"If I was him, I wouldn’t fight Tom Aspinall" - UFC Vegas 92 winner on Jon Jones opting out of clash with interim heavyweight champion 

Jon Jones has been accused by much of the MMA fanbase of avoiding a matchup with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. 'Bones' currently holds the 'undisputed' heavyweight title, and has made it clear he has little interest in facing the British fighter.

Jones has remained steadfast that his next bout will be a "legacy fight" against former champion Stipe Miocic - the greatest heavyweight in MMA history in the eyes of many, including 'Bones'.

The criticism directed the way of the heavyweight champion has drawn responses from Jones online, who believes that Aspinall's title contendership is questionable, at best.

Jones' attitude towards the interim champion has not been supported by many. But Aspinall's fellow Manchunian, Lerone Murphy, recently stated that he understood why a heavyweight title unification fight is not on Jones' mind.

Murphy defeated Edson Barboza in the main event of UFC Vegas 92 on May 18. During his post-fight press conference, the Brit was asked if he thought Jones was avoiding Aspinall, to which he said this:

"Jon Jones has earned his stripes, hasn't he? Everybody knows he's gonna have this one fight and then retire. That's what he's gonna do. If I was him, I wouldn't fight Tom Aspinall at this point. Let's just be real about the situation. Tom Aspinall is an up and coming lion, he's young and he's at the top of his game."

Watch Lerone Murphy's interview below from 9:40:

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Jon Jones believes Curtis Blaydes could defeat Tom Aspinall at UFC 304

Tom Aspinall is scheduled to defend his interim heavyweight title in Manchester at UFC 304, which takes place on July 28. He will take on former opponent Curtis Blaydes in a clash that both fighters had shared an interest in doing again.

The pair first faced off at UFC London in 2022, where the Manchunian suffered a knee injury less than one minute into Round 1, and the fight was stopped.

Ahead of their recently-announced rematch, Jon Jones has shared his thoughts on the bout, and stated that Blaydes could hand Aspinall another, and more genuine, defeat.

'Bones' took to X and wrote this:

"I wouldn't be surprised if Curtis won, I've seen scenarios like this time and time again. Dude prematurely drinking his own Kool-Aid ends up with a huge piece of humble pie. I mean if Sergei [Pavlovich] can touch Tom that easy, I'm sure Curtis can too. When Curtis decides to go, he's a lot faster than people realize, and he hits hard..."

See Jon Jones' post below: