Jon Jones and his critics are right about Tom Aspinall’s fight

In a recent interview with longtime combat sports journalist Kevin Iole, Jon Jones said that if he beats Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 in the main event of UFC 309, he probably won’t fight interim champion Tom Aspinall .

At 37, Jones is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career.

He is almost universally considered the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Like other boxing greats, Jones is keen to pursue fights with other big names and legends that offer more proverbial legacy points and big paydays.

Jones has repeatedly said he is interested in fighting current heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Predictably, Jones’ stance caused a massive backlash throughout the MMA community. Many, including former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, have called for Jones to strip if he refuses to fight Aspinall.

Jones has a point, and so do his critics.

I can’t blame Jones for trying to maximize his winning potential and build his legacy for the struggles he left in the sport. He knows there is an expiration date on every fighter’s career.

Every fighter has four important tasks during his career: be as successful as possible to create a legacy, make as much money as possible in the process, leave the sport with the mental and physical skills to enjoy retirement, and move on to win the post. fighting.

It’s not easy, but the concept is straightforward. Jones apparently thinks about all these things, but his desire to face Pereira more than Aspinall leans towards the first two tasks. Pereira is a bigger name than Aspinall.

A pay-per-view with that fight as the main event will probably sell more than one headlined by Jones and Aspinall. Therefore, Jones will almost certainly make more money fighting Pereira.

From there, Jones’ critics win all the points.

Jones has said Aspinall has not done enough to deserve to fight him. That may be true, but he has done enough to be the fighter most deserving of a shot at the UFC heavyweight championship.

Because Jones is the champion and holding the UFC titles requires said fighter to defend the belt against top challengers, Bones should be willing to face Aspinall.

Former UFC women’s featherweight champion and recently retired Germaine de Ramdamie has been stripped of her title for failing to accept fights with top contenders in her weight class. If Jones is the champion, he must defend it against the No. 1 contender. 1 or temporary champion.

There is no real way around it.

That said, Jones did not tell Iola that he would be determined to hold the heavyweight title when or if he faced Pereira. That’s likely his wish, but Jones is an intelligent man.

He knows there’s a chance he’ll be stripped if he doesn’t fight Aspinall next.

UFC president Dana White has been pushing the winner in that direction for weeks. White has said on several occasions that he believes the winner of Jones-Miocic will fight Aspinall next.

Like Jones, White is also an intelligent man. He knows there’s a chance Jones might refuse. Jones has earned big money in his career and will collect another big payday on November 16th.

Jones technically no longer needs the UFC or his title vindication — especially if he beats Miocic. He would strip and be free to pursue a fight with Pereira. If that happens – win or lose – Pereira can make his push to become heavyweight champion.

Everyone would win in this scenario, so it probably won’t happen.