“Just Slayed The GOAT” – Demetrious Johnson Reveals Importance of Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones Super Fight

UFC veteran talks about why the heavyweight champion Jon Jones is taking his time before signing the contract to fight Tom Aspinall.

“Just Slayed The GOAT” – Demetrious Johnson Reveals Importance of Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones Super Fight

Demetrious Johnson talks about Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones (via Instagram/Imago)

Jon Jones‘ heavyweight championship saga is ongoing and currently shows no signs of coming to a clear end. Often regarded as the GOAT of MMA, Jones has consistently avoided the heavyweight title unification bout with Tom Aspinall. Due to the continued delay, there are speculations about Jones’ intentions, and Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson recently shared his own thoughts.

Johnson has covered the Jones versus Aspinall situation consistently for a long time now on his YouTube channel. Recently, he got the opportunity to sit down with the UK native and discuss the ongoing situation surrounding the frustrating delay. During the podcast episode, Johnson shared his views on Jones’ perspective and why fighting Aspinall involves serious risks.

In my opinion, I think it’s a huge risk. You’re younger, you’re athletic, you hit hard, you pose problems. We don’t have much data on you. This is me speaking on my experience. If I was to fight Tom Aspinall. He blitz across the void, so, if he get across the void and I get hit, I might go f****  down. If that happens, you become the biggest f***** star ever. You just slayed the GOAT. 

Johnson also shared that, on the contrary, defeating Aspinall won’t contribute anything meaningful to Jones’ fighting legacy. However, the only potential benefit would be the reported $30 million purse that could support Jones’ eventual retirement and financial plans. Aspinall has continued to impress MMA fans with his knockout power and well-rounded performances as a dominant heavyweight fighter.

Despite his experience and skillset, Jones understands the dynamics and appears to be carefully manipulating the negotiations to his advantage. With his leverage as the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw apart from Conor McGregor, he continues delaying the fight without facing serious consequences. He previously requested six months to prepare for Aspinall, and now the situation has become even more complicated and frustrating.

Tom Aspinall opens up about waiting desperately for the Jon Jones fight 

Tom Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight championship by knocking out top heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Since that night, it has been more than 550 days without a title unification bout. However, a rare interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes kept Aspinall active in 2024. The Brit has now broken the record for the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC heavyweight history without becoming undisputed.

Tom Aspinall talks about waiting for the Jon Jones fight
Tom Aspinall talks about waiting for the Jon Jones fight (via X/Imago)

As expected, the fighter isn’t proud of this and feels frustrated alongside his father for wasting prime years and opportunities. Aspinall has frequently expressed his full readiness to fight but keeps struggling due to Jon Jones’ inefficiency and constant delays. During a recent podcast with Demetrious Johnson, the UK native opened up about struggling mentally while staying positive in this process.

I’ve been almost a year inactive, with no prospect of anything. [The UFC says], ‘Just be ready, and we’ll just let you know.’ That is kind of difficult, like, mentally, to [stay sharp and focused]. The fight is another thing. This is the tricky bit, where I really have to say switched on, stay motivated, and I’m trying my best. It’s tough. no one really knows what’s going on behind the scenes apart from me… I train all the time, anyway. Just because I’m not going to fight doesn’t mean I don’t train. 

Aspinall understood Jones’ perspective, but strongly urged the UFC to intervene and break this exhausting waiting cycle soon. Recently, Jones was seen enjoying his time in Thailand, filming a reality TV show and freely roaming the beautiful tropical country.

Jones also went viral after talking about retiring without ever fighting Aspinall, potentially upsetting both the fighter and dedicated UFC fans. At some point, the UFC brass will have to say enough is enough, so as to not ruin a fighter’s prime version.

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