"He’s got a gift to finish people" - Jon Jones predicted to perish against Tom Aspinall by Brit's father

Tom Aspinall's father thinks that his son can finish any heavyweight he goes up against, including the great Jon Jones.

Aspinall represents the new generation of heavyweight fighters in MMA who do not rely on power and possess a well-rounded skillset combined with other attributes like speed and cardio. The 30-year-old has been engaged in a fierce competitive rivalry with Jones over the last few months.

In a recent interview with JN Media UK, Aspinall's father, Andy, shared his thoughts on how their fighting styles compare:

"When Tom hits somebody, it's fast and hard usually. Jones is a stand-in-front guy and picks shots. I think he'll find it hard to hit Tom [Aspinall] if he does that. I think he'll need to be quicker. He'll need to get hold of him and Tom's not been got hold of yet."

When asked if Aspinall would be able to finish Jones in a fight, Andy said:

"I just think Tom finishes everybody he fights. He always has done. As he keeps moving up, it gets harder but Tom just keeps doing what he does and he's got a gift to finish people."

Catch Andy Aspinall's comments below (2:30):

Jones was scheduled to attempt the first defense of his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November 2023. However, a pectoral muscle injury forced him to pull out of the fight.

Tom Aspinall captured the interim UFC heavyweight title by defeating Sergei Pavlovich following Jones' withdrawal. He has been campaigning for a title unification fight. However, 'Bones' seems inclined towards a legacy-defining fight against Miocic.

The resultant tension has escalated into a heated online feud.

---

Tom Aspinall explains why Jon Jones removed his hand from his shoulder when they met

At the 2024 Arnold Sports Festival in Birmingham, Tom Aspinall met Jon Jones during the fans' meet-and-greet.

While the duo did not seem to have a sense of animosity, Jones promptly removed Aspinall's hand from his shoulder during the interaction, and the Brit immediately apologized.

For context, Aspinall placed his hand on Sergei Pavlovich's shoulder during the referee's instructions before their UFC 295 interim heavyweight title fight. Although meant as a gesture of mutual respect, it was speculated that this might have helped the Brit gauge his opponent's reach and contributed to his knockout victory.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Tom Aspinall hypothesized that 'Bones' must have removed his hand from the shoulder to stop him 'from checking his reach.' He wrote in the caption:

"Wasn't having me check his reach."

Catch the interaction below (6:15):