Jon Jones explains why Alex Pereira fight more appealing than UFC title unification vs. Tom Aspinall
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones knows Tom Aspinall holds a piece of the division's title, but isn't interested in a unification bout.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returns to action Nov. 16 to face Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It could be the last fight for "Bones" as he has teased a potential retirement.
At 37, with a bonafide Hall of Fame legacy Jones has created as a two-division UFC champion, stepping away from the sport if he defeats Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who many view as the best heavyweight champion of all time, would be understandable.
If Jones continues to fight, a title unification bout against current interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) appears to be the public's popular wish. However, Jones doesn't share the same desire to make that fight happen.
"More than likely not," Jones told Kevin Iole when asked if he would fight Aspinall after UFC 309. "I feel like Tom Aspinall is, I don't want to say nobody, but he just hasn't proven anything. He hasn't done anything. I understand he won his belt against Sergei, and Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else, so it's like, I'm not here to gamble someone else making a name off of me."
Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champion by beating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, the original date for Jones to face Miocic before his pectoral injury. The UFC created an interim title in Jones' absence, which Aspinall claimed with a first-round knockout.
Aspinall only has one loss in the UFC, which came due to injury 15 seconds into his first meeting with Curtis Blaydes. In a rematch at UFC 304, Aspinall recorded a rare interim title defense by stopping Blaydes with punches in the opening round.
He's finished every opponent in the UFC, only reaching the second round once. Despite Aspinall's feats in the heavyweight division, Jones remains unimpressed.
"I'm here to compete against the guys where when we look back, you know, 10 years from now, you'll be like, 'Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy, this legend, and that champion and this champion,'" Jones said.
If Jones continues his career after UFC 309, only one fighter on the roster piques his interest.
"If there were to be a fight of a guy that's still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it, but legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira," Jones said. "We're both 37 years old. Right now, I weigh about 235. I'm an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240. I think that fight would go much farther on my legacy than a young man who's cool today, and may be gone tomorrow.
"I remember a time when the whole world thought Johnny Walker was going to be the guy to beat me. No disrespect to Johnny Walker, but we all seen how his career has played out. I've just been here too long to get all excited about someone who is hot today. I'm here for legacy. I've been gambling way too long just to take random fights."
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jon Jones explains why Alex Pereira fight more appealing than UFC title unification vs. Tom Aspinall
