Michael Bisping, once a UFC middleweight champ and now a sharp analyst, shared a big prediction about the heavyweight division. On March 30, 2025, he spoke with Carl Froch on the Froch on Fighting YouTube channel, putting his money on interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall to take down Jon Jones. Bisping sees this fight as a chance for Aspinall to claim the top spot in MMA history, adding weight to the talk of a 2025 title unification bout between the two stars.
Bisping’s Big Call
“Everyone meets their match eventually,” Bisping remarked. “I think Tom Aspinall is the new generation, he’s the new breed, and he will go down probably as the greatest mixed martial artist that we’ve ever had.”
Aspinall snagged the interim belt by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds at UFC 295 in 2023. He followed that up with a 60-second stoppage of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in 2024, defending his title and keeping his UFC record at 8-1, all wins by finish.
Why Aspinall Stands Out
“He’s elite as a heavyweight. [Other heavyweights] are not as quick and as technical and as agile as Tom – Tom’s the whole package… Tom’s like the heavyweight Georges St-Pierre,” Bisping said.
At 31, Aspinall brings a rare mix of power and finesse to the division. He’s been vocal about wanting to unify the belts, pressing the UFC for a shot at Jones, who’s held the full heavyweight title since beating Ciryl Gane in 2023 and last fought in November 2024 against Stipe Miocic.
First-Round Finish Prediction
“[…] I would be very surprised – and this sounds disrespectful – I would be very surprised if it got out the first round,” Bisping added.
Jones, with a 28-1 record and his only loss a 2009 disqualification, has never been finished in the UFC. Bisping, who faced Jones’ era as a fellow fighter but never fought him, knows the champ’s toughness from watching his legendary run at light heavyweight before moving up. Still, he’s betting on Aspinall’s power to change that story in a hurry.
