Video: Should the Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall encounter change the UFC’s plans?

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall had the internet buzzing after one little face off. Should the UFC listen?

Well, would you look at that: UFC heavyweight champions (plural) [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] came together at a sports convention last weekend, which had the internet buzzing.

Aspinall, of course, has been campaigning for the two of them to unify the titles and even got a reaction from Jones when he gently placed his hand on his shoulder during their encounter. Jones, meanwhile, has remained steadfast on his first title defense being against former champ Stipe Miocic, a matchup that fell apart last November when Jones suffered an injury.

Given that it’s been several months since then and now seeing Jones and Aspinall face off, what are your feelings about this whole situation now? Should the UFC stick to its guns and and go with Jones vs. Miocic or pivot to Jones vs. Aspinall? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

 

Sean Strickland tells Jon Jones to ‘sack up’ and fight Tom Aspinall, Conor McGregor to ‘retire on a yacht’

Sean Strickland had some choice words for Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] had some choice words for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

The former UFC middleweight champion was asked about heavyweight champion Jones’ interaction with interim champ Tom Aspinall, where Jones removed Aspinall’s hand from his shoulder. Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) wants to fight Stipe Miocic upon his return, but Strickland thinks he should simply unify his belt with Aspinall.

“At the end of the day, Jon Jones is a piece of sh*t,” Strickland told The Schmo. “I know that, the whole world knows that, we don’t need to reiterate his past. He needs to sack up, fight Aspinall and f*cking just get the sh*t done.”

Strickland, who’s campaigning to rematch middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, was also harsh on McGregor. “The Notorious” is currently promoting the release of his movie “Road House,” which premieres March 21 on Prime Video.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vented his frustration on the lack of communication with the UFC in regards to his return. He hasn’t competed since breaking his leg in July 2021, but Strickland questions if the fans’ desire to watch him compete is still there.

“I don’t know, man. Do we really care about Conor McGregor these days? I mean, he’s a juiced-out, roided-out guy,” Strickland said. “I mean, do we still care about Conor McGregor? Is he still a name in the UFC? Dude, go retire on a yacht. Be done with your sh*t.”

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Today in MMA history: Jon Jones batters ‘Shogun’ to become youngest champ in UFC history

On March 19, 2011, 23-year-old Jon Jones brutalized UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history. But for Jones, it was only the start of a wild ride that at times spun out of control.

(Editor’s note: This story originally published on March 19, 2018.)

If you want to tell the story of the time [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] became the youngest champion in UFC history, you have to start with the dog. Its name was B.J., a seven-month-old German Shepard mix, and it was a somewhat recent acquisition for Jones when he showed up in Newark, N.J., for his crack at [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s UFC light-heavyweight title on March 19, 2011.

The kinds of places Jones was going that week – fancy hotels, TV show sets, hotel ballrooms converted into UFC workout spaces – are probably not the sort of places where you’re supposed to bring your dog.

Still, there he was in the lobby of Penn Station Hilton on St. Patrick’s Day, dodging fans and drunks and leading this dog around on a leash, smiling like a man who was enjoying the extra privileges that come with being a star, confident that no one would dare tell him he couldn’t bring a dog in here.

But the whole star thing was still new to Jones back then. He was just 23, slightly less than three years removed from his professional debut in a sport he was now on the precipice of conquering, and an injury to a teammate had opened the final door.

It had been a whirlwind couple months for Jones. In February he easily dispatched Ryan Bader via second-round submission on the undercard of UFC 126. He was still in the cage celebrating the victory when UFC commentator Joe Rogan told him the news. With [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] pulling out of his title fight against champion “Shogun” Rua, the UFC wanted Jones to step in a little over a month later.

That was just fine by Jones, who seemed to view even his teammate’s misfortune as just another inevitable step in the divine plan to put a UFC title around his waist. It was all working out exactly like it was supposed to, and the MMA prodigy who shouted out Bible verses after his effortless victories couldn’t have been happier about it.

For the light heavyweight duo of Jones and Evans, however, this was the beginning of the end, the first signs of a fracture that would soon lead to a split.

Ever since Jones had first come to the Jackson-Wink MMA gym, where former champ Evans was the top man at light heavyweight, these persistent questions had gnawed at both of them. Would they fight each other some day? Was it inevitable, with Jones rocketing up the ranks and Evans always hanging around at or near the top?

Evans assumed the role of mentor. His advice to the younger Jones: Don’t even entertain those questions. Don’t let yourself start talking about it. Shut it down before it even starts, just like Evans had done with longtime friend and training partner Keith Jardine. Refuse to discuss it even as a hypothetical.

Jones listened, for a time. But soon it became increasingly clear that he wasn’t going to be content to play the role of the student for very long. He saw himself as a champion – and soon. When a knee injury took Evans’ title shot and made it Jones’, it only seemed to confirm for him that he was a special fighter, a chosen one. All he had to do was show up in Newark and beat a man whose fights he’d grown up watching and studying.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Jon Jones at UFC 128 weigh-ins.

But it must be said that, even then, the champion wasn’t the man he used to be. Time had been cruel to “Shogun.” Six years earlier he’d won two fights in one night, knocking out both Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona to win the PRIDE FC middleweight grand prix at Final Conflict 2005. That put him in the conversation whenever the topic turned to the world’s best 205-pounders, but his transition to the UFC was a rough one.

Rua struggled to bounce back from injuries and regain his earlier form, and he lost his UFC debut to Forrest Griffin in 2007 and then barely bested Mark Coleman in a performance that made both men look worn and spent. But a knockout win over a fading Chuck Liddell in 2009 helped put him back on the right track, and after losing a controversial decision to then-champion Lyoto Machida in his first UFC title shot, Rua rebounded with a first-round knockout win in the rematch.

Still, Rua was an old 29 when he showed up to defend his belt for the first time. Evans would have been a stiff enough test, but Jones? He was bigger, stronger, faster and younger. Making the media rounds before the fight, the young challenger bragged about his fresh, injury-free body. He could jump up in the air, do a cartwheel if he felt like it, and unlike the champion his joints didn’t creak like an old ship stuck in the ice. Wasn’t that nice?

“You know what, I thought ‘Shogun’ was cool when I was younger because he was a 23-year old PRIDE champ, and I love Jose Aldo because he’s a 23-year old UFC champion,” Jones said before the bout. “I’m definitely not afraid of it. I know it’s very possible. Right now, I just need to keep the people close to me that’s always been there and realize that there’s going to be a lot more distractions coming my way, but I’m prepared for it mentally. And I promise myself that I won’t allow myself to fall by the wayside. I’m way too close to my dreams to slow down or start doing anything dumb, and I won’t do anything dumb. I’m going to win this fight.”

Jon Jones before his fight vs. “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128.

The event was set for Newark, largely because it was as close to New York City as the UFC could get at the time. The sport wouldn’t be legal and regulated in the Empire State until 2016, but the Prudential Center was just a short train ride away for the roughly eight million residents of the five boroughs, which would have to be good enough for now.

At the same time, it was impossible not to notice that this wasn’t exactly Manhattan. Earlier in the week, UFC officials reminded fighters that Newark probably wasn’t a city they wanted to go wandering around alone in at night, even if they were professional tough guys. As if to solidify that point, Jones made headlines the day of the fight by chasing down and apprehending a man who he said he saw breaking into a parked car to steal a GPS.

As if the young challenger didn’t already have enough of a Superman vibe going on, now he was fighting crime on the same day he was set to fight for the title. It wasn’t exactly a positive omen for Rua.

The ill portents carried over into the fight itself. Rua showed up in the cage that night looking solid and focused, clearly in better shape than he’d been for his early UFC fights, but it only took a matter of seconds for Jones to remind him that there was a significant gap between them when it came to athleticism, as well as sheer youthful exuberance.

After a tentative touch-up in the center of the cage, Jones hammered Rua with a jumping knee to the body, then backed off and showed his range by extending his leg seemingly from one side of the cage to the other for a couple of quick kicks. Within 30 seconds of the fight’s beginning, Jones was mixing up wild spinning attacks with forceful trip takedowns. Rua was falling behind and starting to look increasingly lost.

After getting pelted with elbows on the mat for most of the opening round, Rua worked to his feet against the fence, paying the price with knees to the body and a long left hook from Jones that wobbled his legs.

“He’s just having his way with ‘Shogun,’” UFC commentator Joe Rogan said after that one-sided first round.

Jon Jones batters “Shogun” Rua during their fight at UFC 128.

It only got worse in the second round, and Jones finally landed the spinning back elbow he’d been looking for in the first. Rua was bloodied and slowing down, swinging wide punches from the outside as he struggled to get in close against the lanky challenger, and then getting tagged by lefts when he stayed at distance

“My goodness,” UFC commentator Mike Goldberg said just before Jones took Rua down again and brutalized him some more on the mat. It was more or less all that needed to be said about a title fight that was increasingly resembling an instance of elder abuse.

The end came, finally, in the third. After getting hammered with punches and elbows while stuck on his back in the early part of the round, a dazed and battered Rua staggered to his feet, retreating toward the fence as Jones closed in. The right side of his face was swollen. He took deep, labored breaths as he raised his arms to cover his face.

Jones dove in with a left hook to the liver, followed by a knee to the head. Rua collapsed in a heap, meekly tapping the mat as referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop it.

“It is all over!” Goldberg boomed. “Jon Jones is the youngest champion in UFC history!”

Jones walked slowly to the center of the cage, long arms out at his sides, then let himself fall to his back before sitting up cross-legged in the cage, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

“And it wasn’t even a struggle,” Rogan said. “Incredible. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the future. He is the present, and he is the future, and he might be the greatest talent that we’ve ever seen in the UFC.”

But almost as soon as Jones had finished shouting out his coaches and his savior in his post-fight interview, the UFC was ready to focus on the next fight. Rogan had just finished interviewing Rua, who congratulated Jones on the win, explaining simply, “he was better than me,” when suddenly there was Evans, looking dapper in a finely tailored suit as the crowd booed him and the smile disappeared from Jones’ face.

“He’s taught me many things, and it sucks that I have to do this,” Jones said when Rogan told him that Evans was first in line for a crack at his title. “But this is my dream.”

After leaving the cage that night, Evans declared himself “done with Jackson’s,” making official the split with his team and teammate that had been slowly boiling for weeks.

But for all the drama over that matchup, it would take one more year and two more successful title defenses for Jones before they finally ended up in the cage together.

By then, Jones wasn’t the kid whose dreams came true anymore. Instead he was the dominant champion, the king of the light heavyweight class. As Evans and everyone else would come to learn, the only person who could stop him was Jones himself.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

“Today in MMA History” is an MMAjunkie series created in association with MMA History Today, the social media outlet dedicated to reliving “a daily journey through our sport’s history.”

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Spinning Back Clique LIVE: Diaz-Masvidal boxing rematch, UFC 301’s main event, Jose Aldo’s return, Islam Makhachev speaks

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2, UFC 301’s headliner, the return of Jose Aldo, and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia, live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] will run it back in June, but this time, the rivals will meet inside a boxing ring rather than an MMA cage. The former UFC mainstays will compete independently of the organization where they made their names and, in fact, will fight on the same night as UFC 302. The name power is there for this rematch between two of the more popular MMA fighters in recent memory, but should it have been in a cage like the first meeting?
  • [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] has his next flyweight title challenger: [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]. UFC 301 has its headliner, and it’s a flyweight title fight that nobody saw coming. Pantoja gets the opportunity to defend his title on home soil, but the challenger in UFC-ranked No. 10 Erceg caught many, including several peers in his division, by surprise. Is this a case of perfect timing for Erceg, or there a larger message being sent to the division?
  • After walking away from the UFC after his 20th fight, to an instant Hall of Fame induction while dabbling in professional boxing, former featherweight king [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] is back. At UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Aldo will return to action against Jonathan Martinez, adding some much-needed weight to a light pay-per-view event. More importantly, what should be expected of the 37-year-old Aldo in return to the UFC?
  • [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] crossed paths at a sports convention this past weekend. The viral moment saw the two heavyweights exchange respectful words in a face-to-face encounter. Aspinall, the heavyweight interim title holder, placed his hand on Jones’ shoulder, which prompted the UFC champ to immediately remove it before continuing with the brief interaction. You could feel the respect, and also the tension. Should the UFC change course here from Jones’ expected fight against Stipe Miocic and unify the UFC title next?
  • [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] spoke to MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, hitting on several interesting topics. Among them were the reasons for wanting Dustin Poirier to be his next title challenger, his thoughts on the BMF title fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway, and why he could not take on Leon Edwards in a champ vs. champ fight at UFC 300. What struck you the most about this interview with the UFC lightweight champion?

Tom Aspinall reacts to Jon Jones faceoff: ‘I wasn’t there to be disrespectful’

Tom Aspinall meant no harm when he approached UFC champ Jon Jones at a convention in the U.K.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] meant no harm when he approached [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] during a meet and greet, he said.

UFC interim heavyweight champion Aspinall caught heavyweight champion Jones off guard when he walked over to him during a sponsorship appearance at Arnold’s Sports Festival UK in Birmingham, England. The two had a friendly conversation, but it turned slightly awkward when Jones removed Aspinall’s hand from his shoulder.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) says he was just trying to be friendly.

“I think he thought I was putting my hand on his shoulder being disrespectful,” Aspinall said in an interview with JN Media U.K. “But I wasn’t there to be disrespectful. I was doing it in a friendly way, I’m not trying to cause no beef. I’m trying to fight the guy and take his belt. That’s what I want. I have no beef against the guy and just wanted to meet him. Just friendly, nothing crazy.”

It’s no secret Aspinall has been campaigning for a title-unification bout with Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC). However, with the UFC insistent on rebooking Jones vs. Stipe Miocic once Jones comes back from injury, Aspinall won’t hold his breath on a fight with Jones ever happening.

“I don’t think he’s going to fight me anyway,” Aspinall said. “I’d be very, very surprised if me and Jon Jones ever stepped into the octagon together. I’m trying to get the fight, but I’m not like trying to get it realistically. I’m trying to have a bit of fun and see what he’s all about.

“I don’t expect a fight to be off the back of this because in all honesty, I don’t think the UFC is going to go for it, and I don’t think Jon Jones is going to go for it, either. So I’m not deflated at all because I wasn’t expecting the fight anyway.”

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‘I would love to have the honor’: Tom Aspinall surprises Jon Jones at Arnold’s Sports Festival

UFC champs Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall had a tense but mostly respectful encounter at Arnold Sports Festival in Birmingham.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] continues to campaign for a fight vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and Saturday he decided to make his pitch directly to the UFC heavyweight champion’s face.

Both heavyweight stars were on the docket for sponsorship appearances at Arnold’s Sports Festival UK in Birmingham, England, so Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) made it his mission to seek out Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) for a quick chat and photo opportunity.

A video released hours later by Aspinall shows his interaction with Jones, who seemed a bit surprised by the sudden emergence of a fellow heavyweight.

The conversation was brief with Jones removing the hand of Aspinall off his shoulder. While the conversation remained respectful, Jones declined Aspinall’s suggestion to take a faceoff picture. Instead, the two fighters took normally posed photo.

“I would love to have the honor one day,” Aspinall said to Jones.

Jones replied, “Maybe one day,” before he told Aspinall his injury is healing slowly but surely.

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While Jones’ exact return timeline is unknown, the promotion has continually indicated his next challenger will be fellow legend Stipe Miocic.

Aspinall holds the interim title and does not currently have a fight on the books. The promotion is expected to return to Aspinall’s United Kingdom in July, though it is not known if it will be a pay-per-view or a UFC Fight Night event.

Video: Watch Jon Jones wreck this idiot fan who asked the UFC champ to leg-kick him

Why would you ever ask a UFC fighter, let alone Jon Jones(!), to assault you?

Just like there are levels to mixed martial arts, there are also levels to being an idiot MMA fan.

Don’t just take our word for it. Look at this idiot named Jensen Dean who, for reasons I can’t possibly fathom, decided it was a good idea to have UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] hit him with a couple of leg kicks.

Yeah, that’s right, he asked for this.

Watch (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C39j6RdyoSn/?igsh=ZGVtNW1qYXNreXlv

The result was predictable: Jensen went to the hospital and left on crutches (via Instagram).

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4P386wShnJ/

Here’s the thing: Jones probably still held up on those kicks, and that was still the damage.

Yikes.

Great lengths: The 12 longest reaches in UFC history

Check out the 12 longest reaches in UFC history – with a newcomer set to break the record by 2.5 inches.

As much as skill and technique play into how MMA fights unfold, intangibles can present insurmountable obstacles for even the most well-equipped combatant.

Long reaches, and how a fighter utilizes them, can pose a myriad of problems for opponents when they struggled to get inside. In UFC history, few fighters’ biological builds have surpassed 80 inches – and fewer have creeped toward 90 inches. But it’s happened.

At Saturday’s UFC 299, the all-time record for the longest reach will be broken – by 2.5 inches.

The 12 fighters have a combined professional MMA record of 210-74-2, including a combined UFC record of 85-47.

Check out the dozen fighters listed below who were able to touch up their opponents with punches from a farther distance than any others in history, using data from database Tapology.

Video: Francis Ngannou takes jab at Jon Jones’ physique during cageside encounter at PFL vs. Bellator

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight remains unlikely to ever happen, but it hasn’t stopped them from further teasing the world.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in an MMA fight remains unlikely to ever happen, but it hasn’t stopped them from continuing to tease the world.

After former UFC heavyweight champ Ngannou and current titleholder Jones sized each other up cageside at a PFL event this past July, a similar scene unfolded Saturday at the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou, who is in Riyadh preparing for his boxing match with Anthony Joshua on March 8, was in attendance to potentially scout his next MMA opponent in the main event, which saw PFL 2023 heavyweight winner Renan Ferreira knock out Bellator champ Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds. It’s not as clear why Jones made the trip, but it set up another chance for the pair to see each other.

Watch the encounter below (via X):

Ngannou told Jones, who was forced to withdraw from a November title defense against Stipe Miocic and undergo surgery on his pectoral muscle and elbow, that he looked rather out of shape, prompting both men to laugh.

The entire exchange was lighthearted, but there was certainly an undertone of animosity and tension between the two sides given the longtime interest in seeing them compete.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Why Ryan Bader thinks a Jon Jones rematch would be a different fight than UFC 126 in 2011

Ryan Bader is confident he would do a lot better if he ever got the chance to run things back with UFC champ Jon Jones.

[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] is confident he would do a lot better if he ever got the chance to run things back with UFC champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Bader (31-7) faced Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) at UFC 126 in February 2011 in a matchup to dub the “next big thing” in the sport. Jones ended up dominating Bader en route to a second-round submission, handing him his first career loss.

Since then, both fighters’ careers have flourished. Jones went on to reign over the UFC’s light heavyweight division for years and recently captured the UFC heavyweight title. Bader would also see success in two divisions, but under a different banner. Bader became a two-weight champion at Bellator, and thinks he’s grown exponentially since fighting Jones 13 years ago.

“I think it would definitely be a different fight,” Bader told MMA Junkie Radio. “Jones has proven himself over and over again. I feel like he’s the best fighter in the world, but my mentality now from what it was back then, basically a kid new to this sport, it would definitely be a different fight for sure.

“Who knows the outcome, but that would be a fun one. I got to run a few back, undefeated in rematches, and that would be one of the fights that you can go in and kind of see how far you’ve grown from whenever that fight happened, 2011 or something to 2024. That would be something very, very cool.”

Bellator heavyweight champ Bader takes on PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions (ESPN+, DAZN, ESPNews) Feb. 24 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bader loves the idea of cross-promotional fights and wants to see more of it.

“That’s what’s kind of cool about this one we have coming up, it’s promotion vs. promotion and that’s what the fans want to see,” Bader said. “They always talk about how would this guy do if he went to over to the UFC, or the UFC (champ) fought a Bellator champ, this and that. So, they’re fun fights and I wish we could do that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator.