Despite being considered by many to be the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones still has some blemishes on his record. In addition to having a single loss recorded due to an illegal elbow and legal problems outside the octagon, the UFC heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg) has also been involved in several controversies related to anti-doping tests. This, in the opinion of Tom aspinall, disqualifies him as the GOAT of MMA.
In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Aspinall acknowledged Jones as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, but stated that Jones' failed drug tests prevent him, in his view, from being considered the greatest in history. For the interim champion, integrity and fair play are essential to that title.
“Let me start by saying that Jon is absolutely elite, and I completely agree with the notion that he is one of the greatest fighters of all time. Potentially the greatest, but in my view he failed a couple of drug tests. To me, that disqualifies him from being the greatest of all time,” Aspinall said.
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Jones tested positive for the first time for a banned substance ahead of a rematch against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 in July 2016. The result forced Jones out of the fight and resulted in a one-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which ruled that Jones likely consumed a contaminated supplement and did not intentionally break the rules. However, after the rescheduling of his fight with Cormier at UFC 214 in July 2017, which Jones won by knockout, the result was again overturned when he tested positive for another banned substance.
While acknowledging that Jones probably didn't use steroids, but rather 'PEDs' (performance enhancing substances), Tom aspinall considers the use of any prohibited substance a form of cheating when a fighter uses them and his opponent does not, as this creates an unfair advantage.
“If you’re using steroids or whatever, I don’t think he was using steroids, I think he was using PEDs, performance enhancing drugs. If you’re using PEDs and your opponent isn’t, that’s absolutely cheating in my view, unless you’re both authorized to use them,” the interim champion concluded.
At 37, Jon Jones has a record of 28 wins, one loss and one no-contest fight. 'Bones' made history as the biggest name in the light heavyweight division (up to 93 kg) before moving up a division and winning the heavyweight title.
Tom aspinall, in turn, at 31 years old, has a record of 15 wins and three losses. The British fighter won the interim heavyweight belt by defeating Sergei Pavlovich.
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