Jon Jones dismisses Tom Aspinall as a potential opponent, mocking critics who accuse him of avoiding the fight, while emphasizing his successful career and contemplating retirement after achieving all his goals in MMA.
Jon Jones? Yeah, he’s not flinching over Tom Aspinall. The UFC heavyweight champ was busy on Twitter Thursday night, brushing off Aspinall—ranked No. 1 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and two spots above Jones at No. 6 in the Pound-for-Pound Rankings—as a potential opponent and poking fun at his critics.
Jones kicked off with a motivational Thanksgiving message about his success keys, then dove into responses about Aspinall. “Sure, call me duck for the next year,” he tweeted. “Eventually Tom will lose within the next two or three fights and my legacy will go on as the greatest MMA fighter ever. End of story.”
For a year now, fans and media have been clamoring for Jones to defend his title against Aspinall, the interim champ. Aspinall snagged his share of the heavyweight crown in November 2023 after beating Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds at UFC 295 when Jones had to bow out due to injury.
But instead of setting up Jones vs. Aspinall, the UFC stuck with Jones vs. Miocic. Aspinall defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 while Jones and Miocic finally clashed on Nov. 16 at UFC 309, where Jones dominated with a spin kick TKO.
Jones has repeatedly said fighting Miocic was crucial for his legacy. He believes Aspinall hasn’t done enough to earn a shot at him despite being 8-1 in the UFC with wins over top-10 opponents. As for Jones? He’s hailed as the greatest ever at 205 pounds but is just 2-0 as a heavyweight.
Instead of Aspinall, Jones has pitched a fight with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. At 37, he’s also hinted that depending on future negotiations with the UFC, he might hang up his gloves for good.
“Why should I fight again?” Jones mused online. “I’m incredibly wealthy, achieved all my goals, Hall of Famer, broke many records.” He even added he might vacate the belt before retiring officially.
Being called a “duck”? Doesn’t faze him one bit. “Crazy how being called a ‘duck’ pays better than most of you Internet tough guys will make in a lifetime,” he quipped. “Two fights in four years and still one of the biggest names in the sport? That’s not ducking, that’s winning.”
And there’s more: “Trust me, I get it,” he said. “They’re just running a few years behind. Peer pressure and playground insults don’t hit quite the same at 37.”