Interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall spoke with Chael Sonnen Octagon-side immediately after Jon Jones finished Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
Tom Aspinall could potentially be Jon Jones‘ next opponent after UFC 309. Despite the shock and awe that blanketed Jones after his victory, Aspinall gave a blunt assessment to Chael Sonnen just minutes after the fight.
Jones silenced his detractors by collapsing Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body in the UFC 309 main event. In his first UFC heavyweight title defense, Jones showed no signs of ‘cage rust’, dominating the former titleholder Miocic from start to finish.
Jones, who seemed disinterested in a future fight with Aspinall throughout fight week, opened the door to making the heavyweight matchup happen after UFC 309. He and the UFC brass will enter contract negotiations and if they can come to terms on a lucrative deal, Jones vs. Aspinall could be next.
Aspinall has both poked fun at and praised Jones in recent months ahead of UFC 309. Many criticized Jones for facing the 42-year-old Miocic and leaving the interim titleholder Aspinall on the sidelines.
Sonnen got Aspinall’s immediate reaction to Jones’ performance, and the interim champion saw some gaping holes in the UFC 309 winner’s skill set despite his triumphant showing.
Chael Sonnen shared a cage-side chat with Tom Aspinall after Jon Jones finished Stipe Miocic
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Sonnen shared what Aspinall told him just minutes after Jones secured the win.
“One thing that Tom [Aspinall] said, Tom gained confidence being ringside to watch [Jon Jones],” Sonnen revealed. “He said ‘I’ve never watched Jon Jones except on television’. Being ringside, he said he’s too slow. Now, Tom also told us that he had just had a couple of beers…
“If that really is true, if he thinks he’s faster than a 236-pound world champion, it makes me want to see it. One thing that worries me about Aspinall is what other people praise him for, which is he’s been out of the first round one time. People praise him for that…I don’t like that. That’s a problem. If you’re going to find a way to get the jump on Jon Jones, no one is doing it fast, and that’s one thing that Jon has. He’s tough, can regroup, shows up in great shape regardless of his lifestyle.”
Aspinall defended the interim heavyweight title at UFC 304, finishing Curtis Blaydes in the first round. He’s adamant about fighting for the lineal heavyweight championship next instead of defending the interim belt again.
Dana White coined Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall ‘the biggest UFC heavyweight fight’ after UFC 309
Tensions have ramped up between Jones and Aspinall in recent months. During UFC 309 fight week, Jones called Aspinall an “a**hole” that he refuses to do business with, but UFC CEO Dana White is confident he can change Jones’ mind.
Aspinall has never competed past Round 2 in his MMA career with just one UFC appearance making it out of the first round. After Jones withdrew from UFC 295 due to injury, Aspinall stepped up on short notice to knock out Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim heavyweight championship.
Jones has won bouts in a plethora of ways during his legendary UFC career. His knockout of Miocic was his first TKO/KO victory since 2018 when he stopped Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232.
Jones vs. Aspinall could potentially be a perfect fit for the UFC’s International Fight Week headliner next year in Las Vegas. But, Jones is also interested in a potential super fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, despite White and the UFC brass’ dismissals.
According to Sonnen, Aspinall is supremely confident in his chances to dethrone Jones, and the buildup to their potential clash is just beginning to emerge.
