UFC 309: No Excuses Now – Jon Jones to Face Tom Aspinall Next | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

Jon Jones was as dominant as he’s ever been in his heavyweight title fight with Stipe Miocic. He deserves plenty of applause for his latest display of brilliance in the Octagon, but let’s not dwell on that too long because there are far more important things on the horizon.

Now that Miocic is out of the way, Jones can finally turn his attention to the fight we should have gotten instead: a title unification showdown with interim champion Tom Aspinall.

Jones, the former light heavyweight champion and one of the greatest fighters of all time, faced Miocic in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 309 card at New York City’s hallowed Madison Square Garden. His fight with the 42-year-old two-time former champion – widely regarded as the best heavyweight in UFC history – marked his first defense of the title he won with a quick submission win over Ciryl Gane early last year.

Jones really made it look easy.

He started the fight by hitting an extremely smooth sweep takedown, climbing into top position and raining down his trademark elbows with such ferocity that Miocic was very likely saved by the bell at the end of the round, as commentator Joe Rogan said that he scored 10 -8.

Despite his success on the mat in the first round — and his pre-fight goal of becoming the first man to submit Miocic — Jones abandoned his wrestling in round two and instead began lighting the former champion on the legs. He was so successful that Rogan noted that Miocic was becoming “hesitant to close the distance.”

Rogan’s co-commentator and former Jones and Miocic opponent Daniel Cormier, meanwhile, bluntly claimed the former heavyweight king looked “slow”. Play-by-play man Jon Anik finally claimed that what we saw “didn’t look like the Miocic who fought Daniel Cormier three times.”

After dropping two lopsided rounds, Miocic came out with gusto in the third, landing his best punches of the fight early on, but in the end he didn’t escape the round. After being rocked by a Jones right hand, he absorbed a spinning kick to the body that deflated him instantly. A few follow-up ground strikes later, and Jones had officially defended his heavyweight title with a third-round TKO.

“He’s really good,” Jones told Rogan after his win. “He’s really durable. I hit him with pretty decent shots… It’s like fighting the Terminator. It’s very frustrating to fight someone who doesn’t react.

“He doesn’t react much to being hit in the face, so we planned to work on the body.”

The performance impressed the commentators – most notably Rogan, who at long last seemed to have figured out that Miocic, who hadn’t fought since he was brutally knocked out by lineal heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2021, probably had no business in Octagon to begin with.

“Jon looked very good,” Rogan said. “Stipe didn’t.

“How much of it was what Jones did and how much of it was how much Stipe has left?”

It’s a valid question, and the truth is probably that Miocic’s age and inactivity played almost as much of a role in his loss as Jones’ incredible skill. He should never have returned to the Octagon — at least not for a title fight with Jones — and the craziest part is, he didn’t have to either.

There was a much better, accessible fight to make, and one that — unlike the UFC’s decision-making — fans clearly wanted to see more of. That would be the match Aspinall.

Hulking 31-year-old Briton Tom Aspinall is 8-1 in the Octagon, with his lone loss coming to an unfortunate leg injury in a 2022 fight with Curtis Blaydes. He won the interim belt with a quick knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at last year’s NYC card and defended his belt with a quick knockout victory in a rematch with Blaydes at home this summer.

Aspinall should never have had to defend his interim title. The moment he became the interim champion, he should have been guaranteed a fight against the undisputed champion Jones – but the UFC went ahead with their plans for Miocic anyway.

The good news is that the stage is finally set for that to happen.

Heading into UFC 309, Jones repeatedly claimed he had no interest in fighting Aspinall — if he didn’t retire after beating Miocic.

In the end, he decided not to retire.

“As far as my future in the Octagon, I decided that I might not retire,” he said to an explosion of cheers from the fans inside the arena.

Jones then admitted that while he will have to negotiate with Dana White and Hunter Campbell, he is prepared to give the fans “what they want.” While Rogan inexplicably saw it as a fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira – who White has already shut down – Jones was clearly talking about the title unification with Aspinall.

Not only does Aspinall deserve the opportunity, but he will possibly be the toughest test of Jones’ career. He will be bigger than the former light heavyweight champion but moves like a heavyweight himself and has proven he can finish fights from any position with 11 knockouts and four submissions that comprise his 15 career wins. He has stopped the UFC’s top heavyweights in minutes and sometimes seconds, and while he would most likely be a moderate underdog against Jones, he clearly has all the tools necessary to beat the champion.

And you know, he’s only 31. Unlike Miocic, who retired with pitifully little fanfare after his UFC 309 loss, he’s actually in his prime.

Time will tell how long Jones’ negotiations with the UFC last and how ugly they get, but once he’s offered a deal he’s happy with, it’s time to sign the fight with Aspinall.

It’s his duty as the undisputed champion, and whether he sees it or not, his opportunity to make sure he’s not remembered for ending his career by avoiding the toughest challenge there is.