Alexander Volkanovski believes fighting Tom Aspinall would add to Jon Jones’ legacy in a pivotal way.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Jones has dismissed interim heavyweight champion Aspinall and doesn’t think he needs to unify the titles. However, Volkanovski believes otherwise.
“If you want to be a heavyweight champion, you want to claim that crown,” Volkanovski said of Jones on his YouTube channel. “You did claim it. It was a vacant belt, and you fought Gane for it, and you got it. But it’s going to be hard to convince me you’re defending champ if you don’t fight Tom Aspinall while he’s the interim champ and the biggest threat. Does Jon Jones even need to do this? No.
“He’s already got an incredible legacy, but if you want to claim the heavyweight division and say you were a proper double champ, you’ve got to fight Tom Aspinall. If you really want that on your resume, saying that ‘I’m the best heavyweight while I was there,’ you have to fight Tom Aspinall. I think he’s definitely the biggest threat, the wrestling, he can be dangerous everywhere, and he’s a legit heavyweight.”
Instead, Jones is eyeing a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira – a fight he sees bigger for his legacy than Aspinall. Volkanovski disagrees with that part but acknowledges that Pereira is a bigger money fight.
“I know there’s talk of him maybe doing a Pereira fight,” Volkanovski continued. “He’s probably in a position where, ‘I don’t need to add to my legacy. I want bigger fights.’ Pereira is a massive name right now, so maybe that’s what he’s chasing, and he’s clever. He knows Tom Aspinall is a way bigger threat.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
