1 Nightmare Matchup for Each of UFC’s Biggest Stars in 2024 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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Jon Jones is widely considered the greatest fighter in UFC history.
He ruled over the light heavyweight division for years, beating the greatest fighters of several different generations during his time on the throne, and in 2023, he cemented his greatness by returning from a three-year hiatus to choke out Ciryl Gane inside a round and win the vacant UFC heavyweight title.
Now a two-division champion, Jones has done about all there is to do as a UFC fighter, and seems to be down to the final few fights of his career—if only because he’s growing bored of beating everybody.
His next fight is expected to be a fight with former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who is considered the best fighter in the division’s history. That’s an interesting matchup, but Miocic is 41, and hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in early 2021. The real test for Jones—and the one we need to see him take before he retires—is Top Aspinall.
England’s Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 earlier this month. That win brought him to 7-1 in the UFC, with his lone loss coming in a 2022 fight with Curtis Blaydes, when he injured his own leg off a kick just 15 seconds into round one.
Aspinall can do it all. As he reaffirmed in his recent wins over Pavlovich and Marcin Tybura, he has a massive stopping power and slick striking. He is also a serious submission threat, as he most notably proved against long-time contender Alexander Volkov. What makes Aspinall truly special at heavyweight, however, is that he is not only massive, but ridiculously fast. He moves like a welterweight.
Put all of that together, and there is no question he has a real shot of beating the 36-year-old Jones. If he does, he’ll be the first of 28 men to score a legitimate win over the two-division champ. It will be historic.
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