Jon Jones dismisses Tom Aspinall challenge post UFC 309 Stipe Miocic fight, says he’s after “legends” only
Jon Jones recently scoffed at Tom Aspinall's callout and compared him to other young fighters still making a name for themselves in MMA. They have been going back-and-forth with each other after the Englishman took offense to the heavyweight champion choosing to fight Stipe Miocic rather than a unification bout.
This isn't the first time the two have exchanged jibes with each other as Aspinall sounded off and claimed that he would defeat 'Bones' if they fought. Despite the MMA community clamoring for a Jones vs. Aspinall fight, the heavyweight champion noted that he wasn't interested and instead suggested a super fight against Alex Pereira.
While speaking with ESPN MMA ahead of his title defense against Miocic at UFC 309 this Saturday, 'Bones' dismissed the Englishman by claiming he doesn't deserve to fight him. Jones then referred to Aspinall as still being an up-and-comer and mentioned that he has yet to earn the label of being a champion:
"[Tom] Aspinall, to men, is no difference than an Ovince Saint Preux, Dominick Reyes or Anthony Smith, like, just another up and comer that's exciting right now. I'm not into gambling my legacy for what's exciting. I want legends on my resume." [9:20]
Check out the full interview with Jon Jones below:
Jon Jones expresses interest in only fighting legends
In addition to clapping back at criticism he received for not fighting Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones expressed interest in only fighting legends that have achieved incredible feats in MMA.
During the aforementioned interview, Jones mentioned that he is interested in taking fight against others who will benefit his legacy the most rather than trying to prove himself against the top young prospects:
"I feel like those are the type of fights that I'm looking for at this point in my career. Fighting legends, fighting real stars. Guys like Francis Ngannou, guys like Alex Pereira, guys like Stipe Miocic. I feel like that's the line that I'm in." [8:57]
Check out Jon Jones receiving his custom shorts for his fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 below: