Daniel Cormier says Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will not fight Tom Aspinall: “I don't think either of them will make it”

Daniel Cormier doesn't believe Tom Aspinall is really the replacement fighter for UFC 309.

At UFC 309, Jon Jones will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in a fight that has been over a year in the making, and earlier this week UFC general manager Dana White announced that interim champion Tom Aspinall is the replacement fighter for the fight. But despite White's assurances, doubts remain as to whether Aspinall would actually step in should something happen to Jones or Aspinall, and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier is one of those doubters.

“You are gullible,” Cormier told co-host Chael Sonnen in her Good guy/Bad guy Show when Sonnen said that both Jones and Miocic had agreed to fight Aspinall at UFC 309. “No, it doesn't mean that! What it does mean is that we now have another opportunity for disappointment…

“If any of these guys get hurt, none of them are fighting Tom Aspinall. You're crazy. No way. When Jon Jones got hurt the first time, Sergei Pavlovich was the backup fighter. Who fought?! If anyone gets hurt, get ready for Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane. Mark my words.”

As Cormier noted, this wouldn't be the first time a replacement fighter has been passed over for a title fight, and not even the first time it's happened in this particular matchup. Jones and Miocic were scheduled to face each other a year ago at UFC 295 when Jones suffered an injury and withdrew from the contest. Rather than have then-replacement fighter Sergei Pavlovich step in against Miocic, the UFC opted to postpone the Jones-Miocic fight, and Aspinall stepped in on short notice to face Pavlovich in an interim bout.

This and other cases where replacement fighters did not even have the opportunity to perform their roles make Cormier doubt Aspinall's chances of fighting for a unified title at UFC 309.

“I don't understand the replacement fighter,” Cormier said. “Remember when Charles Oliveira was supposed to fight Islam Makhachev and Mateusz Gamrot was the replacement fighter and then they brought in Alexander Volkanovski? I understand that you want to look at it with a clear eye, but I'll give you two prime examples.

It's not even about being scared. It's about risk management. If someone gets hurt in this fight, the reward is so great compared to the risk of fighting Tom Aspinall that I don't think either of them will do it. I love that it's part of the story now. We all love the story. We love a great story. But I don't know if it works.”

Adding to the doubts about Aspinall's role is the fact that this fight is supposed to be the last fight for Jones and Miocic. Dana White had previously said this for Miocic, while Jones recently stated that this would “more than likely” be the end of his career. And for Cormier, this decision is not based on fear of Aspinall, but on pure career calculation.

“I don't think he's scared, but again, it's the risk versus reward…” Cormier said. “A win over Tom Aspinall doesn't do any more for Jon Jones than a win over me or Vitor Belfort or Rashad Evans or Shogun Rua or Alexander Gustafsson and all these great fighters that he's already beaten. So many great fighters. Beating Tom Aspinall doesn't do much. But losing to Tom Aspinall does something because now you see him lose. He's never lost… So it's not worth the risk for him to go out there and fight a young, hungry guy who seems to have the skills to beat him.

“I tell you this as someone who has been on the wrong side of the Jon Jones equation for a long time, who didn’t like Jon Jones, didn’t care about him: I don’t think you want to risk [what he would be risking]… His legacy, in my opinion, might mean more to him than taking that risk, especially if it is not necessary.”

Cormier has a long history with Jones and Miocic, having fought both of them five times in total. However, his rivalry with Jones is the defining one of their careers. With that in mind, Cormier knows a lot about Jones and believes there is only one true way fans will see Jones fight Aspinall.

“Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall becomes more likely if Stipe Miocic wins,” Cormier said. “That's my opinion… If Stipe wins and Jones loses and feels like he has something to prove, he's more likely to fight Tom Aspinall. If he wins, he'll walk off into the sunset.”

UFC 309 takes place on November 16th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.