Why his legacy would not be complete without the fight against Tom Aspinall

In late August, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones stated that his “legacy is fine without a title unification fight against interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.” Jones may be able to convince himself that this statement is true, but he will have some difficulty convincing others of it.

There is no doubt that Jones is the best light heavyweight to ever compete for the UFC. Jones had eight successful title defenses in his first reign as UFC champion at 205 pounds. The first five of those defenses ended by submission. In his second run as champion, he defended his crown three times. One could argue that Jones is not only the best UFC fighter to compete at 205 pounds under the UFC banner, but also the best fighter to ever step into the Octagon. Something that UFC CEO Dana White has been telling anyone who would listen for the past few months.

Anyone who says Jones isn't an all-time star inside the cage shouldn't be taken seriously. As for his actions outside the cage, they weren't exactly Hall of Fame worthy. But that's not what we're talking about here; we're just looking at Jon Jones the fighter.

When Jones moved up to the heavyweight division in 2023, he did so after Francis Ngannou left the UFC as a free agent. Jones not fighting Ngannou was the first big question mark over how fans will remember Jones' career.

Nowadays, claims are made that Ngannou left the UFC because he didn't want to fight Jones. Of course, that ignores the fact that Jones spent over three years between his last UFC light heavyweight title defense and his fight against Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. It also ignores the fact that White said in 2021 that Jones effectively priced himself out of a fight against Ngannou by demanding too much money for the fight. If Jones really wanted to fight Ngannou for the UFC heavyweight title, he could have. He didn't.

When Jones fought for the title left vacant by Ngannou, he did so against Ciryl Gane, the man Ngannou defeated in his heavyweight title defense in January 2022. Jones overran Gane and submitted in the first round of their March 2023 fight.

Jones was scheduled to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023.

“This is the fight Jon Jones wanted. It's the fight Stipe wanted. It's a fight that is a legacy for both guys,” White claimed when announcing the July 2023 fight.

Jones' win over Gane was his first appearance in the Octagon since he defended the UFC light heavyweight crown with a decision win over Dominick Reyes in February 2020. Miocic, on the other hand, had not competed since Francis Ngannou knocked him out in March 2021 to become UFC heavyweight champion. Miocic's most recent victory was and remains his August 2020 decision win over Daniel Cormier, who retired after that fight.

That fight fell apart when Jones tore a pectoral muscle while training, an injury that required surgery. With Jones on the injured list, the UFC decided to book an interim title fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich.

Aspinall won that fight easily. Ideally, once Jones returned from injury, the UFC would have canceled the Miocic fight in favor of a title unification bout. That didn't happen, however, and judging by all the rumors since the Jones-Miocic fight was canceled, Jones wasn't too downhearted when the UFC decided to stick with the original plan.

This was a second blow to Jones' legacy.

A fighter looking to cement his place among the all-time best in two weight classes would have welcomed a fight with the next generation of talent in the division, and Aspinall appears to be that. Instead, Jones stuck with the fight against the 42-year-old, who hasn't raised his hand in victory since Aspinall went 1-0 under the UFC banner. The interim champion currently has a record of 8-1 in the UFC. Miocic's record from that time is 1-1, while Jones is 1-0.

I'm not saying Jones or the UFC owe the title unification fight to Aspinall, but Jones built part of his legacy by fighting and defeating a generation of talent. And not only did he do that, but in many of those fights Jones went out of his way to defeat those fighters, many of whom were former UFC champions, in a style that suited his opponents best.

Jones' first title fight was a joy to watch. He was fearless and full of contempt for his opponents. He approached the sport knowing what his opponent did best and believing he was superior in that style, and Jones proved he was the superior talent.

At some point, Jones lost that fire, that desire to prove the sceptics wrong. It happens in sport and in life, and there are a number of reasons why. I can't blame Jones for wanting to fight Miocic. It's the safer path for him. However, to suggest that the Miocic fight is more about building his legacy than the potential Aspinall fight is incorrect. If anything, it's more of a nostalgia fight than a legacy fight.

Jones recently stated that he will likely retire after facing Miocic at UFC 309 in November, a third blow to his legacy if he wins.

If Jones beats Miocic and retires, fans will pillory Jones for not taking part in a title unification fight, and they should react as such. Jones' refusal to fight Ngannou can (perhaps) be explained by the fact that he was still preparing to compete in the new weight class for the first time, but avoiding a title unification fight? That's not something that's easily forgotten, especially when the fighter holding the interim title looks like the one who will usher in the next generation of UFC heavyweights.

In short, Jones could claim that his legacy is secure even without the fight against Aspinall, but if he pulls out without registering for this fight, he will very quickly be told by fans and pundits that he is wrong.