JON JONES has poured cold water on the prospect of fighting Tom Aspinall and the rest of the up-and-comers at heavyweight.
Atherton assassin Aspinall returned to the cusp of heavyweight title contention on Saturday night with a blowout first-round TKO victory over Marcin Tybura at The O2.
GETTYTom Aspinall returned to the win column in emphatic fashion at UFC London last weekend[/caption]
GETTYThe Brit quickly vowed to dethrone former pound-for-pound king Jon Jones[/caption]
GETTYHeavyweight king Jones briefly entertained the contest[/caption]
TWITTERBut he’s poured cold water on the prospect of fighting the Brit[/caption]
The burly Brit quickly vowed to become the first man to hand Jones his first legitimate professional loss and his call-out briefly intrigued the UFC Hall of Famer.
But the prospect of sticking around after his upcoming retirement fight with Stipe Miocic to face Aspinall doesn’t get Bones’ blood pumping enough to deviate from his current plans.
In a series of now-deleted tweets, the heavyweight king tweeted: “Sometimes I feel like I’ve been in a deja vu, everyone’s going to be the guy to kick my ass.
“Meanwhile, I’m over here undefeated with a face full of gray hairs.”
Aspinall’s destruction of Tybura has many believing he’ll give former pound-for-pound king Jones a real run for his money.
But Jones, 36, is refusing to get too excited about the highly-touted British MMA prospect.
He continued: “Half the time the guys talking the most crap don’t even end up winning their next fight.
“I’ve been around this game for a long time. Over the years, I’ve learned not to get all impress so quickly.
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“Stick around, win consistently like I have. And then talk your sh*t.
“Everyone’s the next big thing until I beat them.
“And then it’s like well. Who was that guy anyway?
“Just a few months ago [Ciryl] Gane was the absolute future of MMA.
“[The] Best footwork, fastest heavyweight we have ever seen.
UFCJon Jones will face Stipe Miocic in his retirement fight at UFC 295 on November 11[/caption]
“The most athletic. Now everyone’s like who the hell is that guy.”
Unlike Jones, UFC president Dana White was blown away by Aspinall’s demolition of Tybura in his first fight since recovering from a brutal knee injury last July.
The MMA mogul tweeted: “@tomaspinallofficial looked DAMN GOOD tonight.”
Aspinall’s sights are currently set on the winner of UFC Paris’ main event between Ciryl Gane and former opponent Sergey Spivak.
Jones, meanwhile, is set to bring the curtain down on his legendary career after his UFC 295 showdown with Miocic at Madison Square Garden.