UFC champion Jon Jones brutally shuts down fight with Tom Aspinall

The erstwhile light-heavyweight champion has been tipped to instrumentality connected the British star, but appears to beryllium against the thought of warring the heavyweight sensation successful the cage

UFC heavyweight king Jon Jones has dismissed the thought of taking connected interim champion Tom Aspinall wrong the Octagon.

'Bones' picked up the heavyweight loop after defeating Ciryl Gane astatine UFC 285 past year. The erstwhile light-heavyweight champion is scheduled to instrumentality connected MMA fable Stipe Miocic astatine UFC 309 adjacent play astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York.

The brace were scheduled to combat past twelvemonth astatine UFC 295, but Jones was forced to retreat from the bout aft helium tore his pectoral tendon during training. Rather than keeping Miocic connected the card, the UFC booked Sergei Pavlovich vs Aspinall for the interim title, with the second going connected to secure a sensational archetypal circular knockout.

The Brit past defended his rubric earlier this year, defeating Curtis Blaydes wrong 60 seconds successful Manchester. Coincidentally, Aspinall volition service arsenic the backmost up combatant adjacent week successful lawsuit either Jones oregon Miocic are forced to retreat from the contest. Back successful March, Jones was successful Birmingham for a meet-and-greet with fans astatine the Arnold Sports Festival. Aspinall was besides successful attendance astatine the aforesaid lawsuit and helium made the astir of the concern by scouting retired his rival. “Just saying hello," Aspinall said whilst approaching Jones. "What’s going connected man?" Jones past replied: “How are you?” with Aspinall responding: “I’m each bully man.”

Things got a spot tense erstwhile Aspinall enactment his manus connected Jones' shoulder, with the UFC fable rapidly dismissed the motion and forced an apology retired of Aspinall. “Are we going to bash this thing? I would emotion to person the honour 1 day, respect man," Aspinall asked. Jones welcomed the combat "one day" but was speedy to disregard Aspinall's petition erstwhile helium asked: "Can we bash a speedy picture? A face-off?" The rivals ended up taking a representation alongside each different alternatively of facing disconnected earlier going their abstracted ways.

The 2 heavyweight stars person been tipped to combat each other, but Jones has present dismissed the anticipation of a match-up should helium proceed to fight. When asked by Kevin Iole astir the imaginable of facing Aspinall, helium said: “More than apt not. I consciousness similar Tom Aspinall is, I don’t privation to accidental ‘nobody’, but helium conscionable hasn’t proven anything. He hasn’t done thing – I recognize that helium won his loop against Sergei, Sergei conscionable got slaughtered by idiosyncratic else.

“So I’m not present to gamble idiosyncratic other making a sanction disconnected of me, I’m present to vie against the guys wherever erstwhile we look backmost 10 years from now, ‘Jon Jones fought this guy, that guy, this legend, this champion…’.”

Jones - who is expected to discontinue aft his clash with Miocic adjacent play - has suggested helium would instrumentality connected light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira if helium continued his MMA career. “If determination would to beryllium a combat with a feline that is inactive connected the UFC roster that would beryllium not lone financially worthy it, but bequest worthy it, it would beryllium Alex Pereira,” helium explained. “Alex Pereira and I, we’re some 37 years old.

“Right now, I measurement astir 235, I’m an incredibly airy heavyweight… That combat would spell overmuch farther connected my bequest than a young antheral who is chill today, and possibly gone tomorrow. I retrieve a clip erstwhile the full world thought Johnny Walker was going to beryllium the feline to bushed me. No disrespect to Johnny Walker, but we’ve each seen the mode his vocation has played out. I’ve conscionable been present excessively agelong to get each excited astir idiosyncratic who is blistery today. I’m present for legacy, I’ve been gambling for mode excessively agelong to conscionable instrumentality random fights.”