Jon Jones has been accused of opting for the ‘easier’ fight by selecting Stipe Miocic over Tom Aspinall, according to comments made by Josh Thomson and John McCarthy. Despite the ongoing social media exchange between heavyweight titleholders Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall, it seems unlikely that the two will face each other in the Octagon.
Following Aspinall’s interim heavyweight belt win at UFC 295, he has been vocal about wanting a title unification clash with Jones. However, Jones and the UFC are determined to reschedule the superfight with former two-time champ Stipe Miocic. This decision has led to Aspinall’s frustration as he is forced to wait for the outcome.
Jones hinted online that he might retire after adding Miocic to his list of accomplishments, further complicating the situation. On their WEIGHING IN podcast, John McCarthy suggested that Jones is choosing the easier fight by opting for Miocic over the tougher opponent, Aspinall. McCarthy emphasized that Aspinall is younger, faster, and yet to reach his prime, while Miocic is older and slower, past his prime.
Josh Thomson argued that if Jones plans to retire after the Miocic fight, he should relinquish the heavyweight title to avoid holding up the division. Thomson believes that pay-per-view numbers won’t be affected by whether Jones has a title around his waist or not, as people would still pay to watch his last fight. McCarthy disagreed with the idea of Jones giving up the title but acknowledged that Jones made a mistake in hinting at retirement instead of asking Aspinall to be patient.
While the proposed Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight may seem exciting, McCarthy expressed that it’s not a great fight, especially when compared to a potential matchup between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones. The criticism revolves around the fact that the Jones-Miocic bout features two fighters with a combined three appearances in the last four years and likely won’t continue competing after their clash.
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