Jon Jones Clears Air on ‘Random’ Tom Aspinall Fight: ‘I’m Here for Legacy'

Jon Jones would rather fight Alex Pereira than unify the UFC heavyweight titles against Tom Aspinall.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jon Jones hasn't changed his mind one bit when it comes to fighting Tom Aspinall.

The two-division UFC Champion looks to be on the last lap of what is arguably the most coveted career in MMA history with his potential retirement coming at Madison Square Garden next week against another notable name, former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The consensus greatest in their divisions battling it out in the Big Apple, Jones vs. Miocic isn't left without backlash. Interim champion Tom Aspinall has definitely made a case to fight Jones next, having finished five opponents, two of which were title fights, since Miocic last fought in March 2021.

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Jones Rules Out Aspinall Fight (Again)

Despite Aspinall's ever-growing resume and calls for a title unification bout, "Bones" will not budge, holding his ground on potentially walking away without another fight after Miocic.

"More than likely not," Jones told Kevin Iole, when asked if he'll fight Tom Aspinall following UFC 309. "I feel like Tom Aspinall is... I don't want to say nobody, but he just hasn't proven anything. He hasn't done anything."

"He won his belt against Sergei. Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else," Jones referenced Aspinall's former foe Sergei Pavlovich getting pieced up by Alexander Volkov in June. "I'm not here to gamble someone else making a name off of me. I'm here to compete against the guys where, when we look back 10 years from now, it'd be like, 'Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy and this legend and this champion and this champion...'"

UFC 295: Aspinall vs. Pavlovich. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Aspinall, 31, still has a ways to go for 'GOAT' status in any regard, with only one former champion on his list of names (Andrei Arlovski) but the Brit has gotten off to a good start, beating a number of top contenders en route to the #1 spot in the division.

Jones Eyes Money AND Legacy, Says Alex Pereira Fits The Bill

Will Jon Jones fight again after UFC 309? That's probably the question Aspinall, along with everybody else, has been asking themselves as the Miocic fight approaches.

While Jones is clearly not a fan of fighting what he believes to be the new kid on the block in Aspinall, the UFC veteran does see a world in which he stays in the Octagon for one more fight.

"If there were to be a fight of a guy that's still on our UFC roster, that would be not only financially worth it, but legacy worth it. It would be Alex Pereira," Jones said of the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, who has had a meteorice rise in the promotion. "I think that fight would go much farther on my legacy than a young man who's cool today and maybe gone tomorrow..."

Alex Pereira is the same age as Jon Jones at 37. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"I've just been here too long to get all excited about someone who's hot today. I'm here for legacy. I've been gambling for way too long to just take a random fight."

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