Jon Jones is no stranger to shutting down highly touted contenders.
Unbeaten in his UFC career, aside from a disqualification in a fight he was dominating, Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) beat generations of talent throughout his light heavyweight title reign. He returned from at three-year layoff in March to quickly submit Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to capture the vacant heavyweight title.
Gane was pegged as a fighter that could pose a serious threat to Jones because of his speed and footwork as a heavyweight, but Jones was able to nullify that in minutes. With Tom Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) running through Marcin Tybura in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 headliner, many are wondering if Aspinall’s well rounded skillset could be the one to stop Jones.
But Jones, in a message he tweeted and later deleted, said pump the brakes – it’s a story he’s heard many times throughout his career
“Everyone’s the next big thing until I beat them,” Jones wrote. “And then it’s like, ‘Well, who was that guy anyway?’ Just a few months ago Gane was the absolute future of MMA. Best footwork, fastest heavyweight we have ever seen. The most athletic. Now everyone’s like, ‘Who the hell is that guy?'”
Aspinall, 30, indicated before and after his win over Tybura that he hopes Jones, 36, continues his career beyond his next fight so that they might have the opportunity to meet inside the cage.
Jones is slated to make his first heavyweight title defense against former champ Stipe Miocic in the UFC 295 headliner on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.
Update: Aspinall later responded to Jones on Twitter, short and sweet.
Jon, chill out mate
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) July 25, 2023
