"Tom Aspinall doesn't click all those boxes" - Ex-UFC fighter explains why Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones want to fight each other ignoring interim champ

Both Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have continued to dismiss Tom Aspinall's calls for a fight in favor of facing each other.

Former UFC fighter Kenny Florian, however, believes he knows why the two all-time greats aren't too keen on locking horns with a foe like Aspinall.

Joining fellow retired mixed martial artist Michael Bisping on the latter's Believe You Me podcast, Florian outlined all of the reasons he believes Jones and Miocic have considered when electing to avoid a matchup with Aspinall:

"Those guys have won the belt many times over, they've been part of some of the biggest UFC events in history. You know, huge names, and I think that for two guys that have been at their level, have been in the sport for so long, for them it's probably more worth it to say, 'Hey, let me face another legend that's right around my era. That can bring in a lot of money for me.'"

Florian is of the opinion that Jones and Miocic do not believe Aspinall fits the aforementioned criteria:

"I don't think they see that same advantage in as, say, Tom Aspinall. Right, Tom Aspinall doesn't, probably, click all those boxes."

Check out Kenny Florian's comments about Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall (23:51):

While Jones has opted to downplay Aspinall's résumé, Miocic expressed some interest in the Englishman. In fact, he claimed that after he beats Jones, he would be happy to unify the heavyweight titles with Aspinall. This, however, did not sit well with the Englishman, who asked Miocic why they should wait that long to fight.

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Revisiting Jon Jones' UFC 285 heavyweight title win

At UFC 285, Jon Jones made his triumphant return to the octagon after three years away. While fans initially hoped to see him take on Francis Ngannou, the pair's matchup never came to fruition. Instead, 'Bones' faced former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane for the vacant undisputed strap.

Check out Jon Jones beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285:

Jones' performance was nothing short of a masterclass. After a brief striking exchange, 'Bones' secured a body lock and managed to drag Gane to the mat, where he secured a quick guillotine choke against the fence. With no other recourse, Gane tapped out, and Jones was crowned the heavyweight champion.