Is Jon Jones simply prioritizing his career?
Fans clamor for clarity in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but Jon Jones remains elusive on the future of his championship reign. Tom Aspinall, interim champion and contender for the title, has been vocal about his desire to fight Jones. The question is, why hasn’t the “Bones” shown interest in a unification bout?
Aspinall believes he has an understanding of Jones’ strategic approach. During a discussion with TNT Sports’ “Fight Lab” special, he observed that Jones maintains a high-level business acumen. Aspinall explains, “Day one, as a professional UFC fighter, if someone asks you about some other opponent, say I’m fighting [interviewer Adam Catterall] this weekend, if someone asks me, ‘Right, what about this other guy who’s not involved?’ I say, ‘I’m gonna get past Adam and then we’ll speak about him.’
“Jon didn’t do that. Jon immediately starts saying, ‘No, I don’t want to fight Tom,’ which the easiest thing in the world would be, ‘I’m gonna talk about it after Saturday. I’m not talking about it this week,’ but he kept bringing that into the conversation, and that is high-level business, really high level.”
This strategic avoidance by Jones has been a source of debate among fans. UFC CEO Dana White has insisted that Jones must face Aspinall for his legacy in the division. However, White has dismissed the possibility of “Bones” fighting against Alex Pereira due to size difference concerns.
If you’re looking for further updates on Aspinall and Jones, we’ll be sure to keep you posted!
H/T: BJPenn.com