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'Step up and Fight,' 6x UFC Champ Says It's Time Jon Jones Faced His Biggest Threats

Randy Couture weighs in on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall and Francis Ngannou.

Mathew Riddle

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One of 2024's biggest storylines has been the dynamic between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall.

Despite being the consensus GOAT, Jones has stayed rather noncommittal about fighting Aspinall, even though the Brit is entitled to a heavyweight title shot with his interim strap; he's even defended the title, which is unprecedented at heavyweight.

While Jones and Aspinall have explained that they are in negotiations for their next fights, six-time UFC champion Randy Couture believes Jones should be living up to his GOAT moniker.

Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones
Aspinall (Haljestam-USA TODAY SPORTS) / Jones (MMA Junkie)

Randy Couture Believes Jon Jones Should 'Step Up and Fight' Aspinall or Ngannou

Speaking with Talksport, Couture weighed in on Jones beating around the bush. "As much as he [Jones] doesn't wanna fight Francis, he's gonna have trouble avoiding that. Now he says he didn't wanna fight Tom. I mean, why? You're supposedly the GOAT. Step up and fight whoever they want you to fight."

Aspinall-Jones is definitely on the cards for 2025, if the UFC can avoid another Jones-Ngannou situation. Ngannou, the lineal UFC heavyweight champion, departed the promotion in 2023 after botched contract negotiations. Now, the only chance of seeing Jones fight 'The Predator' is by cross-promotion, and Couture is unsure whether Ngannou will even return to MMA.

"It was it was always a dream of his to be in boxing," Couture told MMA Knockout. "Somehow he ended up in MMA. MMA has been pretty good to him. So that's a real question. Is he going to go back and try some some more boxing, or is he going to stick with MMA and continue to garner his legacy in the MMA world? Those are questions that unfortunately, only Francis can answer. And I'm sure at some point we'll get a clear idea of where Francis's heart and head are at."

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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