"You're supposedly the GOAT" - UFC legend addresses Jon Jones' reluctance to face Tom Aspinall and potential megafight with Francis Ngannou
Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, winning via TKO in the third round to defend his title. The American champion is eyeing a champion vs. champion bout with 205-pound king Alex Pereira next, over a title unification fight with interim champion Tom Aspinall.
On the talkSPORT MMA Podcast, UFC legend Randy Couture discussed Jones' reluctance to fight Aspinall, saying that the former light heavyweight champion should "step up" and fight the British interim titleholder:
"Jon Jones as much as he doesn’t wanna fight Francis is gonna have trouble avoiding that. Now he says he doesn’t want to fight Tom. I mean why? You’re supposedly the GOAT. Step up and fight whoever they want you to fight.”
Couture added that Aspinall has "earned" his shot at the undisputed title:
"I’m not in Jon's head so I couldn’t tell you. I think you know he needs to step up and fight the guys they want him to fight. You can’t shy away from guys… Anybody honestly... Certainly Tom has earned a crack and deserves that."
Speaking about the possibility of a cross-promotion or co-promotion bout between Jones and PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, 'The Natural' said:
"Whether Francis and they do a co-promotion or a cross-promotion that you know that’s something our sport is still very anti-competitive. There is no transparency in the sport. There is no way to do those types of cross-promotions. The restrictive nature of the contracts and the promotion themselves prevent that... I don’t think their attitude on co-promotions has changed so that will be a big challenge to see Francis get in there with Jon or Tom if Tom beat Jon.”
Check out Randy Couture's comments about Jon Jones below (14:44):
Michael Bisping comments on potential Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou crossover bout
The UFC and PFL are competitors to some extent, so a showdown between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones is unlikely. Ngannou notably left the UFC in 2023 after failed contract negotiations and joined the PFL before Jones finally moved up to heavyweight and went on to become the champion.
Former UFC champion Michael Bisping believes it wouldn't be wise of the UFC to indulge in cross-promotion talks. The Hall of Famer told Bloody Elbow in a recent interview:
"Yeah, it would be an amazing fight, and we all want to see it. Of course we do, we all want to see the best fight the best. But if I was running the UFC I’d be like, ‘No chance! We tried to make that fight. We offered him a ton of money and he didn’t want to do it.' It’s a shame. I wouldn’t cross-promote right now.”
Check out Michael Bisping's comments on Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou below (10:20):