Joe Rogan is assured Jon Jones will defend his UFC heavyweight title in opposition to Tom Aspinall.
The favored UFC commentator and podcaster believes Jones’ championship mentality would not enable him to sit down again and wait for one more possibility, or presumably retire.
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‘Bones’ has been king of UFC’s heaviest division since he submitted Ciryl Gane in 2023 on his return to the game after a three-year, injury-ridden hiatus.
The promotion’s youngest-ever champion has since defended it in opposition to Stipe Mioicic at UFC 309 final November, and is presently in negotiations to battle Britain’s Aspinall.
Aspinall holds interim championship standing in the identical division and has admitted a number of occasions that he solely needs to battle for Jones’ title subsequent.
This has prompted debates among the many MMA neighborhood with many arguing that Jones would not want the battle and different’s saying he 37-year-old should unify the division to cement his legacy.
Talking to former UFC champion Ilia Topuria on his podcast, Rogan defined why he believes the battle is destined to occur.
“Jon Jones is without doubt one of the best of all time,” he stated, talking on his favorite UFC fighters ever earlier than Topuria asks him the inevitable query.
“Sure. I believe he’ll battle Tom. I believe he’ll hang around…for glory. Yet another glory earlier than the lights fade,” Rogan added.
“Jon’s a conqueror. I believe he can’t sit again. The man developed a spinning again kick at 36!
“[He] didn’t have a spinning again kick his complete profession, then abruptly knocks out Stipe with a spinning again kick for the heavyweight title at 36, 37 years outdated — that’s loopy.
“Jon’s battle IQ is insane, and did lots of his profession partying, which is even crazier. He diminished his physique…
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“He was so good however he was so good that he was higher than everybody in his division.
“So he didn’t work exhausting, after which when he has to work exhausting he’s f***ing terrifying.”
Rogan then made a degree that when Jones defended his mild heavyweight title in opposition to Alexander Gustafsson for the primary time in 2013 his coaches practically stopped the battle because the American wasn’t coaching.
The UFC 165 most important occasion completed with Jones claiming a decent unanimous resolution victory over the Swedish man in what was a really aggressive battle.
Nonetheless, of their eventual rematch 5 years later, Jones regarded a shadow of his first efficiency as he had endured a gruelling coaching camp, and he knocked out Gustafsson within the third spherical.
Studies have recommended that ‘Bones’ needs to endure a six-month coaching camp to organize for Aspinall, and that is hardly unsurprising given the specter of the Englishman.
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Aspinall has gone previous the primary spherical as soon as in his 9 UFC fights, stopping eight of his victories finishes within the first spherical.
He has secured Efficiency of the Night time bonuses in all three of his final fights, knocking out Marcin Tybura, Sergei Pavlovich (to win the interim title), and Curtis Blaydes all in devastating trend in spherical one.
Talking to talkSPORT.com final month, former UFC champion and British MMA legend Michael Bisping stated Jones ought to ‘hurry up or retire’ when requested about his potential Aspinall battle.
“If they do not announce it quickly they’re actually going to speak about stripping this man,” he stated.
“Merely, I imply, every other sport, if this was boxing, you’ll be stripped.
“In the event you do not battle the obligatory challenger, you can be stripped…it is simply insanity….
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“He is been an unbelievable champion however he must hurry up with this battle.
“Easy as that, or retire.”