UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones returns to the Octagon on Saturday night as he puts the undisputed UFC heavyweight title on the line against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. But, ahead of his bout with the former two-time champion, Jones had to fend off questions about another heavyweight ahead of his return to action at Madison Square Garden.
Jones’ recent comments stating that he isn’t interested in fighting the UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall have prompted plenty of reaction online, with fans and pundits alike weighing in with their views on Jones’ apparent unwillingness to face the consensus top contender in the weight division Jones currently rules as champion.
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Jon Jones denies ducking Tom Aspinall ahead of UFC 309
During a media day session in New York, reporters quizzed Jones on both Miocic and Aspinall. Jones attempted to clarify his position as he doubled down on his thoughts and reiterated his interest in a potential fight with reigning light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
“I feel like narratives have been created that just truly aren’t there,” he began.
“You can’t duck a man that you were never scheduled to fight. It’s like saying you got turned down by a girl you never even hit on. You know what I’m saying?Â
“Me and Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) have never sat down and talked about Tom Aspinall. He’s never been on my radar. Never.”
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Jon Jones explains why he doesn’t want to face Tom Aspinall next
Having operated at the very top of the sport for more than a decade, Jones has had to deal with a conveyor belt of contenders heading his way. He successfully turned back every challenge at 205 pounds. But now it looks like Jones may have grown tired of that churn and instead wants to face fighters that will add to his legacy.
“I find myself constantly in the same position of, ‘Oh, wow. He just beat another guy. What’s next?’ You know what I mean?” he said.
“Like when I beat Glover Teixeira, he was on a 20-fight winning streak, and you beat Glover, and then everything just moves on. So, for me personally, now it’s just like, I get that Tom is an exciting fighter. I get that, finally, after 16 years, we found somebody who’s seven years younger than me and 30 pounds bigger than me, we finally found someone who may give me a great challenge, and everyone wants to see it so bad. But for me, it’s like, what’s in it for me?
“He changes nothing if I beat him. Beating Tom is just like beating Ciryl Gane. He has a whole country behind him. He’s hot right now. What happens to me after I beat him? Nothing changes for me. So, I’m not ducking Tom Aspinall.Â
“If I failed to fight Stipe, I would be ducking Stipe, because we contractually have been signed up to fight over a year ago. This is Stipe’s position. The Tom narrative came out of nowhere. He won a belt, and now suddenly I’m ducking him. I’ve never had negotiations to even fight him, if this makes sense.
“So, the fans are just ignoring it. They’re ignoring all logic, and they just have finally found someone that they think can compete with me, and everyone wants to see it now.”
