Tom Aspinall gets brutally honest about irony of Jon Jones snubbing him for Alex Pereira: “You are the champion and you won’t fight me” 

Tom Aspinall questioned Jon Jones' logic in naming Alex Pereira as the next preferred opponent. Jones is favored to defeat Stipe Miocic in his first heavyweight title defense at UFC 309 on Nov. 16. Many expect a title unification bout against interim champion Aspinall next.

However, Jones has refused to fight the Brit citing his relatively short legacy in the sport. During the UFC 309 fight week, Jones has reaffirmed that he prefers to fight 205-pound champion Alex Pereira, a more accomplished athlete with a lasting legacy in kickboxing and MMA. He also agreed to vacate the title to fight the Brazilian.

Responding to Jones' statement in a recent interview with mainevent, Aspinall said:

"I don't know what he wants me to do. He wants me to fight more champions. And I'm like, 'Bro, you are the champion! and you won't fight me.' So what am I supposed to do? I have no options. So they're going to say anything to not fight me basically. He's trying to sway the opinions of the public to make it seem like it makes sense. He's a smart guy and there will be people who believe that."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (4:34):

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Tom Aspinall says he doesn't care about Jon Jones' legacy

At 31, Tom Aspinall is one of the youngest UFC heavyweight fighters. He also has two UFC title fight victories under the belt compared to Jones' 15 (14 light heavyweight and 1 heavyweight). Jones, who is at the tail end of his career, has cited this as one of the primary reasons for not fighting the Brit and expressed the desire to fight veteran fighters with comparable legacies.

In the aforementioned interview with mainevent, Aspinall clarified his intent behind pursuing a title unification bout against Jones, saying that his goal is to win the undisputed title, irrespective of the opponent:

"I'm not trying to fight Jon Jones because he's 'Jon Jones' and I want to take away his resume. or anything like that. I'm trying to get the UFC title. I don't give a sh** about Jon Jones' legacy, really. Not bothered. I just want the [undisputed] heavyweight title. I'm not bothered if it's Jon Jones or some random guy from central park. If he's holding the UFC heavyweight title, I want it." [5:22]

Despite Aspinall's motivation, his pursuing the fight seems to have irked Jones, who labeled him an "a**hole" and refused to "do business with him". Meanwhile, Pereira responded positively to Jones' callout.