Jon Jones and 4 other fantasy heavyweight matchups for Tom Aspinall: Breaking down how the Brit would fare

Tom Aspinall is on the cusp of becoming Britain's first-ever undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. He's already the interim heavyweight champ and is counted among the most skilled pound-for-pound fighters in the sport of MMA today.

With his potential title unifier against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones looming on the horizon, we look at a few hypothetical matchups for Tom Aspinall.

We'll specifically examine how he'd likely fare against some of the most fearsome combatants from the 265-pound division's past and present.

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#5 Tom Aspinall vs. Stipe Miocic

The current 42-year-old version of Stipe Miocic would likely get knocked out or submitted in the opening round against the 31-year-old Tom Aspinall.

Miocic, considered by many as the consensus heavyweight MMA G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), hadn't competed since March 2021 and appeared a much slower version of himself in his comeback at UFC 309 (Nov. 16, 2024). He announced his MMA retirement after getting knocked out by Jon Jones at the event.

However, a prime Miocic would've surely been a tough test for Aspinall. Miocic boasted terrifying knockout power, excellent boxing, decent kickboxing, great wrestling, and a disciplined defensive BJJ mentality. Another key attribute that set him apart from most other heavyweights was his stellar cardio.

Aspinall could very well match Miocic in terms of KO power, boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling. Although he's never gone past round two in his professional MMA career, the Brit is said to possess amazing cardio as well. All that aside, the biggest difference-maker would've likely been Aspinall's otherworldly Jiu-Jitsu skills, which would've been a huge threat even to a prime Miocic.

Excluding a flash KO for either heavyweight from this scenario, their hypothetical matchup would've probably played out with their striking arsenals canceling each other out and Aspinall beating Miocic with his superior BJJ. He could've become the first to make the American fighter of Croatian descent tap out.

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#4 Tom Aspinall vs. Daniel Cormier

Stipe Miocic faced former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier thrice. 'DC' knocked Miocic out in their first encounter, was knocked out in the rematch, and then dropped a unanimous decision in their trilogy. Miocic won their series of fights, but, as we know, MMA math doesn't always work!

Cormier would've been the more dangerous stylistic matchup for Tom Aspinall. Despite being at a height and reach disadvantage against most light heavyweights and heavyweights, 'DC' managed to win UFC titles in both weight classes, primarily due to his durability and exceptional wrestling skills. The Olympic wrestler also developed great kickboxing skills and boasted scary KO power in his hands.

An X-factor against Aspinall would've been Cormier's wrestling coupled with his criminally underrated BJJ. His grappling and overall speed seemingly declined, heading into his final MMA fight in Aug. 2020. That said, a prime Cormier would've probably out-wrestled Aspinall and even held the top position for significant periods.

Aspinall does have a submission defeat from early in his MMA career. On that note, Cormier's ground and pound as well as Jiu-Jitsu would've proven to be a bane for the Englishman. Aspinall could knock out anyone, including Cormier, and would've likely beaten him too.

However, the American's wrestling and submission skills in his prime would've likely helped him emerge victorious, if not by submission then on points.

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#3 Tom Aspinall vs. Francis Ngannou

Yes, most of us fans thought that out-wrestling Francis Ngannou was the ideal path to victory against him in MMA. It was evidenced by his unanimous decision defeat after being out-grappled by Stipe Miocic in their first fight back in Jan. 2018.

Fast-forward to March 2021, and Ngannou had polished his wrestling and overall grappling, out-grappled Miocic, and out-struck him to secure a second-round KO win. As such, it'd be safe to say that Ngannou is a bonafide student of the game and isn't shy of learning from his mistakes.

Now, unlike Miocic and Cormier, Ngannou hasn't retired from MMA. However, given the manner of his UFC departure and his current association with the PFL, many feel that the Cameroonian-French fighter is unlikely to ever return to the UFC.

Currently, the 38-year-old Ngannou might be a step slower than he used to be, but is still as dangerous as proven by his knockout of the towering Renan Ferreira in the PFL this October. Regardless, Tom Aspinall is still the better grappler. He's trained in the art of BJJ since childhood and would've been the most dangerous submission artist 'The Predator' has ever faced in his career.

Even a prime version of Ngannou, barring a flash knockout, would've found it tough to navigate the nuanced grappling web woven by Aspinall. Their fight would likely see Aspinall out-wrestle him and secure a submission stoppage, perhaps in the championship rounds.

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#2 Tom Aspinall vs. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar won several world championships in the professional wrestling-based sports-entertainment realm of the WWE, in addition to also transitioning to MMA and capturing the UFC heavyweight title. Lesnar later returned to the WWE, where he performed as a part-time competitor.

'The Beast Incarnate' ended his MMA hiatus, dating back to Dec. 2011, when he returned for a one-off fight against kickboxing great Mark Hunt at UFC 200 (July 2016). Lesnar won via unanimous decision with a wrestling masterclass, but he tested positive for PEDs and the win was later overturned to an NC (No Contest).

The PED use allegations against Lesnar notwithstanding, he's considered to be a freak athlete and brilliant wrestler. However, he lacked the striking skills to trouble Tom Aspinall.

Granted a prime Lesnar's speed might have troubled Aspinall in the grappling exchanges, but their striking differential is just so glaring that the British combatant would've had an easy path to a win after staving off a few initial takedown attempts. Their fight would've potentially ended with Aspinall with a submission, or perhaps with a barrage of strikes earning him a TKO win over Lesnar.

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#1 Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones

An intriguing dynamic at play here is that Jon Jones trimmed down in his second heavyweight appearance. He was a much heavier and slower version of himself in his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane in March 2023, but a leaner and faster version against Stipe Miocic in Nov. 2024.

After their recent encounter at UFC 309, some fans even jestingly speculated about the supposed size advantage Jon Jones' NFL veteran brothers (Arthur Jones and Chandler Jones) had over Tom Aspinall. Though speculation abounded that they were visibly bigger than Aspinall, many fans opined that they'd still lose to him in a potential MMA fight.

Watch Tom Aspinall walk past Arthur and Chandler at UFC 309 below:

In the same vein, some claim that despite being heavier and a more natural fit for the heavyweight division than Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall would lose to him courtesy of their skill and experience differential. Alternatively, others argue that Jones doesn't possess genuine one-punch knockout power, but Aspinall does have that thunderous power as he's often shown.

Furthermore, though Jones has a more diverse striking arsenal with spinning attacks, elbows, knees, kicks, etc., Aspinall's distance management is second to none and good enough to roll with those strikes. Maybe five years ago, Jones would've outsmarted and beaten the Brit on the judges' scorecards.

Today, in 2024, the 37-year-old Jones finds himself faced with a rather tricky matchup against the 31-year-old Aspinall -- who's lightning fast, presumably in his athletic prime, and eager to KO 'Bones.' Going skill for skill, Jones is probably the better wrestler of the two.

Nevertheless, at this point, Aspinall's speed will be the biggest factor and will help him blitz through 'Bones' and secure a TKO or submission on the mat. Speed kills, and Aspinall would prove that if and when Jones fights him.