Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut was very successful, as he needed just over two minutes to pick up a first-round submission victory over Ciryl Gane and claim the vacant title.
Tom Aspinall recently discussed the impact of having ‘Bones’ in the heavyweight division. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the No.6-ranked heavyweight stated:
“With Jon Jones, it’s difficult to make an argument against [him being the greatest of all-time]. Honestly, the guy is special. He is special, and to say that he is the champion of my division right now – that gives me an unbelievable amount of motivaiton. Let’s be honest, I’m probably not going to fight him, but just to aim for it, that’s something special for a guy like me.”
Tom Aspinall shared that he believes the heavyweight champion will retire after facing Stipe Miocic. He added:
“Maybe I’m wrong. That is like my dream fight, honestly, to fight Jon Jones. That’s a serious motivation for me since he became champ. I know it was only like a week or two ago, but the GOAT is the champ of my division.”
Check out Tom Aspinall’s comments below:
Jones is reportedly in talks to face Miocic at UFC 290 during International Fight Week in July. While Aspinall is hoping to face the heavyweight champion, the No.6-ranked heavyweight is likely a win or two away from receiving a title opportunity after tearing his MCL and meniscus in his last bout.
While ‘Bones’ signed an eight-fight contract, he has not discussed his plans for after his first title defense.
Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut warranted pound-for-pound ranking says Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski was able to maintain the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings despite losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. The featherweight champion, however, was dropped to No.2 after Jon Jones’ dominant UFC 285 performance.
Speaking on Steve-O’s Wild Ride!, ‘The Great’ discussed being passed in the rankings, stating:
“It was just that one [fight in three years], but what he did, moving up, at least he moved up and showed that pound-for-pound comes into play… look at what Jon Jones has done as well. Can I really argue that when you look at it? He’s gonna be one of the greatest of all time. For him to take that is like, ‘d**n it, what do you do?'”
Check out Alexander Volkanovski’s comments below (starting at the 20:11 mark):
Jones was inactive for three years prior to making his heavyweight debut. However, his performance was deemed dominant enough to warrant a rise in the rankings.
‘Bones’ had previously noted that he wasn’t concerned with being the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. He added that he was more focused on fighting for the title of greatest of all time.
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