Tom Aspinall has no respect for Jon Jones' "ducking and diving" during UFC 309 fight week: "Show me that I don't deserve it"
Tom Aspinall recently renewed his criticism of Jon Jones for downplaying the possibility of a title unification showdown between them. Jones is locked in to put his heavyweight title on the line against Stipe Miocic this weekend at UFC 309, set to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The anticipation for this showdown has been clouded by mounting claims from the MMA community, with many speculating that Jones is deliberately avoiding a title unification clash with interim champion Aspinall, possibly wary of risking a defeat.
Aspinall has remained relentless in his pursuit of a showdown with 'Bones', despite Jones repeatedly dismissing the matchup and suggesting that Aspinall hasn't earned the right to face him. In a recent YouTube video, the Brit doubled down, issuing another challenge to Jones and expressing his disdain for the reigning heavyweight champion's refusal to grant him the title shot he believes he deserves:
"I'm challenging him to a fight, and I'm a little bit disappointed that Jon, as the great champion that he is, doesn't want to give other guys the opportunity when someone's breathing down his neck because that's the first thing that most champions would do."
He added:
"If he thinks I don't deserve it, show me that I don't deserve it. Show me, sweet mate. If you kick my a** in front of the whole world, I'm happy to put my hand out and say, 'Listen, you're the better man. No problem. You took my dreams away from me, but at least I tried.' But this ducking and diving is something that I don't really have respect for."
Chech out Tom Aspinall's comments below (7:00):
Aspinall has been designated as the official backup fighter for the UFC 309 main event. He earned the interim heavyweight title with a stunning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 and successfully defended it against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
Jon Jones reveals his reasons for denying Tom Aspinall a title fight
During the UFC 309 media day scrum on Wednesday, Jon Jones opened up about the factors influencing his decision to avoid facing Tom Aspinall after his fight with Stipe Miocic.
'Bones' said that his main justification for not wanting to face Aspinall next stems from the interim champion's aggressive push for the matchup, and that it doesn’t add anything to his storied career:
"I'm being completely honest; I feel like Tom's been such an a**hole that I don’t want to do business with him... I’m like, bro if you had a little bit more respect, then maybe we could have something out. I just don’t even want to do business with him. At the end of the day, this is a business. Fighting me gives him the opportunity to change his life forever. I don’t even want to give him the opportunity. He just played his cards wrong with me, personally."
Check out Jon Jones's comments below (21:58):