinall has grown increasingly frustrated by being forced to sit out and wait for the winner.
Now it appears even that is an exercise in futility for Aspinall and fight fans as Jones recently hinted online that he will walk away from the sport once adding Miocic to his laundry list of accomplishments.
What I refuse to do is be like a lot of these other fighters who stuck around too long. That just won’t happen. Your boy Bones Jones over here, despite what a lot of people may like to think. Ive set myself up pretty well in life. I want Stipe for my résumé, outside of that, I…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 9, 2024
During a recent episode of their WEIGHING IN podcast, ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh Thomson shared their take on the ongoing feud between Jones and Aspinall. McCarthy kicked things off by suggesting that ‘Bones’ is simply opting to take the easier fight by choosing Miocic over Aspinall.
“Right now, he is the GOAT, but he’s looking for the easier fight,” McCarthy said. “Tom Aspinall is the tougher fight. There is no doubt about it. If you’re going to take Tom Aspinall and Stipe Miocic, and I’m not putting Stipe down in any way. I don’t want anyone to look at it that way.
“It’s just that he’s older. He’s slower. He’s past his prime. Tom Aspinall is not. He’s bigger. He’s faster and he hasn’t even reached his prime. So if you’re Jon Jones, which guy do you want to fight?”
Josh Thomson Believes Jon Jones Should Do The Right Things and Give Up the Heavyweight Title
Josh Thomson argued that if Jones truly plans on calling it quits after the Miocic fight, there is no reason for him to hang onto the heavyweight title and hold up an entire division.
“He is a great fighter, but when it comes to the pay-per-view dollars and the pay-per-view numbers, nobody is going to give a sh*t whether he has a title around his waist or not,” Thomson added. “People will still pay to watch that fight and if he knows that this is going to be his last fight, no matter what, there’s no reason for him to keep the title.
“He’s already pulled up saying I don’t want to be the guy who sticks around too long. I want to be the guy who fights Stipe and then he’s pretty much gone.”
McCarthy was quick to squash the idea that Jones should willingly give up the heavyweight title, though he did acknowledge that ‘Bones’ made a mistake in hinting at his potential retirement instead of just asking Aspinall to stay patient while he handles some unfinished business.
“Jon made the mistake of not sitting there and just saying, ‘Wait your turn young man. It’ll be coming and I’m gonna let you realize why you made a mistake in wanting it to happen so fast.’ That’s what Jon should have done, even if he walked away,” McCarthy said. “But he didn’t do that. He put it out there that basically, ‘I’m gonna do this last fight. I’m gonna beat Stipe. It does something for my legacy that I beat the guy who was the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in the UFC.’
“I don’t think it’s going to do anything for his legacy. Let’s be honest, but okay. But you’re fighting a Stipe that is not even close to the guy that he once was.”
While Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is an exciting fight on paper, it represents a heavyweight title bout between two fighters who have competed a combined three times in the last four years and, by all accounts, won’t be returning to the Octagon once their long-awaited clash is in the books.
“It’s not a great fight. Let’s just put it the way it is,” McCarthy added. “It’s not. Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones? Now you’re talking about a great fight.”
Watch the full segment below:
