Will UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones fight interim titleholder Tom Aspinall? It’s a question UFC matchmakers are trying to determine the answer to. Jones teased that the fight could come together at the right price following his UFC 309 win over former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic.
Former two-division UFC champion Randy Couture has been surprised by Jones’ reluctance to fight the interim titleholder. Couture would like to see Jones ‘step up’ and believes Aspinall deserves to face Jones.
“It calls into question where his heart’s at, if he really has that motivation to continue to establish himself as a bonafide heavyweight and basically clean out the division and put an end to any of the naysaying on what’s going on with Jon,” Couture told Inside Fighting.
“Step up. Clean out the division. Take on Aspinall. Put an exclamation point on it,” Couture continued. “I think it would be an amazing fight. I think Aspinall deserves that fight, a shot at that. He’s earned it. He’s stepped up when other guys didn’t want to step up. He should be rewarded for what he’s done and where he’s at in his journey on this pathway.”
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Jones is widely considered the greatest fighter to ever step in the cage. Couture believes Jones should ‘step up’ and fight Aspinall without any ‘qualms.’
“I think experience-wise, you have to give to nod to Jon. He’s been doing this for a lot longer. I think he’s slowly establishing himself as a bonafide heavyweight, and we certainly know Tom is a bonafide heavyweight,” Couture said. “I think what he (Jones) did to Stipe certainly tells me that he is in no way overmatched, or outsized, and technically and tactically can deal with anybody in the cage. I don’t think that’s an issue.
“I makes you wonder, why dodge him? Why not just step up and fight whoever they want you to fight? You’re that gu’y. You’re the GOAT. There should be no qualms about it. That’s how I feel about it,” Couture continued. “I think Tom has done everything right and deserves that shot. Let’s answer the question. The only way we answer the question is if they they get in the cage.”
