Many see Tom Aspinall as the guy to beat Jon Jones in MMA. However, a man who knows a thing or two about being “The Baddest Man on the Planet” thinks otherwise.
Cain Velasquez, former UFC heavyweight champion, doesn’t see Jones losing to Aspinall should they meet in a UFC heavyweight title unification bout this year. Velasquez has seen some things in the Englishman’s game, and he’s sure Jones has seen them, too.
“No, I don’t think he does,” Velasquez told Ariel Helwani when asked if he thinks Aspinall would beat Jones. “Me just watching him, I kind of see his pattern a little bit in his striking, the way he comes in and strikes. I think Jon sees it too.
“Again, Jon studies, man. He does his homework, you know. He’s a master at this. He analyzes things and studies things over and over again. I think just for that reason, he’s going to know what to do. I don’t think he beats Jon, no.”
There’s nothing official in regard to a potential heavyweight clash between Jones and Aspinall. However, in December, UFC CEO Dana White said he’d 100 percent guarantee the fight would happen in 2025. Jones holds the UFC heavyweight title, and Aspinall is the interim. Both men have defended their belts once.
It’s uncertain if the bout will come to fruition or if Jones will retire. But if the fight does happen, Velasquez think Jones will dissect him and beat him, just as he has everybody else he’s fought.
“Everybody has a fight pattern and he has a fight pattern,” Velasquez said. “Some disguise it better than others. … (Aspinall) does have a pattern that’s somewhat easier to find, when he comes in and strikes. So a lot of things come with that, disguising your pattern, throwing fakes here and there, but when he comes in and attacks, he attacks. It’s 100 percent full go. He comes in, glides in, lunges in, and does his attack. Not that is not effective, it is. He’s done great things with it, look at where he’s at now. But I think the type of guy that Jon Jones is, I think he studies him and beats him because of that.”
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