Ex-UFC champ explains why he doesn’t care if Jon Jones never fights Tom Aspinall amid debate about 'ducking'
Jon Jones will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at the Mecca of combat sports, Madison Square Garden. However, given Tom Aspinall's status as the interim heavyweight king, fans and some fighters have accused Jones of avoiding a clash with Aspinall.
The New York native retorted that the interim champion had yet to "prove anything" in the sport, and that a fight against the 31-year-old would do nothing for the legacy of 'Bones'.
But his reason for choosing Miocic over Aspinall has fallen flat among fans, who believe that the Brit is objectively a tougher matchup than the 42-year-old title challenger.
Ahead of UFC 309, former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson has shared why he isn't bothered if Jones vs. Aspinall never takes place. During a recent YouTube video previewing the upcoming pay-per-view card, 'Mighty Mouse' said:
"I'll be okay if I never see Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones. The reason I say that is because, for me, if two people don't want to fight then I don't care to see it... When I think about Jones vs. Stipe, if Jon wanted to fight Aspinall he would have fought him. I'm sure if Jones [went], 'Hey UFC, hey Dana it's me... I don't want to fight Stipe anymore, let me fight Tom Aspinall.' Do you think the UFC is going to say no?"
He continued:
"So for me, I'm not saying Jones doesn't want to fight [Aspinall]. But my feeling is that Jones is fighting Stipe because it's a legacy fight."
Check out Demetrious Johnson's comments below (1:32:40):
Dricus du Plessis explains why he doesn't want to see Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
Dricus du Plessis and Demetrious Johnson are among a miniscule group of MMA fans and fighters that appear to have little interest in pushing for a Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall title clash.
The South African was recently interviewed by Submission Radio, where he shared his take on a potential clash between Jones and Aspinall. He said:
"There's one fight I don't need to see. It's very hard to say this publicly, but I don't need to see Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones. I love both of them, Tom Aspinall is such an awesome guy. I met Jones quickly, amazing. Massive guy, for me, that I look up to as a martial artist... I look up to Tom Aspinall so much. I just don't need to see that fight. For me, it's a lose-lose situation."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (33:00):