UFC veteran dismisses 'taint' on legacy if Jon Jones doesn't face Tom Aspinall: 'They'll forget'

Jon Jones He is UFC champion. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/@ufc

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About two months away from returning to the octagon to defend the heavyweight belt (up to 120,2 kg) for the first time against Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones has made his future a mystery. While a belt unification duel against Tom aspinall may seem like the natural next step, some believe that the duel of the UFC 309, in November, could be Bones' final act as an MMA fighter. In either case, the preservation of the champion's legacy is assured. At least according to Matt Brown.

UFC veteran, the welterweight (up to 77,1 kg) disagreed, in a recent edition of the 'Fighter vs. Writer' podcast from 'MMA Fighting', with those who believe that retiring without facing Tom aspinall can cause damage to the legacy of Jon Jones to long term.

“The fact is, they’re going to forget. It doesn’t matter what Tom does. If Jon Jones retiring after beating Stipe, we're in the era where news is news for a day. Maybe for two days there'll be someone on Reddit saying that Jon was scared of Tom or something. The next week he'll still be the greatest of all time. No one's going to say he's not because he didn't fight with Tom aspinall. They'll talk nonsense for a few days and then it will be completely forgotten. Just like it was with Georges St-Pierre. I didn't even remember that he refused to face Robert whittaker. I didn't even remember that this was a possibility”, said the fighter.

In Matt Brown's opinion, it was never part of the plans for Jon Jones necessarily become the best heavyweight in history and solidify his legacy as the greatest fighter of all time, regardless of weight class.

“I don’t remember Jon ever saying he wants to be the greatest heavyweight in history. He calls himself the greatest fighter in history. Maybe he picks his fights. He is the greatest of all time. He has the right to choose. He never said he would prove he could also be the greatest heavyweight in history. He just said he would move up to make some more paychecks, have some big fights, have fun and not have to cut weight. He is the greatest of all time. The only debate about whether he is the greatest or not is when you talk about banned substances. That’s the only argument against him. I don’t think there is another argument. We all know Jon is the greatest of all time,” he concluded.