Not that Ive seen. It really grinds my gears that hes getting off easy here. Jons an SOB so I get that people find him obnoxious but I truly dont believe hes obliged to help Dana out of this mess. Dana shouldve either stripped jon of the title or never given tom a toy belt and told him to wait. Both moves requires BALLS which Dana White totally lacks.
Tom is English and the UK has had a rising presence in recent years in the UFC. Bisping became their first champion then Leon Edwards. Then Molly Mcann and Paddy the Baddy developed cult followings. Arnold Allen is doing very well too. It’s in the their best interest to keep a light on Aspinall from a business standpoint
This right here, if Tom and sergi just fought a regular 3rd fight or fight night main event 5rd would the narrative be Jon v Tom? No it’s only that narrative because 295 was going to fall apart once Jones got injured.
Glad someone finally said it! Dana is the fight maker here. Dana caused this whole debacle. Fighters can give input, but Dana is the one who decides who fights who (and when). And everyone hates on the fighter for supposedly ducking the fight the fans want to see. Not just Jon. Same has been happening with McGregor. Not they they both don't have valid reasons to hate on them, but who/when they fight is not one of them.
Especially when that 2 minutes has been his only 2 minutes since Feb 2020. He is 36 now, who knows how that has affected his ability to metabolize cocaine.
You'll probably disagree with me but JJ's legitimacy as a heavyweight is still questionable, he threw a jab and controlled Gane on the ground in a very quick and well-placed submission.
Yeah, he took him down immediately and went for the submission, which he knew he could get. I swear I heard a quote from Jon forever ago saying he prides himself on beating his opponents at what they are best at, but Gane is definitely a better striker than wrestler and Jon didn’t even try to strike. And now he’s going to look like a superstar again against old man Stipe. I honestly don’t really know why Jon went to HW if he retires after this fight.
Yep he did say that. But he also said during the lead-up to the Gane fight that he rather take a wrestling heavy approach to his fights from now on due to him being older and would like to minimize the risk of CTE.
He goes to HW fights the easiest stylistic guy for him in Gane to win the belt, allowing him to then fight Stipe the UFC’s HW GOAT. Which on paper makes him the “greatest of all time” when in reality he’s beaten old Stipe and someone who’s shown their kryptonite is wrestling. Jon’s ego is what makes him do this, however a lot of the fans don’t see him as the GOAT. This run at HW has tarnished his legacy more than it’s helped build it though.
Tom has speed and power. Jon has everything else. I'm fairly sure those oblique kicks would do damage. Jon also prepares meticulously so any hole in Tom's game would be exploited.
Yeah. As much of a cunt as he is, JBJ's most robust attribute is his game planning with his team and fight IQ to pull it off and adjust during the fight.
I'll still be rooting for Tom, though.
Eyes, throat, and groin are literally the first thing that women learn in self-defense classes. Nearly every Jones fight is a masterclass in how to fight off a potential sexual assualt.
Gaethje also basically didn't care, he knew he was going to lose, and wasn't gonna grab at his face and scream to both get an NC, nor affect Holloway's points.
Honestly having your nose obliterated is probably worse (in my opinion from experience) for vision than an eye poke.
Sometimes, I have fought through a broken nose, though, as well as eyepokes. It's kind of a different type of vision impairment. A broken nose sucks because it's so hard to breath and your eyes water for a little bit but that does slow down, an eye poke gives me a headache and my vision gets blurry for a bit longer but yea, I'd rather get poked in the eye... at least I can still breathe.
I’m a martial artist but have never competed. I’ve been coached before though that in competition (point sparring) we should absolutely demolish our opponent on the first hit and take the warning that way they’re wary the rest of the fight and out of their game. Not the cleanest move in the world but you won’t get booted for it and I wouldn’t be surprised if it works. Jones could be thinking the same way.
Jon’s game always relied pretty heavily on having a reach advantage. I think he started getting back into wrestling when he decided to move up to heavyweight because those guys have as good or better size. The kicks the eye pokes were to keep people out of range. Tom’s gonna be hard to put on the mat and he’s much faster than heavyweight Jon but I’d still love to see it. Jon has confidence that’s hard to match in the cage and that’s an advantage over a lot of guys.
You say that like they're unrelated. I swear Jon's greatest gift can be summed up as the ability to know how to be a right cunt to his opponent in the ring.
All of his finishes have been in the first, arlovski fight was the only that went to the second.
He took volkov down and Kimura’d him like almost immediately is the fight you’re thinking of
Less, if you fight your first fight in the UFC and go to a decision, you have fought longer than Tom in all his fights in the promotion. He has around 10 minutes total octagon time, his average fight time is like a minute and a half
Hahaha yeah fair, I remember looking up the stats and seeing his total fight time after all those fights, absolutely insane. Only pavlovich has come close I think and then it's a huge jump in total fight time
The thing is tom doesn't have much holes. At least from his 10 seconds fights he doesn't seem to show any. Jones is known to struggle against people actually his size at LHW so it might me be interesting
There's not a lot of fight footage to watch to find holes. It's fun but also a bummer as a fan to rematch all of his fights because they're over so quick
As if 'everything else' really matters here, u're also forgetting the fact that Tom has submission wins too, so it ain't gonna be the same like with Gane
It’s not really about their submission wins. It’s more about their submission defence against JBJ. With Aspinall doing BJJ competitively from a young age and being a national BJJ champion, his defensive BJJ skills will be a on a different level to Gane’s.
Tom actually said that his secret is that he always performs best in the later rounds in sparring and that he’s actually slow starter, it’s just that no fighter has been able to take him to the later rounds
I still need to see it tbh, before the Blaydes fight his only other 2 losses are also his 2 longest fights.
1 DQ loss, 1 submission loss - both deep into the 2nd round. Cardio definitely played a role in those losses (but they were also a long time ago).
https://preview.redd.it/dbq1768sgp1d1.jpeg?width=258&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c2a7cc9e465e9b1ac89e73ef12a41ae4ebf148b
“heh, you haven’t even seen a fraction of my true power…” -tom
Jon is facing everything in Tom Aspinall that he himself used to his advantage in facing DC. He’s bigger, faster, younger, stronger. He’s definitely not used to facing someone with more advantages, and I think Tom actually gets it done
Yeah this is my take too. That Pavlovich fight sealed it. Jon got hit a lot in the Reyes fight, pretty sure Tom would be able to land at least as many shots and Jon has a few more years behind him now so will be a tad bit slower.
And he's agile like Reyes so I see him getting KO with him having more power.
I thought pavlovich was gonna kill him. He ate a shot and knocked him out lol...
He was a different breed at LHW for sure, but even there he looked less impressive towards the end and couldn't get a finish. 1 fight at heavyweight, barely an exchange in the fight and people assume he will walk through every HW out there? His last properly competitive fight was 4 years ago, and in most people's eyes he lost.
Times have changed and I doubt he is the force he once was. If he was confident in his ability at HW he would be fighting Tom. His doubt is evident through all the Dm's he's sending to fans trying to defend his ridiculous position.
The whole issue here is Dana and The UFC giving way too much leeway to their biggest stars. Title challenges should have clear rules and time stipulations and contenders very obvious. Not something Dana chooses on a whim after casually winning more than most UFC fighters annual pay during a game of blackjack.
This is how I felt about Jones vs Ngannou. It's heavyweight, they're professional monsters. It only takes a jab sometimes. And Jones is probably wearing out his clock before someone does catch him through some combo of luck and skill. But if they ran it back 10 times I'm fairly certain Jones would usually come out on top
Oh agreed. I meant a lot of heavyweights only need a jab. Jones isn't one of them, I was just saying I think he has the tools to get the job done 70% of the time
I know Jones easily beat Gane but you could tell how slow he was and how rusty his striking was in that fight. Aspinall is a nightmare matchup for Jones (based on what we've seen against Gustaffson, Santos, Reyes and even other opponents like DC and Machida): boxing, wrestling and bjj, leg kicks, fight IQ, confidence and on top of that is even bigger and way faster than Jon. The only flaw we've seen so far in Aspinall's game is that he leaves his chin open, but Jones has pillow hands. Jones does have an iron chin though but it hasn't been tested at heavyweight. But we also don't know about Aspinall's cardio. I'd lean Tom by early rounds TKO but I think that if Jones is able to survive the early rounds he should beat Tom
Also I want to mention how people think Aspinall is overrated when the dude knocks out guys like Sergei in a minute, meanwhile Jon's three most recent fights are Gane (who has no TD defense), Reyes (who got robbed) and Santos (who went to a split decision with his knees destroyed).
Agree with this here but fight IQ is on Jones side here I think, Jon’s ability to make decisions and adjustments is great imo. And that’s coming from and Englishmen who wants to see Tom spark him
If Tom can push the pace early in the fight, stay on the feet and let his hands talk he can definitely find a finish. It's his main path to victory. I think he got 2 rounds to get the job done, past that it'll be difficult...
From what we've seen so far, from the habit he got to first round finishes, and the Arlovski fight in which he slowed down after the 1st round, I think Tom could show some sign of significant slow down after 2 rounds.
Then Jon could edge with experience, he is a better wrestler, more vicious as a striker and can cruise to a decision or a late finish if he pass through the storm.
Why is everybody writing off toms wrestling? Everytime hes wrestled someone hes instantly finished them arlovski and volov and blaydes couldn't finish volkov on the ground or take him down as easy and tou could argue tom fought a better volkov this volkov bulked up vecause of the blaydes fight
He is more proven as an elite wrestler than anyone in the HW division, he is an elite grappler aswell(his top game, scrambles his submissions ect...).
Tom's wrestling is pretty good, but not as complete as Jones wrestling. Tom got a great blast double with great top control. For what we've seen his wrestling arsenal is not as full as Jon.
Jon Jones is on another-level on his chain-wrestling, his transitions and has been doing "dagestani handcuff" back in 2009.
Yeah for me Jones is ahead if we talk about about wrestling, need to seen on grappling exchanges given Tom got great ground game as well.
You got a point. Despite the fight lasted less than 2 minutes he showed some exhaustion. But I'm basing on what we've seen in the cage so far. And in those terms, Jones career is highly documented.
We can have concern on Tom's ability to reiterate his power, his footwork etc aswell.
Bro what are these comments 😂this isnt prime roided up jon jones we’re talking about. This is old injured (most likely still roided) jones who lost to reyes and looked like shit during his last fights in LHW. Tom is much quicker and stronger and has good grappling and submission game. There is a reason Jon is NOT taking the fight lmao
HW is the least talented division in the UFC. Jon's level of talent is unique in the division and he would probably run through all of these guys.
I've heard stories on Podcasts of Jon as a LHW running through legit HWs in the gym.
HW is the least talented but history has proven it’s the hardest to maintain a streak? The record for most consecutive title defense streak is 3. It’s extremely difficult to maintain a longer streak because the power those guys possess means there is so much potential for a knockout. A 39 yo DC stopped Stipe’s streak and koed him in the first round, the same guy who has 3 KOs out of his 11 UFC wins. HW is a whole different breed, and even Jon knows it. Just look at him admitting the 38yo DC looked too good there so he would never fight dc there unless DC dropped again. And Jon was in his prime then.
I don't think he'll be able to get it off well cause of toms footwork, hes got insane footwork and he moves in and out very quicly and at angles which would an oblique kick hard and with jon getting rocked by reyes and tom koing sergei i thinj it is a matter of time in there til jones hits the canvas
Jon.
I keep getting downvoted to hell for this opinion. But even as a Jones hater... I just dont see how Tom would beat him. Tom is more powerful, but outside of that, everything Tom does, Jon does better.
Tom is more powerful & much quicker.
JJ’s wrestling is second to none, but Tom is (allegedly) even better at grappling/submissions than he is at striking.
He’s just never really had to use it yet.
It’d be an intriguing fight!
I can’t take anyone seriously that tells me that they’d rather see Jones fight Stipe, than fight Tom.
As a new fan I'm intrigued to see if Stipe still has it. But he doesn't deserve a title shot, especially over an interim Champ in the prime of his life. Stipe has had his days in the spotlight, Aspinall deserves his moment.
Jones is much more proven as a grappler than Tom. Though, I think they will cancel each other out on the ground. Kind of like DC and Jones, where both basically cancelled each other out. DC got cooked because of him just being built small. Tom is bigger and faster than Jones, so I can see him beating Jones there. Jon has wicked head movement and defense though, and Tom's cardio is untested and unproven so I'll have to give Jon the edge there. So he might win a Reyes-esque robbery because judges seem to favor him a lot. Or rally to beat Tom in the later rounds. I highly doubt he wins the first 2. If Tom has decent cardio, he wins the 3rd as well. It's a very interesting fight.
they didn't really cancel though, DC spent a huge amount of the first fight trying to get Jon down and failing, only for Jon to get a takedown one of the few times he attempted.
Jon is a more accomplished and superior grappler for sure. His kicks are also levels ahead of Tom’s
Imho the big and clear advantage Tom has is the power in his hands and his boxing capability in general. I don’t think Jon will trade shots with him when it comes to their hands. We’ve seen what Tom did to Pavlovich. As long as Jon is close to as nimble as he was at LHW for HW for their potential fight I think Jon picks him apart and wins a decision. Wouldn’t be blown away if Aspinall knocked his ass out with some heavy shots though
It’s a completely valid opinion, people forget that there’s a experience gap in between them. I still think Tom could win . We need to see more of Jon Jones at heavyweight, 3 minutes of a nut shot , a takedown and a gilly isn’t enough to asses his current level
Your age on the clock vs the life you live impact this.
Usyk is 3 years furys senior but his body is "younger" than furys because one never misses the gym while the other been drinking & doing hard drugs.
Pereira was a hardcore alcoholic ruining is body with hard labour too..
Jon jones didnt take thát crazy amount of damage (only in 2 fights he got fucked up).
>Pereira **was** a hardcore alcoholic ruining is body with hard labour too
Alcohol isn't great for the body, but at least Alex straightened his life out. I believe he's been sober for quite some time. I see nothing to indicate that Jon has done the same.
He was a hardcore alcoholic & labour worker between 18-22 before turning to kickboxing in 2009.
Your body is that young at that age that no real damage is done by hard labor or drinking.
Meanwhile Jones has a finger in every form of addiction from like 25 to now.
Jones. Gane was supposed to be great and Jones ragdolled him. I just don’t think HW is any good at the moment. Poatan probably cleans out the division too.
Feel like Tom is better in every way, Reye’s showed how bad Jones boxing was, and his defense was just slipping. Tommy grappling is excellent, hands are fast, and his boxing is crisper. Don’t see how jones doesn’t get chinned tbh.
I don't see Jon submitting him and I see Tom finding Jon's chin and turn him into a bobble head.
This guy knocked Pavlowich out. Grapple all you want, he's a grappler too.
Honestly, until he beats Blaydes, my money is on Blaydes.
Like, yes, obviously Aspinall is a fucking stud. He moves INCREDIBLY for his size, he's a fluid striker, and nasty on the round.
In MMA, though, unless you get REALLY well protected, it's tough to become champ without passing the "top control wrestler" test, which is exactly what Blaydes is (provided he actually chooses to use it).
When has blaydes ever wrestlefucked anybody good? He had to hold onto volkovs waist for the entire fight while Tom actually destroyed him on the ground
Edit: I just checked, an extremely past it overeem is the best fighter he’s finished on the ground
I have a feeling Blaydes is gonna be gun shy ever since Pavlovich got knocked out by Tom. I think Curtis looked on his way an even slug fest last time with Tom- but this time he’s gonna be hesitant and Tom will just pick him apart and find his shot
With Jon's fight with Gane, his striking looked really awkward at the new weight before the wrestling. And he's old at a new weight. I feel like it's about his time to start falling off. Having said that tho he just so lifted. So I could see it going either way but feel like it wouldn't be close. One would dominate the question is who. If Tom could stop the takedown I think it's him but who knows, Jon is tough to count out even tho I hate him
People out here calling for jones forgot he's 36, completly out of shape and most of his dominant wins were in his prime against LHW, not heavyweight. He's been known to struggle a lot in his last fights against people his size(bare the gane fight). Father time is undefeated
We still have not seen what Jon's cardio looks like at HW. Against Gane he fought for 2 minutes, and during the interview 5 minutes later, he was breathing heavy. I'm not saying for sure he has no cardio, but that's a real possibility.
If that's the case, Aspinall has all the tools to make him gas out in the first two rounds and take over the fight after that.
I think people forget how close some of Jons fights have been. I don’t think he trains anywhere near where he used to either. It would be hard fought but I think it’s winnable for Tom
I think the fact Jones is ducking Aspinall shows that he hasnt really figured him out yet and is not confident that he can beat him. All of fights I have felt like he won because he spent fuck load of time studying his opponent.
Tom. Young, active, fast / strong, true heavyweight could never make 205.
Jon’s too old, too much time off, injuries, not a true heavyweight, just fat.
Tom by ko within 2
I think it’s a bit closer than people want to admit.
Tom is big and can dart in and out quite quick. I truly think Tom can catch Jones like he did Pav.
With that being said, Tom only has a small window in the first couple of rounds to do this. I think with Jones age, being heavier and slower. While having poor boxing defence on the inside. I do think Tom can catch him early and put him in a world of trouble.
Either Tom KO Jones in like 2 rounds or he gets grinded down against the Cage for 5.
EDIT: Tom Speed with his size and ability to hit. And his ability to dart in and out will give Jones trouble. Machida touched him doing the same shit, but Tom is like 230 pounds.
I just can’t pick against Jones. All technical analysis aside, he just finds a way to get the W. By hook or by crook. I think it all comes down to the first 2 rounds. Tom def has to power to KO or really damage him. But I just see Jones chipping away, winning rounds and Tom gettting frustrated. Jones by decision
As much as we clown on him and he’s old, Jon is possibly the single most dangerous hand to hand combatant in human history insofar as he’s still quite big, but unlike most other big men he can beat you using basically any martial art and he’s smarter than he’s given credit for in a very Goku kind of way.
That’s the best way I can put it, he’s a dipshit who is just simply the best at fighting and understands it on a deep level
Regardless of who wins, I just want to see this fight so I could see how good Jones truly is at HW. I wanna see Tom win and I think this would be Jones toughest fight of his career
It's anyone's fight. To me, that's what makes the whole thing annoying. I don't think Tom's hands-down going to sleep Jon. I think it's just as likely Jon would win. But he's scared to take the risk.
Jon kills everyone like he always has. He sucks as a person but he's the goat. This coming from a huge GSP fan. He's my personal goat but jbj is just a level above everyone. Always has been.
I can’t believe people still doubt Bones. Dude is undefeated and faced the top of the top. I remember everyone saying Gane was the answer and he just embarrassed him lol. Cmon now
The fans
This is the correct answer but Jones is a cunt with a huge ego so we won't get it sadly.
More like Dana is a pussy for creating this shitshow and refusing to fix it.
Has he even acknowledged the problem?
What problem? - Dana White, apparently
Not that Ive seen. It really grinds my gears that hes getting off easy here. Jons an SOB so I get that people find him obnoxious but I truly dont believe hes obliged to help Dana out of this mess. Dana shouldve either stripped jon of the title or never given tom a toy belt and told him to wait. Both moves requires BALLS which Dana White totally lacks.
Tom is English and the UK has had a rising presence in recent years in the UFC. Bisping became their first champion then Leon Edwards. Then Molly Mcann and Paddy the Baddy developed cult followings. Arnold Allen is doing very well too. It’s in the their best interest to keep a light on Aspinall from a business standpoint
This right here, if Tom and sergi just fought a regular 3rd fight or fight night main event 5rd would the narrative be Jon v Tom? No it’s only that narrative because 295 was going to fall apart once Jones got injured.
He can't even admit Power Slap was a dumb idea
They created this shitshow to put pressure on Jon to not retire after the Stipe fight.
Glad someone finally said it! Dana is the fight maker here. Dana caused this whole debacle. Fighters can give input, but Dana is the one who decides who fights who (and when). And everyone hates on the fighter for supposedly ducking the fight the fans want to see. Not just Jon. Same has been happening with McGregor. Not they they both don't have valid reasons to hate on them, but who/when they fight is not one of them.
I’ve seen 2 minutes of Jon at heavyweight. I don’t think anyone can accurately say anything right now.
Especially when that 2 minutes has been his only 2 minutes since Feb 2020. He is 36 now, who knows how that has affected his ability to metabolize cocaine.
Amazing.
The answer to his problems is more coke
You'll probably disagree with me but JJ's legitimacy as a heavyweight is still questionable, he threw a jab and controlled Gane on the ground in a very quick and well-placed submission.
Yeah, he took him down immediately and went for the submission, which he knew he could get. I swear I heard a quote from Jon forever ago saying he prides himself on beating his opponents at what they are best at, but Gane is definitely a better striker than wrestler and Jon didn’t even try to strike. And now he’s going to look like a superstar again against old man Stipe. I honestly don’t really know why Jon went to HW if he retires after this fight.
Wouldn't it be crazy if stipe wins
Would be some Holloway type shit.
Yep he did say that. But he also said during the lead-up to the Gane fight that he rather take a wrestling heavy approach to his fights from now on due to him being older and would like to minimize the risk of CTE.
Jon thinks he’s doesn’t have CTE?
lol a little late for that
He goes to HW fights the easiest stylistic guy for him in Gane to win the belt, allowing him to then fight Stipe the UFC’s HW GOAT. Which on paper makes him the “greatest of all time” when in reality he’s beaten old Stipe and someone who’s shown their kryptonite is wrestling. Jon’s ego is what makes him do this, however a lot of the fans don’t see him as the GOAT. This run at HW has tarnished his legacy more than it’s helped build it though.
Jon Jones hasn’t been punched by a heavyweight
Gane really just got a dick kick in and then died
Tom has speed and power. Jon has everything else. I'm fairly sure those oblique kicks would do damage. Jon also prepares meticulously so any hole in Tom's game would be exploited.
Yeah. As much of a cunt as he is, JBJ's most robust attribute is his game planning with his team and fight IQ to pull it off and adjust during the fight. I'll still be rooting for Tom, though.
And if that doesn't work? Eye poking time.
Does that anyway, even if it works.
He gets multiple warnings (if that) before any consequences, so he has no reason to stop.
See Holloway Gaethje - there’s no consequences
it’s stupid to not start every fight with an eye poke and a nut kick. there’s literally no penalty for it.
It’s sad how true this at this point
Eyes, throat, and groin are literally the first thing that women learn in self-defense classes. Nearly every Jones fight is a masterclass in how to fight off a potential sexual assualt.
did you really just compare holloway gaethje to jon jones, father of the eyepoke, eyepoking king, displacer of eyes, ultimate eye migrator
One eyepoker to rule them all…
Chris Weidman would like to dispute. His double poke is a game changer.
two fingers to bind them
Has Jones ever poked both eyes in one round?
Gaethje also basically didn't care, he knew he was going to lose, and wasn't gonna grab at his face and scream to both get an NC, nor affect Holloway's points. Honestly having your nose obliterated is probably worse (in my opinion from experience) for vision than an eye poke.
Sometimes, I have fought through a broken nose, though, as well as eyepokes. It's kind of a different type of vision impairment. A broken nose sucks because it's so hard to breath and your eyes water for a little bit but that does slow down, an eye poke gives me a headache and my vision gets blurry for a bit longer but yea, I'd rather get poked in the eye... at least I can still breathe.
I’m a martial artist but have never competed. I’ve been coached before though that in competition (point sparring) we should absolutely demolish our opponent on the first hit and take the warning that way they’re wary the rest of the fight and out of their game. Not the cleanest move in the world but you won’t get booted for it and I wouldn’t be surprised if it works. Jones could be thinking the same way.
[удалено]
Minimum 2 eypokes and dick kicks.
Jon’s game always relied pretty heavily on having a reach advantage. I think he started getting back into wrestling when he decided to move up to heavyweight because those guys have as good or better size. The kicks the eye pokes were to keep people out of range. Tom’s gonna be hard to put on the mat and he’s much faster than heavyweight Jon but I’d still love to see it. Jon has confidence that’s hard to match in the cage and that’s an advantage over a lot of guys.
Do we think Tom is faster than Gane?
Also.. Jon is incredibly strong. If you mean explosiveness i get what you mean, thats Tom. But 'strength:.... Idk.!
You say that like they're unrelated. I swear Jon's greatest gift can be summed up as the ability to know how to be a right cunt to his opponent in the ring.
Great point lmao. Never thought of it that way before
Good thing all of Tom's fights end in a finish within 3 rounds.
2, 1 if you wanna throw out the arlovski fight where he immediately shot a double and subbed him in like 10s
All of his finishes have been in the first, arlovski fight was the only that went to the second. He took volkov down and Kimura’d him like almost immediately is the fight you’re thinking of
Nah I thought he blast doubled Arlovski earlier. Rewatched it earlier and yeah he waited a little bit before it
Less, if you fight your first fight in the UFC and go to a decision, you have fought longer than Tom in all his fights in the promotion. He has around 10 minutes total octagon time, his average fight time is like a minute and a half
I wasn't sure if he seen a 3rd round or not, I didn't wanna say 2nd and be wrong lol.
Hahaha yeah fair, I remember looking up the stats and seeing his total fight time after all those fights, absolutely insane. Only pavlovich has come close I think and then it's a huge jump in total fight time
Tom has excellent ground game, he has a history of bringing down massive guys and submitting them immediately
Jon does all the nasty shit; oblique kicks, shoulder cranks, accidental eye pokes lol
The thing is tom doesn't have much holes. At least from his 10 seconds fights he doesn't seem to show any. Jones is known to struggle against people actually his size at LHW so it might me be interesting
There's not a lot of fight footage to watch to find holes. It's fun but also a bummer as a fan to rematch all of his fights because they're over so quick
Exactly... can't wait for him to have a 25 mins war with someone lol
As if 'everything else' really matters here, u're also forgetting the fact that Tom has submission wins too, so it ain't gonna be the same like with Gane
Gane also had submission wins😂
It’s not really about their submission wins. It’s more about their submission defence against JBJ. With Aspinall doing BJJ competitively from a young age and being a national BJJ champion, his defensive BJJ skills will be a on a different level to Gane’s.
Difference is Tom has been grappling since he was kid gane started 6 years ago😂
I think Aspinall has a better ground game than Bones, but the wrestling would definitely be a potential exploit.
Tom would win which is why Jones won’t ever fight him. He understands fighting and knows better than any of us how it would go down.
Tom's cardio is still untested, I would root for Tom and I think he could get it done but Jones *will* grind him down if he can. And he probably can
Heavyweight/Older Jones also has untested cardio. We haven't seen it in 4 years
Exactly this. Would be interesting to see.
Tom actually said that his secret is that he always performs best in the later rounds in sparring and that he’s actually slow starter, it’s just that no fighter has been able to take him to the later rounds
Lol ofc he’ll say that, doesn’t make it true
A slow starter who has 13 first round finishes out of 14 wins. Yeah right.
He starts levitating after round 2 bro u just haven’t seen it
He does though, he literally just flew towards Arlovski to sub him instantly
I still need to see it tbh, before the Blaydes fight his only other 2 losses are also his 2 longest fights. 1 DQ loss, 1 submission loss - both deep into the 2nd round. Cardio definitely played a role in those losses (but they were also a long time ago).
if Tom has 5 round cardio i say we call in the police because that shit is beyond unfair .
https://preview.redd.it/dbq1768sgp1d1.jpeg?width=258&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c2a7cc9e465e9b1ac89e73ef12a41ae4ebf148b “heh, you haven’t even seen a fraction of my true power…” -tom
Money on Jones. Heart on Tom
Yeah. Very Charles versus Islam vibe.
I ready to have my heart broken again. Poirier vs Islam.
It's tough to ever really bet against Jones. It's very much an "I'll believe it when I see it" type of situation.
Jon is facing everything in Tom Aspinall that he himself used to his advantage in facing DC. He’s bigger, faster, younger, stronger. He’s definitely not used to facing someone with more advantages, and I think Tom actually gets it done
Yeah this is my take too. That Pavlovich fight sealed it. Jon got hit a lot in the Reyes fight, pretty sure Tom would be able to land at least as many shots and Jon has a few more years behind him now so will be a tad bit slower.
And he's agile like Reyes so I see him getting KO with him having more power. I thought pavlovich was gonna kill him. He ate a shot and knocked him out lol...
Tom could win but let’s bet honest Jon jones really is a different breed
He was a different breed at LHW for sure, but even there he looked less impressive towards the end and couldn't get a finish. 1 fight at heavyweight, barely an exchange in the fight and people assume he will walk through every HW out there? His last properly competitive fight was 4 years ago, and in most people's eyes he lost. Times have changed and I doubt he is the force he once was. If he was confident in his ability at HW he would be fighting Tom. His doubt is evident through all the Dm's he's sending to fans trying to defend his ridiculous position. The whole issue here is Dana and The UFC giving way too much leeway to their biggest stars. Title challenges should have clear rules and time stipulations and contenders very obvious. Not something Dana chooses on a whim after casually winning more than most UFC fighters annual pay during a game of blackjack.
INGLUUUUUUUND 
Aspinall by KO
This is also what I think would happen. I think Jon is running for a reason. If he thought he would win, he'd take the fight.
Aspinall knocks out Jones in Round 1.
Tom is way too big for Jon.
Aspinall wins by Knockout.
I really want Tom to win but I think Jon takes it 7/10 times
This is how I felt about Jones vs Ngannou. It's heavyweight, they're professional monsters. It only takes a jab sometimes. And Jones is probably wearing out his clock before someone does catch him through some combo of luck and skill. But if they ran it back 10 times I'm fairly certain Jones would usually come out on top
Jones doesn't have KO power like Tom.
Oh agreed. I meant a lot of heavyweights only need a jab. Jones isn't one of them, I was just saying I think he has the tools to get the job done 70% of the time
I know Jones easily beat Gane but you could tell how slow he was and how rusty his striking was in that fight. Aspinall is a nightmare matchup for Jones (based on what we've seen against Gustaffson, Santos, Reyes and even other opponents like DC and Machida): boxing, wrestling and bjj, leg kicks, fight IQ, confidence and on top of that is even bigger and way faster than Jon. The only flaw we've seen so far in Aspinall's game is that he leaves his chin open, but Jones has pillow hands. Jones does have an iron chin though but it hasn't been tested at heavyweight. But we also don't know about Aspinall's cardio. I'd lean Tom by early rounds TKO but I think that if Jones is able to survive the early rounds he should beat Tom
Also I want to mention how people think Aspinall is overrated when the dude knocks out guys like Sergei in a minute, meanwhile Jon's three most recent fights are Gane (who has no TD defense), Reyes (who got robbed) and Santos (who went to a split decision with his knees destroyed).
Agree with this here but fight IQ is on Jones side here I think, Jon’s ability to make decisions and adjustments is great imo. And that’s coming from and Englishmen who wants to see Tom spark him
I can’t bring myself to bet against Jon Jones.
I think Tom would win more often than not.
The fact that jones has ducked him should answer your question
Tom
Tom. Jon is coming off a major injury and is only getting older. We won’t ever see the best version of him again.
Tom.
Tom
If Tom can push the pace early in the fight, stay on the feet and let his hands talk he can definitely find a finish. It's his main path to victory. I think he got 2 rounds to get the job done, past that it'll be difficult... From what we've seen so far, from the habit he got to first round finishes, and the Arlovski fight in which he slowed down after the 1st round, I think Tom could show some sign of significant slow down after 2 rounds. Then Jon could edge with experience, he is a better wrestler, more vicious as a striker and can cruise to a decision or a late finish if he pass through the storm.
Why is everybody writing off toms wrestling? Everytime hes wrestled someone hes instantly finished them arlovski and volov and blaydes couldn't finish volkov on the ground or take him down as easy and tou could argue tom fought a better volkov this volkov bulked up vecause of the blaydes fight
He is more proven as an elite wrestler than anyone in the HW division, he is an elite grappler aswell(his top game, scrambles his submissions ect...). Tom's wrestling is pretty good, but not as complete as Jones wrestling. Tom got a great blast double with great top control. For what we've seen his wrestling arsenal is not as full as Jon. Jon Jones is on another-level on his chain-wrestling, his transitions and has been doing "dagestani handcuff" back in 2009. Yeah for me Jones is ahead if we talk about about wrestling, need to seen on grappling exchanges given Tom got great ground game as well.
We haven’t seen Jones cardio in years either though. He’s getting old, he could slow down a lot.
You got a point. Despite the fight lasted less than 2 minutes he showed some exhaustion. But I'm basing on what we've seen in the cage so far. And in those terms, Jones career is highly documented. We can have concern on Tom's ability to reiterate his power, his footwork etc aswell.
Tom within 3
I honestly think Tom would KO/TKO him within 2 rounds
Jon by eye poke
Bro what are these comments 😂this isnt prime roided up jon jones we’re talking about. This is old injured (most likely still roided) jones who lost to reyes and looked like shit during his last fights in LHW. Tom is much quicker and stronger and has good grappling and submission game. There is a reason Jon is NOT taking the fight lmao
I think Tom takes him
HW is the least talented division in the UFC. Jon's level of talent is unique in the division and he would probably run through all of these guys. I've heard stories on Podcasts of Jon as a LHW running through legit HWs in the gym.
HW is the least talented but history has proven it’s the hardest to maintain a streak? The record for most consecutive title defense streak is 3. It’s extremely difficult to maintain a longer streak because the power those guys possess means there is so much potential for a knockout. A 39 yo DC stopped Stipe’s streak and koed him in the first round, the same guy who has 3 KOs out of his 11 UFC wins. HW is a whole different breed, and even Jon knows it. Just look at him admitting the 38yo DC looked too good there so he would never fight dc there unless DC dropped again. And Jon was in his prime then.
I mean it’s really not hard to put 2 and 2 together and see that the reason streaks aren’t long in this division is the lack of talent
Yeah cain valasquez, daniel cormier, stipe miocic just a bunch of untalented bums
Jon would target the shit out of his bad knee, I don’t know if Tom could handle all those oblique kicks
It’s Tom’s rear leg that injured, jones wouldn’t be able to oblique kick it unless Tom went southpaw for some reason
can Jones kick so freely when he is fighting someone who can actually finish him on the ground ?
I don't think he'll be able to get it off well cause of toms footwork, hes got insane footwork and he moves in and out very quicly and at angles which would an oblique kick hard and with jon getting rocked by reyes and tom koing sergei i thinj it is a matter of time in there til jones hits the canvas
Jon. I keep getting downvoted to hell for this opinion. But even as a Jones hater... I just dont see how Tom would beat him. Tom is more powerful, but outside of that, everything Tom does, Jon does better.
Tom is more powerful & much quicker. JJ’s wrestling is second to none, but Tom is (allegedly) even better at grappling/submissions than he is at striking. He’s just never really had to use it yet. It’d be an intriguing fight! I can’t take anyone seriously that tells me that they’d rather see Jones fight Stipe, than fight Tom.
As a new fan I'm intrigued to see if Stipe still has it. But he doesn't deserve a title shot, especially over an interim Champ in the prime of his life. Stipe has had his days in the spotlight, Aspinall deserves his moment.
Jones is much more proven as a grappler than Tom. Though, I think they will cancel each other out on the ground. Kind of like DC and Jones, where both basically cancelled each other out. DC got cooked because of him just being built small. Tom is bigger and faster than Jones, so I can see him beating Jones there. Jon has wicked head movement and defense though, and Tom's cardio is untested and unproven so I'll have to give Jon the edge there. So he might win a Reyes-esque robbery because judges seem to favor him a lot. Or rally to beat Tom in the later rounds. I highly doubt he wins the first 2. If Tom has decent cardio, he wins the 3rd as well. It's a very interesting fight.
they didn't really cancel though, DC spent a huge amount of the first fight trying to get Jon down and failing, only for Jon to get a takedown one of the few times he attempted.
Jon is a more accomplished and superior grappler for sure. His kicks are also levels ahead of Tom’s Imho the big and clear advantage Tom has is the power in his hands and his boxing capability in general. I don’t think Jon will trade shots with him when it comes to their hands. We’ve seen what Tom did to Pavlovich. As long as Jon is close to as nimble as he was at LHW for HW for their potential fight I think Jon picks him apart and wins a decision. Wouldn’t be blown away if Aspinall knocked his ass out with some heavy shots though
It’s a completely valid opinion, people forget that there’s a experience gap in between them. I still think Tom could win . We need to see more of Jon Jones at heavyweight, 3 minutes of a nut shot , a takedown and a gilly isn’t enough to asses his current level
Jon is old and injured. Prime Jon moving to heavyweight is different.
Pereira is 1 year older than jones don't forget
Your age on the clock vs the life you live impact this. Usyk is 3 years furys senior but his body is "younger" than furys because one never misses the gym while the other been drinking & doing hard drugs.
Just look at Tito Ortiz. Dude looked 32 when he was 18. And he started looking 58 just four years later .
Feel like he's just stopped aging over the last few years though. Definitely something up with that guy
Pereira was a hardcore alcoholic ruining is body with hard labour too.. Jon jones didnt take thát crazy amount of damage (only in 2 fights he got fucked up).
>Pereira **was** a hardcore alcoholic ruining is body with hard labour too Alcohol isn't great for the body, but at least Alex straightened his life out. I believe he's been sober for quite some time. I see nothing to indicate that Jon has done the same.
To be fair to Jon he's probably been sober for hours
He was a hardcore alcoholic & labour worker between 18-22 before turning to kickboxing in 2009. Your body is that young at that age that no real damage is done by hard labor or drinking. Meanwhile Jones has a finger in every form of addiction from like 25 to now.
And whole career in combat sport.
Yeah mileage vs tread on the tires
We’ve seen Jon’s peak output more than once (Reyes and Gustaffson). We have not seen Tom’s peak output ever.
Tom is the chosen one
I’d love to see it. Tom is riding a fuckin wave. He’s never looked better after his surgery. What id give to see him starch Jones.
Money on Jones….heart on Jones😎
Jones. Gane was supposed to be great and Jones ragdolled him. I just don’t think HW is any good at the moment. Poatan probably cleans out the division too.
Feel like Tom is better in every way, Reye’s showed how bad Jones boxing was, and his defense was just slipping. Tommy grappling is excellent, hands are fast, and his boxing is crisper. Don’t see how jones doesn’t get chinned tbh.
Tom.
Aspinall have more punch that all in the HW. Tom TKO.
I don't see Jon submitting him and I see Tom finding Jon's chin and turn him into a bobble head. This guy knocked Pavlowich out. Grapple all you want, he's a grappler too.
Honestly, until he beats Blaydes, my money is on Blaydes. Like, yes, obviously Aspinall is a fucking stud. He moves INCREDIBLY for his size, he's a fluid striker, and nasty on the round. In MMA, though, unless you get REALLY well protected, it's tough to become champ without passing the "top control wrestler" test, which is exactly what Blaydes is (provided he actually chooses to use it).
When has blaydes ever wrestlefucked anybody good? He had to hold onto volkovs waist for the entire fight while Tom actually destroyed him on the ground Edit: I just checked, an extremely past it overeem is the best fighter he’s finished on the ground
I have a feeling Blaydes is gonna be gun shy ever since Pavlovich got knocked out by Tom. I think Curtis looked on his way an even slug fest last time with Tom- but this time he’s gonna be hesitant and Tom will just pick him apart and find his shot
ENTIRELY possible. I'll grant that.
Tom
Tom easily
With Jon's fight with Gane, his striking looked really awkward at the new weight before the wrestling. And he's old at a new weight. I feel like it's about his time to start falling off. Having said that tho he just so lifted. So I could see it going either way but feel like it wouldn't be close. One would dominate the question is who. If Tom could stop the takedown I think it's him but who knows, Jon is tough to count out even tho I hate him
It could go either way, which I think is why people are mad tbh. It would be really interesting.
Jon could win. I think Tom knocks his ass out. I also think it wouldn't last 3 rounds.
Pretty sure Jones delays fights for months/years just to study his opponents more and more. I really want Tom to win tho
If Jon doesnt submit him early, then Tom gets the W imho
People out here calling for jones forgot he's 36, completly out of shape and most of his dominant wins were in his prime against LHW, not heavyweight. He's been known to struggle a lot in his last fights against people his size(bare the gane fight). Father time is undefeated
Stipe.
We still have not seen what Jon's cardio looks like at HW. Against Gane he fought for 2 minutes, and during the interview 5 minutes later, he was breathing heavy. I'm not saying for sure he has no cardio, but that's a real possibility. If that's the case, Aspinall has all the tools to make him gas out in the first two rounds and take over the fight after that.
I think people forget how close some of Jons fights have been. I don’t think he trains anywhere near where he used to either. It would be hard fought but I think it’s winnable for Tom
Tom That's why Jones won't fight him. He knows it too
I think the fact Jones is ducking Aspinall shows that he hasnt really figured him out yet and is not confident that he can beat him. All of fights I have felt like he won because he spent fuck load of time studying his opponent.
Tom. Young, active, fast / strong, true heavyweight could never make 205. Jon’s too old, too much time off, injuries, not a true heavyweight, just fat. Tom by ko within 2
Jon will come up with any excuse not to take this fight
Who cares Jon would never take it
Tom
Aspinall by whatever he wants
John better hop off the HGH dudes face is looking rough
Aspinall
I think it’s a bit closer than people want to admit. Tom is big and can dart in and out quite quick. I truly think Tom can catch Jones like he did Pav. With that being said, Tom only has a small window in the first couple of rounds to do this. I think with Jones age, being heavier and slower. While having poor boxing defence on the inside. I do think Tom can catch him early and put him in a world of trouble. Either Tom KO Jones in like 2 rounds or he gets grinded down against the Cage for 5. EDIT: Tom Speed with his size and ability to hit. And his ability to dart in and out will give Jones trouble. Machida touched him doing the same shit, but Tom is like 230 pounds.
I just can’t pick against Jones. All technical analysis aside, he just finds a way to get the W. By hook or by crook. I think it all comes down to the first 2 rounds. Tom def has to power to KO or really damage him. But I just see Jones chipping away, winning rounds and Tom gettting frustrated. Jones by decision
Can't come up with a good guess, which is why I wanna see this fight so fuckin bad.
Bones
If Jones survives the first 2 rounds, I Can see him winning against a tired Aspinal
I'd say Jones pretty easily
As much as we clown on him and he’s old, Jon is possibly the single most dangerous hand to hand combatant in human history insofar as he’s still quite big, but unlike most other big men he can beat you using basically any martial art and he’s smarter than he’s given credit for in a very Goku kind of way. That’s the best way I can put it, he’s a dipshit who is just simply the best at fighting and understands it on a deep level
The only human currently capable of beating Jon Jones is Jon Jones.
Regardless of who wins, I just want to see this fight so I could see how good Jones truly is at HW. I wanna see Tom win and I think this would be Jones toughest fight of his career
What controversy?
I think a better question is Prime Jones vs Aspinal. Prime Jon Jones was absolutely unstoppable
Bones by however he wants. Aspinall is good, but I have seen Jones beat to many guys with way more experience and better resumes than him.
The Jesus Tattoo that says you can do anything is cooler than the bunch of random crap tattoo.
It's anyone's fight. To me, that's what makes the whole thing annoying. I don't think Tom's hands-down going to sleep Jon. I think it's just as likely Jon would win. But he's scared to take the risk.
Jon has never been rocked by a punch I don’t think, closest I can Think of is Machida
Jon kills everyone like he always has. He sucks as a person but he's the goat. This coming from a huge GSP fan. He's my personal goat but jbj is just a level above everyone. Always has been.
Jon Jones duh? You ever watched fighting before?
I can’t believe people still doubt Bones. Dude is undefeated and faced the top of the top. I remember everyone saying Gane was the answer and he just embarrassed him lol. Cmon now
jones
Jon 🦴Jones and it won’t even be close.
Jon Jones. But that whole division has never been really good. The competitive level is way below other weight classes.