The UFC fandom is still waiting and hoping that the impending heavyweight clash between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall comes to fruition. With Dana White doubling down on making it happen, people are mostly invested in getting the date for that title unification fight. But how will a potential Jones vs Aspinall fight pan out? Well, the interim champion has opened up on that front, highlighting one key factor which he needs to watch for.
Finish after finish and stellar performances one after the other have made Tom Aspinall one of the most popular over the last couple of years. One of the most interesting things about the English star is the fact that he’s usually fast for a heavyweight, which adds to his unmatched power. Despite that, Aspinall claims that Jon Jones has one-upped him when it comes to experience.
Jon Jones has been fighting since 2008 and has yet to suffer a clean defeat. Taking on generations of elite fighters throughout his career, ‘Bones’ has always been in the big-fight main event picture for most of his UFC career. On the other hand, Tom Aspinall may have been in the main events of certain UFC events, but none of them have been PPVs. The lack of his being in the spotlight could prove advantageous to Jones, according to Aspinall.
“Well, he’s got a lot more experience than I do. He knows how to stay in there. He’s fought guys similar to me before. He’s had this plenty like, massive fight experience, where I’ve only main evented the UFC like four or five times now. He’s done that for the last fifteen years,” Tom Aspinall stated on the High Performance podcast. “From the outside looking in, you probably think, ‘Oh, that’s a load of rubbish.’ Like, ‘What? It’s just a fight?’ But being in those… high-pressure situations, those massive fights, if you’ve been there a lot of times before in comparison to someone like me… it does make a big difference.”
However, Tom Aspinall has analyzed everything about a potential fight against Jon Jones if that fight materializes in the future. “And I’m aware of that. I’m completely aware of it. But that’s where he has the advantage, the experience,” the Manchester native added.
March 4, 2023, Las Vegas, NV, LAS VEGAS, NV, USA: LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 4: Jon Jones celebrates his victory over Ciryl Gane in their Heavyweight fight during the UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 4, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Las Vegas, NV USA – ZUMAp175 20230304_zsa_p175_268 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
Well, that’s where Jon Jones’ advantage lies, his experience, but did you know that Tom Aspinall mentioned one advantage of his own as well? If you’re wondering about the size factor, that’s clearly not it. So, let’s take a look at that front.
Tom Aspinall explains his edge over Jon Jones
The interim heavyweight champion once spoke about Jon Jones and his habit of studying his opponents and their fighting tactics through tapes. That has proven to pay dividends, as the undisputed champion still remains at the top of his game. However, things won’t be the same for Jones when it comes to Tom Aspinall. The 31-year-old claims that his fights haven’t lasted long enough for the consensus GOAT to get a better understanding of his fighting style.
“He loves to study opponents like this. He has no chance of doing that with me because my average fight time is the shortest in UFC history at 2:02,” Tom Aspinall told Ariel Helwani last November. “I am a massive, massive question mark for him, and I know a lot of his game. He’s got a lot of octagon time over a lot of years, and I’ve got next to nothing, next to no footage of me, nothing of me out there apart from bouncing people’s heads off the canvas.”
Well, it will be interesting to see whose advantage helps them get the win, but while it’s fun to analyze, we still don’t have a date. Recently, MMA insiders have claimed Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall are likely to fight each other in October, but until the official word is out, these will only be speculations. What do you think? Drop your comments below.
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