UFC analyst Paul Felder stopped just short of claiming Jon Jones is scared of Tom Aspinall.
UFC commentator [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] is growing concerned about the status of [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].
Anticipation for a heavyweight title unification bout between Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has been building for more than a year. UFC CEO Dana White guaranteed it would happen in December, but the latest update from Aspinall was much more grim.
Aspinall, 31, recently stated Jones, 37, is “holding up” finalizing the contest, and claimed he would be willing to take another fight as long as it’s for the undisputed belt.
Jones has claimed in the past that he would be content with relinquishing so the division could move on, especially if he could get his preferred matchup with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.
Felder, a primary UFC color commentator and analyst as well as co-host of the “Believe You Me” podcast with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, is getting an uneasy feeling about the whole situation.
“I’m starting to get a little nervous for it,” Felder told MMA Junkie. “Now with Pereira getting ready to fight (at UFC 313), if he gets a big win, I think he’s going to get on the mic and he’s going to say, ‘I want to fight Jon Jones.’ If that happens and he gets people enticed about it, then there’s a chance maybe – you know how the UFC is: They want the biggest and best fights. If that seems to be the way that everyone is wanting the fight to go, then maybe that happens.
“That’s a fight that I would love to see, but not when there’s somebody like Tom Aspinall, who is exciting, who is the next generation of these heavyweights, and is somebody that most of us think really could beat Jon. I’m not saying he will, but if there’s a guy out there right now, I think we’re all looking him going, ‘This guy’s got what it takes to be the guy to do it.’ He’s fast, he hits hard as sh*t. That’s the fight we want to see. That’s the biggest fight to make.”
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After capturing the vacant heavyweight title with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in March 2023, Jones returned from a lengthy injury hiatus in November. He earned a third-round TKO of Stipe Miocic for his first defense, and afterward teased retirement if he didn’t get a fight with Pereira.
Jones, however, slightly left the door open for a fight with Aspinall, claiming he would only do it if paid “f*ck you money” by the UFC brass. Since then, “Bones” has largely remained hum about his future fighting plans.
Although it’s possible fruitful negotiations could be ongoing in private, Felder is struggling to see encouraging signs of progression. That leads him to some bold questions about how Jones is managing the final stages of his career.
“There’s still nothing,” Felder said. “The crazy thing is, it is all in Jon’s corner because he has the negotiating power. He’s the one that can be like, ‘No, I want all this money.’ Where Tom is like, ‘Look, until I fight you and beat you, the ball’s in your court. I’m the interim champ. I’m not the one where I can say I want $25 million to fight Jon.’ Because they’ll just say, ‘No, you’re out, there’s this other guy that can jump in.’ It really is all on Jones and I’m just starting to worry that maybe – I don’t ever want to say anybody like Jon Jones is scared. But it looks like he’s ducking him.
“I think he knows he’s at the end. He’s not scared, but he knows if there’s a chance that things can go sideways, or maybe really bad for his last fight. The guy that’s going to do that is Tom. Alex Pereira is as scary as they come, but Jon’s toolbox against him, there’s many more ways to win.”
To hear more from Felder, check out his complete his appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn in the video above.
