Ex-UFC champion makes eye-opening remark on why Tom Aspinall can create history against Jon Jones: "He's a real athlete"
While Jon Jones seems adamant about not fighting Tom Aspinall, a former UFC champion believes the Englishman has all the tools to give the heavyweight champion a run for his money.
Jones is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. The fight IQ, distance control, and unorthodox kickboxing have made the New York native an intricate puzzle that no fighter has been able to get past.
Former bantamweight kingpin T.J. Dillashaw believes it would be nigh impossible for Aspinall to match 'Bones' technique to technique and the best course of action would be to overwhelm him with relentless pressure.
As Dillashaw sees it, Aspinall is an athletic heavyweight who has the best chance of creating history by beating the legendary fighter. Addressing the topic during a recent episode of the JAXXON podcast, the 38-year-old said:
"I do think [Aspinall] has the best chance. I still think Jones wins, but because Aspinall can cover distance so fast, he has got real spring in his steps and he is a real athlete. That guy can play football. Like he is a big dude, he's got real spring in his steps, I think he is dangerous enough to give Jones a fight, but again he's going to have to just bring it. He can't like try to like out-technique him and stand at his distance. He has to f*****g go."
Check out T.J. Dillashaw's comments on Jon Jones below (1:39):
Former UFC champion dubs Jon Jones "the Neo" of MMA
Quinton Jackson believes MMA is 95 percent a mental game. Jackson asserts that while he could tap into a positive mentality during the early stages of his career, self-doubt compromised his mental game as he got older and riddled with injuries.
Rampage is convinced Jones has mastered the mental game much like how Neo had mastered controlling the Matrix in the iconic Hollywood movie. Elaborating on the topic in an interview with Ariel Helwani, the former light heavyweight champion said:
"I think Jon Jones is the Neo of MMA... He has figured out a way to bypass those doubts and I'm convinced that he has like a real good sports psychologist or something because he knows how to bypass those doubts. Whenever you are fighting you always have those doubts. So you've got to push those doubts out and put like a thousand more images of positivity... Jon Jones, he has hacked the process he is Neo."
Check out Quinton Jackson's comments about Jon Jones below (30:17):