What is it about Aspinall that Jones is afraid of?

[Trabaho]

Tom Aspinall is 31

31 is the perfect age for HW. That is prime. Stipe is 42. You lose a yearly % of testosterone as you age. In all pro sports barely anyone can be at the elite level at 40. They all retire close to 40.

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

It's dumb saying he's "afraid" of him. These guys fight in a cage for a living.

But I can guarantee he doesn’t like the matchup. A younger, much bigger and definitely faster guy with KO power and at least a fairly good grappling base isn't a fight Jon is dying for.

It's interesting, people talk about Jones fight IQ maybe his biggest asset (and I mostly agree) but can't wrap their brain around him seeing this guy and saying "Nah...I don't need that problem at 38 as I'm one foot out the door. No thanks. Give me the smaller guy that's a bigger name who has no grappling abilities please."

I've said this in other threads: First, what some haters might say afterwords if Jones wins ("Tom was never that good!") shouldn't determine title fights. Ever. BUT, Jones has no obligation to fight Tom IF Jon is willing to vacate the belt. He can then retire or fight Alex or whoever.

The odd thing is, why would Jon or his fans care what some people might Tweet about Tom if Jon beats him...but somehow DON'T care about the fact those same people think he's ducking Tom now? Either care about those people's opinions or don't, but don't pick and choose when they matter.

Jones said at the presser that he doesn't want to fight these young, hungry guys and if he were to fight Tom, the money would have to be so much that it wouldn't matter if he won or lost. That's telling. I think he knows he could lose the fight and if he did, he'd have to be happy with the money vs. the hit to his legacy.

Still, that really shouldn't be his call. That'd be like the previous year's Super Bowl team refusing to face the #1 team and wanting a more favorable match up. UFC should make him fight Tom or walk. If he walks, he'll never live it down despite his resume. People will always remember him for that duck.

 

[El Fernas]

Is this the ultimate financial championship or the ultimate fighting championship. Who gives a flying fuck about Jones desire for legacy or paycheck. At this point his legacy is going to be avoiding the only interesting HW fights available, failing to unify the titles and running through a few undeserving opponents for easy money on the way.

Much like gsp's MW run it won't mean shit. It is just an opportunistic moment to say you held the title but everyone knows you didn't beat anyone worthwhile for it and proved absolutely nothing in that weight class. Wasted everyone's time.

Gane is a bum now, noted it.

At the time he fought Jones his single loss came from marginally losing to Ngannou, ranked #1 when fought Jones, a bum.

 

[JBJ was here]

Name me a fighter where Aspinall proved that he has amazing accuracy.

Tom's never had a UFC fight last long enough to have a high enough striking volume for really judging accuracy. He does have really good accuracy overall at 67%, but when you're fresh and blitzing is also when you're going to be most accurate. No one knows what Tom's accuracy would be like standing and trading at distance, which is the primary context in which accuracy is generally judged.

 

[Elegant]

There's been this narrative that Aspinall fans/Jones are pushing that Aspinall is some legendary dangerous grappler who is also much faster than the likes of prime Machida, TRT Vitor etc

They've created this unbeatable super hero in their minds based off a few KOs over some cans to create false hope of seeing Jones lose before he retires

 

[Wardum]

Younger, faster, stronger, hungrier.

Basically what Jon was to DC.

 

[krelianx]

Aspinall is a very big guy in his prime, who hits very hard and is relatively well rounded.

Jones is in his late thirties, way past his prime, and at the tail end of a career undefeated. Why the living fuck would he risk it to fight a guy that is not exactly a household name or legacy fighter? Aspinall is the best right now, but it's not like he has consolidated a legacy for himself. He's literally one or two losses away from "never having been that good."