Jon Jones has made it clear the has no plans to struggle Tom Aspinall anytime quickly. However would Stipe Miocic tackle the interim heavyweight champion?
Miocic is at present scheduled to problem Jones for the undisputed heavyweight title in the primary occasion of UFC 309, which takes place at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York on Nov. 16. UFC CEO Dana White has designated Aspinall because the backup, however some have questioned whether or not Jones or Miocic would settle for such a harmful opponent on quick discover, together with analyst Daniel Cormier, who doesn’t “imagine that both of them will do it.”
On the Consider You Me podcast, Cormier’s fellow UFC analyst Anthony Smith is assured at the very least one facet of the UFC 309 matchup would struggle Aspinall.
“I feel [Miocic] will,” Smith mentioned. “Anytime I’ve ever had conversations about this type of stuff with Stipe, I do know that I feel on this complete media world—not simply [BYM host Michael Bisping] and I, however the media within the basic and the UFC and everybody that talks about it—they make it look like Stipe actually provides a shit. He doesn’t actually give a shit. He’s barely a fighter. Like, he doesn’t have the mentality of a fighter until he’s in there actively combating. He doesn’t discuss fights, he doesn’t actually watch them that a lot. He trains each single day, however he’s simply not immersed on this world in any respect. He desires to beat Jon as a result of everybody else says that Jon is the very best. He couldn’t care much less about Jon Jones.
“He simply doesn’t. Whether or not it’s Jon or it’s Tom Aspinall, he’s going to coach about the identical. It’s not going to actually change a lot. He has that mentality the place it’s not about what that man goes to do and the way I’m going to react to it, his complete mindset is flipped. Right here’s what I’m going to do and he has to cope with it. That’s how Stipe’s mindset has at all times been, so whether or not it’s Jon or whether or not it’s Tom, it doesn’t change something for Stipe.”
Jones and Miocic are each coming off of lengthy layoffs, with Jones having final fought in March 2023, when he defeated Ciryl Gane to win a vacant heavyweight title, and Miocic out of motion since March 2021, when he dropped his belt to Francis Ngannou.
The UFC 309 foremost occasion has been billed as a battle between legends with Jones being arguably the best fighter of all time primarily based off of his exploits at 205 kilos, and Miocic proudly owning the file for essentially the most consecutive profitable defenses of the UFC’s heavyweight belt (3). Regardless of all of the hoopla, Bisping is satisfied Miocic is content material along with his life and legacy, and that’s why he won’t care who he finally ends up combating in November.
“He’s like, ‘It’s not my identification,’” Bisping mentioned, taking Miocic’s perspective. “‘I’m who I’m. Yeah, OK, I used to be the champion of the world and yeah, I need to be that. I need to beat Jon Jones and sure, I would like all the things that comes with it. However I’ve additionally made some cash, I’ve finished my factor, I’m a fireman, I’m a daily man. I’m a blue-collar man. I’ve acquired cash within the financial institution, I’ve acquired a spouse, I’ve acquired youngsters. I’m not regarding myself with this circus on social media and all of this bullshit.
“I’ll be out doing my factor, I’ll be taking care of my household, after which when the time’s proper, I’ll leap on a aircraft and I’ll fly to New York and I’ll struggle the best fighter that’s ever lived. And if I beat him, whoop-dee-[expletive]-do, and if I don’t, so be it.’”
Bisping and Smith agreed Jones is much less prone to settle for Aspinall as a substitute opponent, given how a lot time Jones has invested into the Miocic matchup. Nonetheless, Bisping cautioned towards throwing Jones underneath the bus ought to the state of affairs come up the place he passes on combating Aspinall, since Jones is just taking care of his finest pursuits.
“That’s what I liken it to, or evaluate it to, someone getting married and all the things’s all there,” Bisping mentioned. “That’s type of the strain you’re feeling as a fighter as nicely to tug out. Some individuals would possibly say, ‘That’s a bitch transfer.’ ‘You’re a p*ssy.’ However that’s having the balls to say, ‘Maintain on a minute’—and by the way in which, I’m not advocating for Jon Jones to do that and saying, ‘Perceive why’—what I’m saying is it’s actually onerous in these sorts of conditions to be like, ‘No, I’m going to do what’s finest for me. I’m not right here to do what’s finest for you, the followers, or the corporate, or no matter. I’m going to do me and proper now, I feel what’s finest for me is that if I struggle Tom Aspinall after a full camp.’”