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Jon Jones Explains Disinterest in Tom Aspinall Fight Ahead of UFC 309

"I would literally be in the same position I am now."

Drew Beaupre

(Chris Graythen/Getty Images

UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones recently outlined his reasoning for not fighting Tom Aspinall in his response to a fan question on social media.

Jones Claims Aspinall Fight Would "Change Nothing"

Scheduled to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Stipe Miocic this weekend at Madison Square Garden, Jones has had to field far more queries regarding the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion than Miocic during the months leading up to UFC 309.

Jon Jones Reacts to UFC Fans Calling Him a Duck for Dismissing Tom Aspinall Fight

Jones and Miocic were originally meant to square off in the Octagon at UFC 295 last year, but when “Bones” was forced off the card with a pec injury the UFC set up an interim title bout that saw Aspinall floor Sergei Pavlovich in just over a minute to win the belt.

Many fans were outraged when the UFC elected to rebook Jones vs. Miocic rather than schedule a heavyweight title unification bout, and while responding to some fan questions online “Bones” explained his reasoning for not being interested in the Aspinall fight.

Aspinall joined the UFC in 2020 and bested Jake Collier in just 45 seconds before collecting four more stoppage-wins, but a main event booking against Curtis Blayes at UFC London ended in disappointment when the 31-year-old suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into the fight.

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There was some serious concern about how Aspinall might look upon his return from such a devastating injury, but after making short work of Marcin Tybura in London he went on to win the interim belt against Pavlovich and defended the title in a rematch with Blaydes in July at UFC 304.

Jon Jones Explains Disinterest in Tom Aspinall Fight Ahead of UFC 309
Tom Aspinall (top) of England knocks out Curtis Blaydes of the U.S. in the interim UFC heavyweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 28, 2024 in Manchester, England. / (Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images

Miocic’s name would certainly be a notable addition to Jones’ already-impressive record given that the 42-year-old is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight of all time, but the two-time champion also hasn’t fought since suffering a knockout-loss in his rematch with Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 back in 2021.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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