Alexander Volkanovski is including his title to the record of fighters signing off on a future Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall combat.
Although Jones defends his heavyweight title towards Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 this Saturday, it’s interim champion Aspinall who has claimed lots of the headlines as he has pursued a combat with Jones for the previous yr. Jones and Miocic had been initially scheduled to combat at UFC 295 in November 2024, however when a pectoral damage pressured Jones out of the competition, Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich had been referred to as upon to combat for an interim title. Aspinall went on to defeat Pavlovich by 69-second knocokut.
Since then, there have been requires Jones to combat Aspinall in a unification bout—a lot to Jones’ chagrin—however he and the UFC prioritized the Miocic re-booking. Breaking down the UFC 309 predominant occasion on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski made the case for Jones having to combat Aspinall ought to he defeat Miocic.
“I’m positive Jon Jones is sick of listening to this, however the Tom Aspinall combat is the combat everybody desires to see,” Volkanovski stated. “You need to be a heavyweight champion, you need to declare that crown—that may sound mistaken, since you did declare it. It was a vacant belt and also you fought [Ciryl] Gane for it and you bought it, nevertheless it’s going to be laborious to persuade me you’re defending champ in the event you don’t combat Tom Aspinall whereas he’s the interim champ and the largest risk.
“Does Jon Jones even want to do that? No, he’s already received an unimaginable legacy. However if you wish to declare the heavyweight division, so that you had been a correct double champ… you’ve received to combat Tom Aspinall. If you happen to really need that in your résumé saying that I’m the very best heavyweight whereas I used to be right here, you must combat Tom Aspinall. I feel he’s positively the largest risk. The wrestling, all over the place, he may be harmful all over the place, and he’s a legit heavyweight. Explosive, quick. That’s the combat that I hope to see.”
Quite than focus on a possible combat with Aspinall, Jones has talked about gentle heavyweight champion Alex Pereira as an opponent he’d wish to face. Briefly time, Pereira has change into one of many UFC’s hottest fighters, successful titles at 185 and 205 kilos, and flirting with the thought of leaping up yet another division to change into the promotion’s first triple champion.
Volkanovski sees the attraction in Jones vs. Pereira, however nonetheless desires to see interim champion get the combat that he deserves.
“What he will get out of beating [Aspinall] can be, I feel for many of us, the fellows which are within the know, that may be large,” Volkanovski stated. “However if you’re speaking cash and issues like that and star energy, I win over Pereira proper now can be huge. That’s in all probability one of many largest fights you could possibly do proper now, so I can see why he’s pointed there, however do away with the heavyweight belt then. … The interim champ’s there, it’s worthwhile to combat him and that’s simply how it’s.”
As for the way the motion unfolds on combat night time, Volkanovski goes with the favored Jones to handle enterprise. In 29 professional bouts, Jones’ solely blemishes are disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in a bout that he dominated from begin to end, and a July 2017 bout with Daniel Cormier that was overturned from a Jones knockout win to a no-contest when Jones later examined constructive for a banned substance.
Miocic additionally brings a powerful record of accolades with him to Madison Sq. Backyard. The Cleveland native holds the document for many profitable UFC heavyweight title defenses (4) and has knocked out a listing of legends, together with Daniel Cormier, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, and Mark Hunt. Nevertheless, Miocic has not competed since a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021 and at 42 years outdated, his greatest days are behind him.
In a battle of legends, Volkanovski sees Jones popping out on high in convincing trend.
“I really like Stipe, however Jon Jones goes to be too good on this one,” Volkanovski stated. “You may’t guess towards him, and I feel it in all probability will probably be a end. May very well be a submission, could possibly be a TKO. Do I feel it’s a one-punch knockout? No. Does he damage him? Knees to the physique, simply breaking him correctly down, like buckle his legs, knees, or bust his ribs, simply painful TKO if that is sensible.
“Like, growth, growth, growth, after which making an attempt to guard himself as a result of he’s actually damage and the ref has to simply cease it. I can see one thing like that occur. And I can see that occuring possibly within the first few rounds, first couple of rounds even, possibly second-round TKO for Jon Jones.”
