Jon Jones hasn’t always disliked Tom Aspinall, with the legend making a very interesting remark about the Brit long before they started trading verbal jibes.
Currently, the world is desperate to see the best heavyweights in the UFC go head-to-head in a major showdown.
However, it’s not looking great at the moment, with Colby Covington claiming Jones wants an unrealistic figure to fight Aspinall.
The undisputed champion has shown very little interest in the Brit, often dismissing his achievements, which is bizarre considering what he said about him in August 2023.
WOW: Tom Aspinall tells outrageous story of crazy bar fight from his doorman days
Jon Jones said he was excited to see what Tom Aspinall will do in the UFC
Jon Jones has made no secret of his dislike for Tom Aspinall, branding him ‘annoying’.
However, at one stage, he had a great deal of respect for the Englishman.
In an interview with The Overdogs Podcast, the two-weight UFC champion revealed that, at the time, alongside Sean O’Malley, Aspinall was the mixed martial artist he’s most excited about.
The legend said: “I think he has the potential to do something really special in the heavyweight division. I think he’s going to be hard for the majority of guys to beat, I really do believe that.”
Unsurprisingly, Jones turned out to be correct, with Aspinall destroying every opponent in his path en route to winning the interim championship.
Now, it remains to be seen whether the New Yorker will fall into the bracket of fighters that will struggle to beat the powerhouse.
Tom Aspinall praises Jon Jones and ‘super smart’ champion as he ranks UFC fighters
Aspinall has refused to shy away from firing verbal shots at Jones, often claiming that the 37-year-old will retire before fighting him.
However, the thunderous puncher is more than willing to give the all-time great the respect he deserves.
Recently, Aspinall ranked Jones and one other UFC star as a 9.5/10.
