UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones insists he doesn’t need to fight Tom Aspinall. But the Brit HW sensation needs Jon Jones for unification purposes. Tom Aspinall has been a whole other breed of 265lber in UFC competition. But if he ever gets into the deep waters with all-rounded G.O.A.T. candidates like ‘Bones’, will he surpass expectations? Or will it be a Ronda Rousey kind of fadeout where a massive upset checks his hype forever? That remains the question.
UFC competition veteran and analyst Chael Sonnen, who has traded barbs with Jon Jones over PED usage, shed light on this. Interim HW champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has sought a different approach recently. He has been hooking in the champion with baits and skits and PED blames. Jones is projected to face Stipe Miocic at the UFC 309 pay-per-view top bill. If he or Miocic agree to and face Aspinall after, ‘Bad Guy’ Sonnen has some sage advice.
Tom Aspinall, with one exception…has never been out of the first round. I’m not…I’m not sure you understand that…That is not helpful, that is not a good thing. When you find yourself in a fight harder than you’re used to, it’s a problem…It was the number one reason why Ronda lost to Holly Holm. It was because the six other girls that Ronda had been in there with, checked out collectively in a shorter time than Holly had made it.
Chael Sonnen via his Official YouTube channel (@ChaelSonnenOfficial)
Per statleaders.ufc.com (UFC Record Book), he has the shortest average fight time, shortest bottom position and percentage, and 2nd highest knockdown average per minute. In simpler terms, Aspinall, 31, moves like a welterweight, won’t stay subdued, and hits like a Ford RAM! Aside from the shock treatment though, this means he lacks long-drawn battle experiences like Miocic or Team Jackson’s MMA Acoma’s striking standout.
Sonnen hypothesizes that the negative backlash towards WMMA great Ronda Rousey wasn’t due to her being a washout. But before losing to greats like Amanda Nunes or Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey ran through the lineup easily. That all changed when she faced massive upsets. Will the Team Kaobon heavyweight be another ‘Ronda Rousey’? Or will he prevail? That remains to be seen.
Stipe Miocic can be Tom Aspinall’s saving grace against ring rust
Jon Jones still refuses to commit to fighting Aspinall for HW unification if he settles a legacy payout with Stipe Miocic. However, he maintains he has the upper hand against the English heavyweight. Stipe Miocic himself is no easy matter despite being at the tail end of his performative output. Sonnen thinks Stipe vs. Tom Aspinall could be a move in the right direction. Aspinall’s recent PEDs dig has him in the smacking middle of the equation again.
Will time away from ring be Tom Aspinall’s undoing? (Source: heavy.com/IMAGO)The 13th UFC International Fight Week and 2025 UFC Hall of Fame Induction are to supposedly happen in July, per Sonnen. If the organization’s week-long celebration of combat sports has a pay-per-view event with Aspinall facing the winner of Miocic vs. Jones in the top bill, it’d be nearly a year Aspinall has been out of the ring. For a boxing-heavy brawler who does not lift many weights to sit out for that many months could prove degenerative. To top it off, not many on the roster call him out.
‘The American Gangster’ says Miocic should keep the conversation going and call out Aspinall. This lifts the foregone narrative that he can still beat Jones and drags it to the spotlight. Meanwhile, if he does win the championship belt, the undisputed HW champ vs. interim champ would naturally be the match to make. The Strong Style Fight Team HW is on a three-year layoff and counting, but this might prove a catalyst in both their favor.
