Retirement is on the table for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic after their UFC heavyweight championship fight at UFC 309. One name could spur Jones to fight on, but it's not interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, it's Alex Pereira.
Jones and Miocic headline New York City's Madison Square Garden on Saturday. It's a meeting between the most dominant light heavyweight and heavyweight champions, albeit several years later than fans would have liked. Aspinall's presence is a significant subplot of UFC 309.
Last November, Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim UFC heavyweight title after Jones pulled out of his scheduled fight with Miocic. Instead of being rewarded with a typically expected title unifier, Aspinall defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes as UFC forged ahead with Jones vs. Miocic. The situation has put Aspinall in limbo. Neither UFC 309 headliner has expressed much interest in fighting Aspinall, a stance Jones maintains nine days from UFC 309.
"More than likely not," Jones told combat sports journalist Kevin Iole about a potential Aspinall fight. "I feel like Tom Aspinall is -- I don't want to say a nobody -- but he hasn't proven anything or done anything."
Jones diminished Aspinall's interim title win against Pavlovich, arguing that Pavlovich was subsequently "slaughtered by someone else." Jones was referring to Pavlovich's unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkov in June. Jones, who captured the vacant heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in March 2023 after a historic light heavyweight title reign, is not interested in having his legacy leveraged.
"I'm not here to gamble with someone else making a name off of me," Jones said. "I'm here to compete against the guys who when we look back 10 years from now, you'll say, 'Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy and this legend and this champion.'"
Jones argued the only compelling fight for him after UFC 309 would be against UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. Jones proposed a heavyweight super fight between the two champions.
"If there were to be a fight for me with someone on the UFC roster who would be financially worth it and legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira," Jones said. "We're both 37 years old. Right now I weigh about 235 pounds. I'm an incredible light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240 pounds.
"I think that fight would do much more for my legacy than a young man who is cool today and maybe gone tomorrow. I remember when the whole world thought Johnny Walker was the guy to beat me. No disrespect to Johnny Walker but we've all seen how his career played out. I've been here too long to get all excited about someone who's hot today. I'm here for legacy. I've been gambling way too long to take random fights."