Ever heard of a derecho? Phonetically “deh-REY-cho” in English, it is a widespread, rapidly moving showerstorm. Although a derecho can cause destruction similar to tornadoes, damage is typically unidirectional along a straight path. It can be long-lived, more so than a mesocyclone. UFC G.O.A.T and heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the personification of a derecho. As such, the lone challenger in its path — Tom Aspinall.
The all-around standout of Jackson’s MMA Acoma Gym was set to headline UFC 295’s feature main event. However, he incurred a training injury (pectoral tear). Undergoing a subsequent surgery, Jon Jones put the fate of the division on hold. Tom Aspinall subbed in for what was a saving grace of the PPV and won the interim strap in the meantime.
That alone translates to top contender status for title unification. However, ‘Bones’ isn’t settling to that. For the range of seven numbered cards, Jones went through an unholy clash of words with the Brit, justifying his abstinence. Now who can choose to be so carefree even in absentia? Well, the overlord, of course. In no way is that a diss to Jones. Having said that, though, his larger-than-life legacy will always remain the greatest blemish on the 265-pound class.
Shots fired on Player One
Tom Aspinall is the rightful contender and solution to the heavyweight hierarchy right now. His 69-second highlight KO reel at UFC 295’s co-main event made sure of it. It is no different than a standard bout with title contender implications. As soon as the champion is in sight, the top game pounces for action. With Jon Jones returning, the Englishman’s interim title is a moot. Hence, it makes sense for his calls for title unification.
Jon Jones’ relentless snubbing of Tom Aspinall is one of the worst spots in current MMA (Source: heavy.com/IMAGO)Jones does consider him “like a number one contender,” but only next to his legacy opponent. The legacy opponent is none other than former titleholder Stipe Miocic. The three-time heavyweight champion was set to be his original opponent for UFC 295.
Holding true to former rival Daniel Cormier’s strain of assessment, Jones has always advocated for the best pay with minimal risk. At the point of deteriorating, both he and Miocic are at the tail ends of active participation. Riding into the sunset with a clash with the biggest name should cement his legacy enough. When the name Aspinall gets spoken, it does not spell “legacy” enough.
Legacy Boss Fight
Apart from Paulo Costa and Aljamain Sterling, Jon Jones is one of the few fighters who always have an active dialogue with his fan following. A leaked DM conversation between a fan and the heavyweight champ entails him referring to Stipe Miocic as “old.” Jones has also said he is in line for an eight-figure fight purse for his maiden title defense against Miocic. After which, his ad verbum sentiments were to go “right off into the sunset.“
The stage for Jon Jones’ legacy fight has already been set (Source: IMAGO/pinterest.jp)Cormier, who is 1-2 in his stats going up against Miocic, cautioned him not to dismiss the “old” guy out of hand. More to the point, though, who gets to be so extravagant about their trajectory despite not being a washout? Well…the divisional overlord, of course. It’s practically a boss fight between two giants now.
Has Jon Jones been a boon to the division? Yes, he has. Despite being a long-stay stalwart in the 205-pound class, people want more heavyweight bouts from Jones. But perhaps he is too “great” for his own good. As for now, the weight class is burdened with his monopolistic legacy as he means to hold it stale for just one defense.
Most Powerful in the World
There’s that post-1940 Hollywood flick where a collector with Neo-Nazism sentiments wants to reinstate a new world order based on his tenets. He goes trinket-hunting against those “Indiana Jones” types of characters. Having acquired said trinket, they go that with the power of such and such, they’ll be God-like. Soon after, they go correcting themselves that with such power, they’ll be literal Gods; no more, no less.
Does this image seem reminiscent of a known meme? One could almost hear All-powerful Jon Jones saying no (Source: Instagram/gq.com)Jon Jones has remained a fan-favorite for long. But his continuous snubbing of Tom Aspinall and his reasons are starting to exhibit patterns of an egotistic monologue, like such cult classic films. Currently at 27-1 MMA and 21-1 UFC, the all too powerful ‘Bones’ went on to flex multitudes of title wins compared to the interim champ. Referring to Miocic [6], he alluded to his fourteen title fight wins (a UFC official record book topper, as per statleaders.ufc.com). No one will bat an eye if Jon Jones starts yelling “ultimate power” in his next meet-up with Aspinall!
There are levels to this game
Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) isn’t without his merits. Going on a 4-1 streak in his last five, the English powerhouse holds the UFC record book top spot for shortest average fight time. Sure to make fast work of his enemies, Aspinall also has the least bottom position stat as the most invincible fighter, with optimum ground control/recovery. With a 3.46 Official knockdown average per fifteen minutes, he might someday have surefire results like Alex Pereira, Dustin Poirier, and Jones himself.
Jon Jones does not heed “intern” champion Tom Aspinall (Source: talksport.com/UFC.go.com)He also has a good stand-up game, with the third-best significant strikes landed per minute, as an average of the last five fights. But does that rank Tom Aspinall any higher in Jon Jones’ eyes? Why should it? These are stepping tiles to reach the “Final Boss,” who already sits at the apex of the heavyweight division, stalling its roll. Even his peers acknowledge his prestigious legacy.
Verdict
In the meantime, Aspinall defends his interim strap against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304’s co-main event in July. Hoping to unify his belt with a prodigal heavyweight, he told talkSPORT MMA that he won’t hold his breath for Jones. However, he will only fight for the undisputed title next. The ultimatum tease is meant for the top brass, but it could breeze by Jones.
Jon Jones plans to tread ahead with a secure legacy sans Tom Aspinall (via MMA Fighting)Conor McGregor vacated his undisputed lightweight gold after being inactive for 511 days. UFC 304 marks and surpasses 511 days since Jon Jones was active, with a slated event months later. Jones says his first title battle would happen on Nov. 9, probably at UFC’s annual pay-per-view card in Madison Square Garden Arena.
Jon Jones does his due diligence to acknowledge Aspinall as rightfully next in line, just not for his reign. The big bad does not heed all that hark at it. As long as he is the prodigal champion, Jones’ story at heavyweight will always end with Jones and only Jones.
