Daniel Cormier believes fans may begin questioning Jon Jones' greatness if he lost to Tom Aspinall - "That's how it works"
Jon Jones is regarded by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, and holds a plethora of records in the UFC. But according to former champion Daniel Cormier, a defeat at the hands of Tom Aspinall could change everything for him.
'Bones' currently holds the 'undisputed' UFC heavyweight title, while Aspinall is the promotion's interim heavyweight champion. The Brit won the title after Jones' fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 was canceled due the champion tearing his pectoral muscle.
Aspinall faced off against Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title at UFC 295 instead, where he defeated the Russian via first-round KO.
With the heavyweight division now having two champions, there has been a call from many fans for 'Bones' and Aspinall to face-off. But Jones, Miocic and UFC CEO Dana White have remained steadfast that the fight to make is in fact Jones vs. Miocic.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, 'DC' discussed why 'Bones' losing to the interim champion could damage his perception as the sport's GOAT, saying this:
"If he loses to Aspinall, people will start to question if he is that guy. That's how it works. That's how it works. For so long, there was never a question that Anderson Silva was also going to be considered the greatest of all time. He starts getting beaten towards the end of his career... Had he not started losing those fights, he would have been sat right by Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre, if not above them [on the GOAT list]."
Watch Daniel Cormier's interview below from 27:10:
Jon Jones lets his thoughts be known on his next fight
Jon Jones appears to have reaffirmed his stance that the only opponent for his return bout is Stipe Mioic, in what has been dubbed a "legacy fight" by Jones.
With Miocic widely regarded as the GOAT of the heavyweight division, the prestige of both fighters is without question. But the grumblings of fans have nonetheless continued, hoping to convince the heavyweight champion to fight Tom Aspinall instead.
'Bones' recently took to X to share his thoughts on who he would like to fight next, and wrote the following:
"I’m in the middle of a pretty clear decision… stick to exact and original plans, and fight the man with all the accolades. Or, completely disregard all of the Stipe training I’ve put in and fight another potential hype train that may not even be around in three years. I am not changing my plans for anyone..."
See Jon Jones' tweet below: