Exclusive: Tom Aspinall's ex-rival Curtis Blaydes details why he expects the Brit to beat Jon Jones
Tom Aspinall's former opponent Curtis Blaydes has broken down the Englishman's long-awaited potential fight against Jon Jones. Blaydes notably foresees his fellow American likely losing to Aspinall.
Blaydes is the only fighter who's beaten Aspinall in the UFC. Aspinall suffered a knee injury a few seconds into their first encounter and couldn't continue, with 'Razor' thereby winning via first-round TKO. Both fighters have maintained their positions in the upper echelons of the UFC's 265-pound division in the ensuing years.
Moreover, Tom Aspinall's most recent fight witnessed him defend his interim UFC heavyweight title with a first-round KO victory in his rematch against Curtis Blaydes in July 2024. Blaydes too hasn't competed since.
Presently, the consensus is that Aspinall's next fight will likely be a title unification match against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
During a recent interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda MMA, Curtis Blaydes was asked if he thinks Tom Aspinall beats Jon Jones. He responded:
"Yeah. I would give him -- I would pick him. Like, I would go 55 [percent] him. Obviously, it's not going to be a landslide. Like, we're going to get Jon Jones. He's a legend. He's got all the weapons. I think one area where Tom can, like, win is just a presence inside. Like, Jon Jones gets away with being able to stand in front of his opponent and just paw and pick at him with the inside leg kicks and the teeps and the jabs."
Blaydes believes Aspinall won't let Jones simply hang out at long range. He foresees the Brit blitzing 'Bones', going in and out of range multiple times, something he feels would "be the difference."
Additionally, he seemingly echoed the sentiments of many others, who've warned that the more often ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Jones competes at heavyweight the higher the risk of his losing his virtually undefeated status. Blaydes emphasized that at heavyweight, the probability of even one shot, such as a well set-up overhand, ending a fight is quite high.
The 33-year-old highlighted that one of Aspinall's in-and-out blitzes could see him catch 'Bones'. Blaydes added:
"He definitely has the speed. He doesn't have the range that Jon has, but who does? But I think he knows that. I think he'll get on the inside of that range, and I think he'll be able to land a overhand. And it'll probably be early because he likes to blitz. He doesn't like to wait. So yeah, I think it'll happen early."
Check out Blaydes' comments below (9:49):
Curtis Blaydes to return to the octagon, Tom Aspinall awaits Jon Jones title unifier
Jon Jones has maintained that he'd prefer facing fellow superstar, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, rather than Tom Aspinall. 'Bones' even insinuated that he's uninterested in giving Aspinall a shot against him due to the British combatant allegedly disrespecting him.
Curtis Blaydes alluded to how the majority of fans are demanding a Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall showdown. Blaydes also put forth his theory about 'Bones' implying that he doesn't want the Aspinall matchup.
Elsewhere during the interview, Curtis Blaydes alluded to his confidence heading into his scheduled three-round heavyweight bout against UFC debutant Rizvan Kuniev.
'Razor' fights the DWCS (Dana White's Contender Series) alum at UFC Seattle on Feb. 22, 2025.