Skip to main content

Jon Jones lukewarm on UFC heavyweight contenders, thinks Tom Aspinall can be 'really special'

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is open to fighting the next crop of contenders, but it will ultimately come down to the magnitude of potential fights.

If Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) is able to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November and opts not to retire, he has some potentially intriguing opponents on the horizon in Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich.

Jones admits he’s impressed by what both men are doing in the division, but at 36 and with a long UFC career already behind him, he’s not fighting just for the sake of it. He needs it to be significant, and in his mind, that falls on contenders like Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) to bring their public notoriety to a certain level.

“They’re amazing – don’t get me wrong,” Jones said on the OverDogs Podcast. “They’re starching people in the first round. But as I get older, I have to look at it as a business and not just speak out of pride, but speak as my legacy and as a business. If the hardcore fans know who these guys are, that’s great. But at the end of the day I have to fight people that the mainstream public is going to be excited about. Because when you’re in my position, there’s always going to be this new challenge that’s younger than you that everyone wants to see you do it one more time.”

Despite being uncertain about whether they will ever fight, Jones did heap praise on Aspinall, who has been very vocal about his desire to challenge Jones since his recent first-round TKO of Marcin Tybura last month at UFC Fight Night 224.

Jones thinks Aspinall is going to be a factor at heavyweight for years to come. It’s just a matter of whether timing and circumstances will lead to them colliding inside the octagon.

“Tom Aspinall, I think he really has the potential to do something really special in the heavyweight division,” Jones said. “I think he’s going to be hard for the majority of guys to beat. I really do believe that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.



from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/gDZ6TCu
via IFTTT
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Drew Dober offers to be Michael Chandler's warm-up fight for Conor McGregor

LAS VEGAS – If Michael Chandler wants to step into the cage before his long-awaited matchup against Conor McGregor, Drew Dober has his hand raised. Dober (26-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) returns to action on the main card of UFC Fight Night 229 to face Ricky Glenn (22-7-2 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC). While he isn’t looking past his upcoming opponent, Dober has threw his name in the hat should Chandler get tired of waiting around for McGregor to commit to a fight date. “He’s definitely waiting for Conor, I’m still unsure if Conor’s going to ever show up,” Dober told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “If he wants a 5-foot-9 southpaw to get him warmed up for that fight, I’m absolutely available. He’s just got to let me know when he wants to do it.” Dober, a lightweight competitor, is willing to move up in weight to face Chandler, even though the two fighters share the same weight class. “He said he’s 190 pounds right now? I can fight him at 170,” Dober said. “I’m here for the excitement and he brings ...
Read more

Henry Cejudo: 'I still don't see Sean O'Malley as the best in the world' ahead of UFC 299

Henry Cejudo is not sold on Sean O'Malley as UFC bantamweight champion. O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become 135-pound champion at UFC 292, whereas Cejudo is coming off a close title loss to Sterling at UFC 288 . O’Malley will make his first title defense against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9, and Cejudo is still adamant that “Chito” beats O’Malley again – despite being a sizable underdog. “I still don’t see Sean O’Malley as the best in the world,” Cejudo said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel . “I don’t. I do believe ‘Chito’ Vera is going to beat him. You have good defense, you walk that dude down, you kick his freaking legs – he still has that wide leg – you kick his legs, you just bring the fight to him and grit. “This is what Sean O’Malley will do: He’ll look at the clock because he throws a lot of power. He is precise, but he throws a lot of it. I would bet the house on ‘Chito.’ Once I beat Merab (Dvalishvili), I’m goi...
Read more

Tatiana Suarez targets drop to strawweight next, lists Rose Namajunas as potential opponent

LAS VEGAS – Tatiana Suarez is set on a move back to strawweight, despite having a successful return at 125 pounds. Suarez made her long-awaited return to competition Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 220. Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who hadn’t competed in nearly four years due to a series of injuries, submitted Montana De La Rosa (12-8-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. But despite picking up a dominant win at 125 pounds, as well as a $50,000 bonus, Suarez is determined to return to her original weight class and resume a title run. “I think they should give me a really good opponent at strawweight, and I’ll earn it,” Suarez told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 220 post-fight press conference. “I’ve never been given anything in my life. I’ve always earned it, and I don’t mind doing that because I think that builds character. You have to work for the things you want in your life. I don’t mind doing that because that’s how my mom and grandma raised me. “I’...
Read more