Tom Aspinall Opens As Betting Favorite Over Jon Jones After UFC 309

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Jon Jones battles Stipe Miocic in the UFC heavyweight championship ... [+] fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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On Saturday night, Jon Jones successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309 with a third-round knockout of former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. In an ideal world, that victory would set up a title unification bout between Jones and interim UFC heavyweight champ, Tom Aspinall. Judging from Jones’ comments after his KO win, we do not live in that ideal world.

Not long after he stopped Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body, Jones sat in the bowels of Madison Square Garden and spoke about his plans for the future and how they are not likely to include Tom Aspinall.

UFC 309: Jon Jones on a Title Unification Fight with Tom Aspinall

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: Jon Jones looks on during the UFC 309 press conference at The ... [+] Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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“I’m not really worried about the Tom fight. I’m worried about the (UFC light heavyweight champion Alex) Pereira fight,” Jones said at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “That’s what I want to do. I think if the UFC wants to have me back, then I think that’s the fight they’ll make. I’ve been really clear about my intentions. That’s what I want.

“I just feel like anybody would understand at this point. I’ll retire the heavyweight belt if I have to. … Tom can have the heavyweight championship. I don’t really care about it.”

“I just don’t like him, and at the end of the day, if I give him the opportunity to fight me, I want to be so compensated,” Jones added. “I want that (expletive) you money. Honestly. That’s just what it is. That’s just what it is. My life is perfect without him. I don’t need him at all, and he needs me, and that’s a good place to be in a negotiation.”

UFC 309: Dana White on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

While Jones seems fixated on booking a matchup with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at heavyweight, UFC CEO Dana White feels that fight does not make sense, especially after what he saw in the main event of UFC 309.

“It (Jones vs. Aspinall) would be the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history, by a long shot,” White said at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “It’s going to be the biggest heavyweight fight ever. And it’ll probably be the biggest fight we’ve ever done.”

"Jon's too big ... [he is a] great wrestler. Did you see how he took Stipe down in that first round? I like Alex Pereira. It just doesn't make sense to make that fight,” White added.

"If they both want it bad enough and they're both (expletive) hounding me or something, maybe I would do it, but it's just Alex Pereira is killing it. Look at his age and what he's doing right now, what's the reason to go up and fight a guy that's so much bigger?

"I want Pereira to stay where he is and do what he does and run the street.

"But again if they go crazy on me and they want to do, what am I going to do? They're grown ass men and I'm sure the fans want to see it."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: UFC CEO Dana White looks on during the UFC 309 press conference ... [+] at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Zuffa LLC UFC 309: Tom Aspinall on Possible Jon Jones Fight

Following UFC 309, Aspinall spoke about the possibility of a title unification bout with Jones.

"Well when Jon Jones was doing his speech, I was looking directly at the UFC brass, Dana and Hunter [Campbell]," Aspinall said on the UFC 309 post-fight show.

"Both of them turned to me at the same time and pointed at me and winked. At the same time. So to me, that says there's something big in the pipeline.

"This is the biggest fight in the UFC. This is massive. This is potentially one of the biggest fights in MMA right now. If that doesn't interest Jon Jones, then I don't know what else we can do. Everybody knows that this is the fight to make.

"This is the fight that the people want. This is the fight the UFC wants. This is the fight that the fans want. This is the fight that has to happen now."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looks on during the ... [+] UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Zuffa LLC Jones vs. Aspinall opening odds

With the fight between Jones and Aspinall a possibility, BetOnline posted early betting odds for the potential title unification bout. Aspinall opened as a -135 betting favorite over Jones, who was listed as the +115 betting underdog.

UFC 309: Reaction to Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

I wrote the following after Jones defeated Miocic at UFC 309.

Jon Jones successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 with no problem. The defending champ had no problem handing Miocic. Jones was especially effective in going to the body, which was how he eventually ended the fight.

Jones looked good in getting the win, but there are still questions he needs to answer, the biggest one being what happens when he faces interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Reaction to Tom Aspinall’s Defense of the Interim Heavyweight Title

I offered the following after Aspinall defended the interim heavyweight crown with a 60-second knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July. Aspinall won the interim belt in November 2023 with a 69-second KO of Sergei Pavlovich.

The question facing Tom Aspinall remains unanswered. That question is, what happens if Aspinall is forced to fight past the second round. Well, Aspinall dispatched Curtis Blaydes with a flurry of ground strikes just 60 seconds into the co-main event of UFC 304.

The next question facing Aspinall, the UFC, Jon Jones, and Stipe Miocic is what happens after UFC heavyweight champion Jones faces Miocic? Will there be a title unification bout or will the winner of that fight retire?

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall Heavyweight Title Reigns

Jones won the UFC vacant UFC heavyweight title in March 2023 with a submission win over Ciryl Gane. The UFC initially booked Jones vs. Miocic for UFC 295, but a torn pectoral muscle knocked Jones from that November 2023 scrap. Jones’ first title defense came against Miocic at UFC 309. He has a career record of 28-1-0-1.

Aspinall got his opportunity at the interim title in a short-notice scrap at UFC 205. He knocked out Pavlovich to claim that title. With Jones out of action and a title unification bout unbooked, Aspinall defended the interim crown against Blaydes. Aspinall has not fought since that victory. He has a career record of 15-3.

With the state of the UFC heavyweight division, an Jones vs. Aspinall unification bout makes sense. If that fight cannot be booked, the UFC needs to strip Jones of the title and make Aspinall the champion.