Jon Anik would favor divisional meritocracy, and the results of the upcoming Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight title battle might muddy the waters much more.
Jones and Miocic headline Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view card with Jones placing his title on the road for the primary time. Since Jones’ octagon absence, Tom Aspinall has gained and defended the interim heavyweight title — traditionally suggesting that he must be subsequent in line for a shot to unify the titles.
Whereas the fan base would like to see Jones face Aspinall, “Bones” has continued to no-sell Aspinall, and as a substitute centered his consideration on planting seeds for a champ vs. champ battle with mild heavyweight title holder Alex Pereira. Anik was requested in regards to the state of affairs days away from the promotion’s return to Madison Sq. Backyard.
“Properly, actually it stands to cause that Alex ‘Poatan’ could be the greater cash battle,” Anik advised MMA Preventing. “It will not be the battle that has the larger fan urge for food, however perhaps it’s. ‘Poatan’ versus Jon Jones is totally huge, proper? However there are a number of us that function as true, die arduous sports activities followers in a meritocracy in our brains and simply doesn’t sit effectively with this interim champion who has already defended the title idling or sitting pat, particularly while you take a look at how good Tom Aspinall is throughout each facet of combined martial arts.
“However what’s Jon Jones’ web price? What’s Stipe Miocic’s web price? What in case your monetary advisor may let you know you’ll want to retire — as a result of I can guarantee you I’m not retiring — when it comes to what you really want? And so Jon Jones preventing Tom Aspinall or Alex, what does he make? $15 million? Is that price it? Is that price risking the 0? I don’t know, but when Jon Jones is price $25-$30 million and it stands to cause, there are a number of alternatives for him to become profitable past preventing, I don’t know. If you happen to had been his supervisor, would you inform him to danger the O and legacy as a result of he ought to battle Tom, as a result of Tom’s received the interim belt and Tom’s the f*cking man? I don’t know that you simply do this.
“You could be certain… effectively, I shouldn’t say this, however I might undergo you that for Dana White and Hunter Campbell, they might a lot fairly make a Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall battle than inject Alex ‘Poatan into’ the equation. However Jon Jones does have standing as the best combined martial arts athlete of all time,. so if he desires to battle ‘Poatan,’ I’d think about, promotionally, you’ll hear.”
Anik will name the motion with Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier — who has had a number of fights with each headliners over his corridor of fame profession — and understands why Miocic is an enormous underdog within the former champ’s first battle in practically 4 years.
However what if Miocic goes into The World’s Most Well-known Enviornment and regains the heavyweight title? Anik understands how stunning that might be for lots of battle followers to see, but in addition believes that if the Cleveland native pulls this off, maybe he’d stick round to offer Aspinall is alternative to beat a legend of the sport.
“That is the battle recreation, proper? I imply, Belal Muhammad now has a life-threatening damage, and had that occurred throughout his coaching camp for Leon Edwards, he most likely by no means will get that undisputed championship alternative,” Anik stated. “So, sure, it’s loopy to form of take into consideration the prospects for Tom Aspinall, irrespective of who wins this battle. I’ll say to you if Stipe Miocic wins this battle — and you’ve got me fascinated by how I might cap it, had been he to take action — but when Stipe Miocic wins this battle, I feel he’ll battle Tom Aspinall. And if it’s a comparatively fast battle, perhaps in brief order to attempt to notice that payday, I wouldn’t be stunned in any respect to see Stipe need to make one title protection in opposition to Tom Aspinall after which trip off into the sundown.
“However I don’t know with out having sat down with these people and in the event you suppose Stipe goes to be depraved forthcoming, you then’ve by no means met the person, so we’ll see the way it all performs out.
“I simply really feel fairly convicted in saying that Tom Aspinall goes to understand monetary freedom for his household, hopefully for era, and simply wants his alternative. However man, it’s a troublesome world for lots of those fighters. If you get very near the highest, generally it’s a must to wait ceaselessly and generally you are feeling prefer it’s by no means going to come back.”
Whatever the outcome, and the way issues might go on Saturday evening within the Huge Apple, one factor is for certain: This battle can’t occur quickly sufficient to get the heavyweight division, hopefully, transferring in the precise route.
As Anik issues about how issues can play out, he has a troublesome time actually greedy how each guys can take care of vital layoffs.
“Properly, I don’t attempt to get too predictive in some half as a result of I’m a play-by-play announcer, however how do you actually predict what you’re gonna see out of each of those athletes?,” Anik stated. “The pattern measurement for Jon Jones at heavyweight is small, and Stipe Miocic final competed in opposition to Francis Ngannou when he was 38 and he’s now 42 years of age.
“Now, one factor I can let you know with sitting down with Stipe in a fighter assembly is that he’s performed every little thing in his energy to have one of the best cardiovascular base doable and put himself in one of the best place to win this battle. I do suppose it stands to cause if the battle is contested early on the toes that Stipe can land some photographs and look higher than regardless of the betting line suggests he’s. I imply, I used to be speaking to a few of my contemporaries, I feel two years in the past when this battle was first inked and I used to be like, ‘Man, Stipe a +290 in opposition to any man?’ And so they’re identical to, ‘Dude, he’s preventing Jon Jones who isn’t any man,’ and I assume that’s true.
“And so I feel Stipe at 42 is just not like a handicapper’s dream, however what sort of coaching camp has preceded this battle for Stipe? What sort of coaching camp has Jon Jones had? I can’t wait to sit down down with these two people within the fighter assembly. However sure, this battle must occur within the worst doable approach. We’d like Nov. 16. We’d like readability and finality and a outcome in relation to these two absolute legends.”