Chael Sonnen dismisses the idea of Jon Jones' legacy being affected by avoiding a Tom Aspinall fight - "It's just another fight"
Jon Jones' disinterest in fighting Tom Aspinall is not nearly the legacy-harming stance that many make it seem, at least according to Chael Sonnen. 'The American Gangster' has often countered popular opinion on multiple UFC-based topics.
This time is no different. The former fighter-turned-analyst opined that the importance of Jones unifying his undisputed UFC heavyweight title in a fight with interim champion Aspinall has been overstated. In fact, he feels that there are other options for Jones to consider.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
"Okay, we've got Jon vs. Stipe. But let's just say he has one more. Everybody would have said, 'Magic wand, I want it against Aspinall.' But would you now? I don't know the answer to that. If Jon is going to do one more [fight] after Stipe, win or lose, do you want to see it against Aspinall or do you want to see it against Pereira?"
A matchup between 'Bones' and reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira became the talk of the town in recent weeks. Based on the heavyweight kingpin's own statements, it is a matchup he favors over Aspinall.
Sonnen added:
"The argument that Jon's legacy is going to be totally different if he does not specifically fight Tom, all of a sudden you realize that isn't so. It's just something to say. That isn't the one the world needs to see, and the world is waiting for, and that you're just not going to be able to be the same as a fan going through life. You're going to be irritated at Jon because you wanted to see it so badly. All of a sudden, you start to realize, it's just another fight."
Check out Chael Sonnen's thoughts on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall (7:26 and 8:00):
For now, Jones will focus on making his octagon return, where he expects to face Stipe Miocic. Meanwhile, Aspinall co-headlines UFC 304, defending his interim title against Curtis Blaydes in a rematch.
Jon Jones has always maintained that Stipe Miocic is better for his legacy
Jon Jones' career path has been clear to fans the moment he announced his desire to defend his newly minted UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, a former champion widely regarded as the division's greatest-ever. He hopes to add another legend to his record, bolstering his legacy.
While Jones has said this is the case, doing his best to talk up the matchup, fans haven't been as keen due to Miocic's age and the fact that he is coming off a knockout loss and three years of inactivity.