Jon Jones can’t ‘hold a candle’ to Tom Aspinall? – Champ delivers reality check to pundits

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• Michael Bisping claims Aspinall will breeze by Jon Jones
• Jon Jones responds to the hype
• Jon Jones is thinking retirement
• Join the Bloody Elbow Substack!

Tom Aspinall looked absolutely fantastic on Saturday night. Coming back from a year off of surgery and rehab on his injured knee, the top heavyweight prospect absolutely demolished solid gatekeeper to the elite Marcin Tybura in the main event of UFC London.

Once one of the most heavily hyped newcomers inside the world’s largest MMA promotion, fans were given a stark reminder as to why, with the 30-year-old needing just over a minute to breeze by his Polish foe. And with the return to form came a return to outsized expectations.

Unsurprisingly, leading the Aspinall cheer squad is former UFC middleweight champion Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping.

Jon Jones at the 2023 ESPYs. IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

Michael Bisping claims Aspinall will breeze by Jon Jones

Never a man to restrain himself from hyperbole, Bisping had a glowing review of the Team Kaobon talent in a recent interview with Sky Sports. Not only does he feel that Aspinall looks every bit the part of an elite heavyweight, he’s even calling his shot, that the 6′ 5″ Manchester-based fighter is on his way to UFC gold.

“Tom Aspinall was utterly fantastic,” Bisping said of Aspinall’s win (transcript via MMA Junkie). “That’s one of the best performances I’ve ever seen from a heavyweight. Marcin Tybura, the guy that he beat, is no walk in the park.  He’s won seven of his last eight against world class opposition, and Tom just blew threw him like he was nothing.

“And I do 100 percent believe that he will be the champion. In fact, I know he will be the champion barring any freak injury or something terrible or bad luck happens. He will be the champion of the world.”

In fact, Bisping is so sure of his prediction, he even turned it up a notch, claiming that Aspinall would absolutely blow by current champion Jon Jones, with every bit as much speed and violence as he showed against Tybura. A hell of a proclamation considering one man has struggled regularly with top tier athletes and the other is someone many believe to be literally the best fighter in MMA history.

“Jon Jones is the heavyweight champion. He’s an incredible fighter. He’s incredible. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I don’t think he can hold a candle to Tom. I think Tom will do the same thing to Jon Jones as what he did to Marcin Tybura,” Bisping added in the face of all evidence. “I don’t think there’s anyone that can stop Tom Aspinall. He’s that good.”

Jon Jones responds to the hype

Whether it was Bisping’s outlandish grandstanding, or just the general buzz in the air after Aspinall’s latest victory, there’s at least on man who—unsurprisingly—felt the need to get a word in edgewise as to Aspinall’s potential title hopes.

Jon Jones fired off a series of tweets in the days following Aspinall’s win, just to remind everyone how well his legacy has stood the test of time, and how many other ‘next big thing’ prospects he’s seen come and go. And then, in true Jon Jones fashion, he deleted them all.

“Sometimes I feel like I’ve been in a déjà vu, everyone’s going to be the guy to kick my ass,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Meanwhile, I’m over here undefeated with a face full of gray hairs.

“Half the time the guys talking the most crap don’t even end up winning their next fight. I’ve been around this game for a long time. Over the years, I’ve learned not to get all impress so quickly. Stick around, win consistently like I have. And then talk your shit.

“Everyone’s the next big thing until I beat them. And then it’s like well. Who was that guy anyway? Just a few months ago Gane was the absolute future of MMA. Best foot work, fastest heavy weight we have ever seen. The most athletic. Now everyone’s like who the hell is that guy.”

Setting aside Jones’ single technical loss to Matt Hamill (for which the UFC still have yet to file that appeal they claim they’re working on), the man has a point. He cleaned out the light heavyweight division both of former champions and of current contenders during his long reign atop the division. And while heavyweight is a brand new division with all new challenges, he had no trouble mopping the floor with Gane in his debut.

Aspinall definitely looks like a great top contender, but the gulf between Tybura and Jones is so wide it can’t accurately be measured by science alone. He hasn’t even fought one of the divison’s top contenders, let alone someone who has contended for the title.

The bigger question should really be, how much longer will Jones stick around to fight anyone, regardless of the legitimacy of their skill.

Jon Jones is thinking retirement

Back in May, before his upcoming fight with Miocic was finalized, Jones gave some of his thoughts about his future as a reigning champion. It was a solid insight into his potential willingness to face fresh future contenders who may not have the name value to guarantee him a top-drawing PPV event, but might still possess all the danger to break his grip on the belt. To put it succinctly, it sounds a lot more like Jones would rather ride off into the sunset on top than play king to a new class of fighters.

“I think the Stipe fight will be plenty for me,” Jones told Fox Sports Australia, adding that fight with Francis Ngannou might be enough to keep him around. “I feel like I don’t have too much to prove after beating Stipe Miocic. I’ve been in the game for a long time. In fighter years, I’m an old guy. I’ve been training a long time and been in the game a long time. Got some small injuries.

“I just really want to be around. I want to be around for my family, be around for my kids. I want to be able to play with my kids, have a good head on my shoulders. … I could see it coming to an end really soon and I’m happy with that. I’m really proud of my career.”

It just may be that if (or when) Tom Aspinall is ready to contend for the UFC heavyweight title, the man across from him won’t be the sitting champ, but another top contender vying for a vacated belt.

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UFC London: Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura – Fights to make

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• TOM ASPINALL
• MARCIN TYBURA
• NATHANIEL WOOD
• PAUL CRAIG
• LERONE MURPHY
• JOEL ALVAREZ
• KETLEN VIEIRA
• Join the Bloody Elbow Substack!

The UFC’s latest trip to London was… okay not great. To the card’s credit, the last few fights were the best—with Tom Aspinall re-asserting his place among the heavyweight elite. Molly McCann’s fight was a fun disaster in front of a partisan crowd, and Nathaniel Wood put on a show with Andre Fili as his dance partner.

So, is Aspinall on his way to top contender status? Can Wood get a top fifteen opponent in the featherweight division? And is the UFC gonna throw Bo Nickal at Paul Craig?

To answer those questions—and a couple others—I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights!

Tom Aspinall drops Marcin Tybura. IMAGO/USA TODAY

TOM ASPINALL

Exactly the triumphant return to form that Tom Aspinall needed. He had his meteoric rise to the top of the heavyweight division stunted by a knee injury, but came back one year later looking leaner and meaner than ever. Demolishing Marcin Tybura like that is precisely the kind of performance an elite heavyweight should have to announce their status as a contender in the division. A show of elite speed and power that should give anyone among the top 5 pause before stepping into the cage against him.

After the bout, Aspinall even called his shot, saying that he’d be cageside for an upcoming bout between Ciryl Gane and Sergey Spivak in Paris. It’s a sensible enough fight, all things considered, Gane is a former interim champ and two-time title contender. But it does rather depend on Gane getting the victory. If Spivak wins? We’ve seen that fight, Aspinall already dominated the man, no reason to run it back. Assuming Gane beats Spivak, then Aspinall vs. Gane is a great fight. But if the Parisian can’t win? Then Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich is the kind of elite heavyweight title eliminator that we need to see.

He’s got a fight to win first. IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

MARCIN TYBURA

Commentator John Gooden may have been surprised to see Marcin Tybura get run over in just over a minute by Tom Aspinall, but unfortunately for the Polish big man, this has been pretty much the standard for his career. Fighters with a step of speed on him have almost always been able to put him in deep trouble early in fights. Sometimes he can climb out of that and battle back, but for a talent like Aspinall— who has shown a fantastic ability to stay composed while delivering power shots—it felt all but inevitable that Tybura would get put away in a hurry.

It’s not exactly a crushing setback for the 37-year-old’s potential title hopes, he’s regularly struggled to find his way into the top 5 of the division, but there are enough fighters below him that he likely can still beat that it seems almost assured that he’ll be hanging around the top 10 for quite a while longer. The immediate name in the top 15 that leaps to mind is Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Can one of these men flip the script? IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

The Surinamese fighter’s combination of big power and terrible grappling seems like just the right opportunity for Tybura to prove that he can still fight through adversity to win. Or, for Rozenstruik to prove that he can’t stuff a shot and knock someone out. Rozenstruik vs. Tybura is the test both men need.

NATHANIEL WOOD

Not a clean win or pretty performance from Wood. Fili caused him big problems working behind his jab and landing kicks to all levels. But then Wood landed a bomb and seemed like he had Fili badly rattled heading into the second round. Fili rallied back, and hurt Wood, and at that point we really had a fight on our hands. Then round 3 came and both men kind of decided that they didn’t really need to risk getting nearly KO’d again. Not a bad way to end a great fight, but it definitely felt like Fili just drifted away from victory.

Would make for a banger. IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

That should leave Wood set up to face some top 15 competition, he’s somewhere right around the same level as Lerone Murphy. Honestly, Wood vs. Murphy wouldn’t even be a bad fight. But I never like matching guys up from the same fight cards, and there are plenty of other options out there. Edson Barboza, or Alex Caceres would both be obvious steps up. As would Sodiq Yusuff. Actually, that Yusuff fight sounds pretty cool. Why not book Nathaniel Wood vs. ‘Super’ Sodiq Yusuff for a true featherweight banger?

PAUL CRAIG

It didn’t begin on the best foot for Paul Craig, who found himself getting out-struck in an ugly kickboxing match for most of the first round against Andre Muniz. But by round 2, both men were much more sold on the idea that they needed to grapple. Muniz might have had the upper hand, but a head clash and following standup saw Craig seize the initiative, and once he got it he never let it go. A strong GnP win for the ‘Bear Jew’ and one that might even have him ranked in the middleweight division next week.

If that’s the case, then there are a whole ton of fights that the UFC should throw Craig right into. Brendan Allen, Jack Hermansson, Roman Dolidze? All those would be a ton of fun. If he can’t get a ranked fight, there’s also Park Jun-yong or Rodolfo Vieira. But Dolidze is a former LHW himself and a ton of fun as a grappler. Dolidze vs. Craig is just too obvious a booking not to make it. Of course, there’s also the fact that Craig called out Bo Nickal. I don’t really think it’s the best booking for either guy, but it does feel like a fight the UFC might jump on if Nickal is happy to take it.

LERONE MURPHY

This fight was a struggle early on for Lerone Murphy. Josh Culibao came out leaning heavy on low kicks and ready to pounce on the Brit for his tendency to make some wild mistakes. The further the bout went, however, the more Murphy’s physicality started to take over. After a skimming liver kick in round 3, Murphy really got dominant on his way to a unanimous decision win. That keeps Murphy undefeated and has him calling for a top 15 test next time around.

At 32 and with a perfect record, it seems like it’s absolutely time for Murphy to test himself at the next level. That could mean fights with Alex Caceres, Edson Barboza, or Dan Ige. All those fights would be awesome, but it’s hard for me not to see Barboza on that list and not instantly think he’s the best option. Barboza vs. Murphy would be a great chance for Murphy to take on a real high-level seasoned vet.

JOEL ALVAREZ

A controversial victory at the end of the day, but it may be one Joel Alvarez gets to keep if the international governing body doesn’t have a clear process to appeal the loss. After a strong start in round 1 for the Spaniard, Marc Diakiese did well to get a takedown to start the second. After some tough scrambling that saw Alvarez make it back to his feet, both men traded heavy shots. Unfortunately one of those shots was a head clash that seemingly left Diakiese wobbled. The ref didn’t see it and the submission followed shortly afterward.

That victory bumps Alvarez up to 5-2 in the Octagon and gets him back to his winning ways (as long as it stands). Even if the win does get overturned, I doubt the UFC runs the fight back. Fights with Mark O. Madsen, Claudio Puelles, Joe Solecki, or Alexander Hernandez would all be solid options for ‘El Fenomeno’ next time around. Hernandez looked good last time out against Jim Miller, picking up a high profile win. And his combo of power striking and wrestling should make for a perfect setup for Alvarez’s sub game. Alvarez vs. Hernandez would be a thrilling battle for as long as it lasts.

KETLEN VIEIRA

It wasn’t a pretty fight, but it was a win Vieira badly needed if she wanted to keep her spot in the contender’s circle in the women’s bantamweight division. After all, with Amanda Nunes now retired, the belt really is wide open for anyone that can climb up and grab a chance at gold. It’s too bad that Vieira already lost a split decision to Raquel Pennington recently, because that’s the kind of win she absolutely needs right now. Instead, she’ll have to fight all the way down to Macy Chiasson or Karol Rosa at the moment if she wants to get a fresh matchup.

I wouldn’t mind the Rosa booking, but coming off a recent terrible title fight loss, I think the real fight to make is a rematch against Irene Aldana. The Mexican got a dominant KO victory over Vieira back in 2019, one that really seemed to kill Vieira’s confidence for a while. If Vieira can get that win back, it’d go a long way to her title hopes. If she can’t, it’s just the kind of return Aldana needs. Vieira vs. Aldana 2 is a quality rematch to make.

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