Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall have been embroiled in an unprecedented rivalry in recent months. Since the heavyweight champion (up to 120,2kg) successfully defended his title for the first time against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last November, he has been accused of dodging the advances of the British interim champion, who is demanding a title unification fight against 'Bones'.
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The world is currently desperate to see the UFC's best heavyweights face off in a big showdown. However, Jones has shown little interest in Aspinall, often belittling the Brit's achievements, and has even gone as far as to call him 'annoying'.
But it wasn't always like this. The UFC legend made a very interesting comment about Aspinall long before they started exchanging verbal taunts.
In August 2023, in an interview with 'The Overdogs Podcast' , 'Bones' revealed that, at the time, alongside former bantamweight champion (up to 61,2kg) Sean O'Malley, Aspinall was the MMA fighter who excited him the most.
“I think he has the potential to do something really special in the heavyweight division. I think he’s going to be tough for most guys to beat, I really believe that,” Jones said.
Unsurprisingly, Bones was right, with Aspinall destroying every opponent in his path to the interim belt. Now, it remains to be seen whether the New Yorker will be among the fighters who will struggle to beat the powerful British fighter.
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