UFC 309 will see the notorious Jon ‘Bones’ Jones return, defending his Heavyweight Title for the primary time towards Stipe Miocic. Nonetheless, a preferred debate surrounding the combat is that it ought to be Interim Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinall, in Miocic’s place – with many followers claiming that Jones is avoiding the Aspinall combat.
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Jones vs Miocic
Maddison Sq. Backyard would be the residence of the extremely anticipated UFC 309 foremost occasion, the place we’ll see Jones, who many take into account the consensus Best of All Time, return after a protracted spell of restricted exercise. Jones has had just one combat within the final 4 years, together with his final bout being towards contender Cyril Gane in early 2023 – who he dominated and beat within the 1st spherical to say the Heavyweight Crown.
Nonetheless, each events in the primary occasion have had minimal exercise over the past 4 years, with Miocic’s final combat in 2020, the place he was brutally knocked out by Francis Ngannou – dropping the Heavyweight Title. Stipe returns to the octagon with 4 years off at 42, and plenty of followers are questioning what makes him deserving of this title shot.
Though this combat is being marketed as a legacy-defining bout – with arguably the Best of All Time, in Jones, vs many individuals’s Finest Heavyweight Ever, each fighters’ inactivity has been a speaking level within the lead-up to the combat. Many followers are questioning why two fighters with a mixed two fights in 4 years are nonetheless ready to be preventing for the title – particularly with Interim Champion Tom Aspinall actively calling for a title unification combat with Jones for nearly a yr.
Is Jones Avoiding Aspinall?
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In a current interview with Kevin Iole, Jones said that even when he defeats Miocic, he’ll doubtless not defend his title towards Aspinall. His reasoning stays in line with what he’s said for practically a yr when requested about defending towards Aspinall: he believes a win over Aspinall does nothing to additional his legacy. Jones went on to say that he “seems like Aspinall…simply hasn’t confirmed something, hasn’t carried out something…” and that he’s “right here to compete towards guys the place we glance again 10 years from now and say, Jon Jones fought this legend and that legend and this champion”. Over the previous few years, Jones ‘legacy’ is one thing he has mentioned an increasing number of, and was an enormous a part of why he took the Stipe combat – defeating arguably the Best Heavyweight of all time is sort of the feather in a fighter’s cap in any case.
Jones’s feedback about Aspinall not furthering his legacy have sparked debates amongst followers relating to if Jones is ducking the combat as he doesn’t wish to threat the prospect of dropping to an athletic, highly effective, and hungry 31-year-old contender. At the moment, Aspinall has extra simultaneous High 10 wins than any Heavyweight in historical past. He has dismantled 5 out of the present High 10 contenders, all by way of first-round finishes – with wins over names similar to Blaydes, Volkov, and Spivac. The combat during which he gained his Interim Title was towards Sergei Pavlovich, who Jones appears to ignore as a worthy contender in his interview. Paradoxically, Pavlovich was coming off a 6-fight win streak all with 1st Spherical knockouts, earlier than Aspinall completed him in only a whole of 1:09.
Aspinall’s resume speaks for itself, making Jones remark that he has not proved something a remark which followers are utilizing to advertise additional the concept Jones is avoiding Aspinall. Regardless of the discussions it has triggered, Jones stands agency on his opinion that he’ll solely be taking fights that he considers to be furthering his legacy, and he doesn’t see how Aspinall would try this. Suppose Jones efficiently defends his title towards Miocic. In that case, he has alluded {that a} tremendous combat with Mild Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira might curiosity him.
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