"We’ll see what happens" - WWE star and Ex-UFC fighter expressed interest in challenging Jon Jones after beating him twice
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is as good on the ground as he is on his feet and was an excellent wrestler in his high school days.
However, former UFC fighter Matt Riddle claims to have gotten the better of Jones on two occasions. The pair wrestled at a state-level wrestling tournament where the former WWE superstar beat one of the best fighters to ever step into the octagon.
In an interview with Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman on Pro Wrestling 4 Life, Riddle revealed that he would like to take on Jon Jones again:
“I did. Actually two different occasions. But Jon Jones, he’s grown up a little bit. I’ve grown up a little bit. I’d still like to challenge him one day, but we’ll see what happens.”
Check out Matt Riddle's full podcast interview with Sean Waltman for X-Pac 12360:
Matt Riddle recently confirmed that a return to MMA was on the cards for him in 2024 and that he was in discussions with multiple promotions. He has not competed professionally since 2014 and last fought in the UFC in 2013.
Tom Aspinall thinks Jon Jones is smart for not wanting to fight him
The UFC heavyweight division is currently divided with Jon Jones as the champion and Tom Aspinall as the interim champion.
Jones' injury paved the way for Aspinall to fight Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 and secure the interim belt. In an interview with True Geordie, Aspinall criticized the promotion for not having an undisputed champion, and called for a title unification bout:
“It’s very odd. Obviously, I don’t want to sit here and slag off my bosses, but it’s not right. It’s not right. There can’t be f*cking two heavyweight champions, there can’t be, this isn’t boxing. There’s one guy, one face, one name, and let’s find out who that is.”
Aspinall then explained why Jones may not want to fight him over Stipe Miocic:
“I’d be surprised if we got to fight. I would love it. I think he’s smart, I think he’s smart. If the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn’t fight me either. That’s not me bringing myself up. It’s just like, why would you not fight a guy that’s 42, 43, a million miles on the clock, and then backdoor it as opposed to this guy who’s just steamrolling everybody? I think it’s smart. I don’t think he’s scared. He’s Jon Jones. He’s not scared of anybody. I think he’s just really smart.”
Check out his comments below (36:40):