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Andreas Hale, ESPN
If UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones decides to continue fighting after he faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, it likely won’t be in a title unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall.
Jones, 37, has teased retirement after his Nov. 16 bout against Miocic. While UFC CEO Dana White believes the winner will face Aspinall in a unification fight, Jones said he is simply not interested.
“More than likely not,” Jones told Kevin Iole when asked about facing Aspinall. “I feel like Tom Aspinall is — I don’t want to say nobody — but he hasn’t proven anything, he hasn’t done anything. I’m not here to gamble on someone else making a name off of me.”
Aspinall, 31, has repeatedly called for a fight with Jones after winning the interim title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich last November. He is widely considered the biggest threat to Jones and has finished every opponent he has faced in the UFC in under seven minutes, including a 60-second knockout of Curtis Blaydes in July in his most recent fight. Aspinall has been installed as the backup fighter for Jones vs. Miocic.
Rather than entertain a fight with Aspinall, however, Jones has his sights set on another champion if he decides to continue his fighting career.
“If there were to be a fight with a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it but legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira,” Jones said, referring to the UFC light heavyweight champion. “Alex Pereira and I, we’re both 37 years old. Right now I weigh about 235 [pounds]. I’m an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240. I think that fight would go much farther on my legacy than a young man who’s cool today and maybe gone tomorrow.”
Pereira has won world titles in two weight classes and is coming off a remarkable string of title defenses, knocking out Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. in a span of 175 days. Pereira has entertained a move to heavyweight to challenge for an unprecedented championship in a third weight class, and Jones appears to be keen on granting Pereira his wish.
“I’ve just been here too long to get all excited about someone who’s hot today,” Jones said. “I’m here for legacy. I’ve been gambling for too long to just take random fights.”