Former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski believes that if anyone is going to beat Jon Jones, it’ll be Tom Aspinall.
After scoring a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich to take home the interim heavyweight title last year, Aspinall set his sights on a unification clash with Jones, the undisputed heavyweight world champion. Unfortunately, ‘Bones’ has been nothing but dismissive of the challenge, instead opting to stick to his original plan — a heavyweight superfight with two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic.
With Jones seemingly out of the picture, Aspinall will move on to become the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim belt when he meets Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 co-main event this Saturday night.
If Aspinall comes out on top against ‘Razor’ in Manchester, a showdown with Jon Jones is the only fight that makes sense — and one that Volkanovski truly believes Aspinall can win.
“I think Tom Aspinall is too good,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “But what I mean is compared to other fighters, which I’m always going to pick Tom Aspinall. Because I believe he’s that good Jon Jones, I want to see that fight. Jon Jones is that good, and he can maybe handle a heavyweight Tom Aspinall.
“But if anyone’s ever going to beat Jon Jones, it’s someone like Tom Aspinall. He can really mix it up still fast; he’s going to be just as fast as Jon Jones you get what I mean it’s he’s that good” (h/t MMA News).
Is the risk of fighting Tom Aspinall worth the reward for Jon Jones?
As it stands, Jon Jones is widely considered to be the undisputed GOAT of mixed martial arts with title reigns in two different divisions and an unbeaten record, though that last bit is up for some debate — unless you’re Dana White.
A win over Miocic, regarded as the best heavyweight in UFC history, would undoubtedly solidify Jones’ legacy as the greatest of all time, leaving many to speculate that ‘Bones’ would simply walk away at that point, having nothing to gain and everything to lose in a potential fight with Tom Aspinall.
Fueling the speculation, the former light heavyweight champ has routinely teased retirement since revealing Miocic as his next target, but he recently left the door open, noting that there are a lot of “crazy” options should he decide to stick around and add to his already established status as a living legend.
