Jon Jones' longtime coach shoots down narrative that Tom Aspinall is a 'complex puzzle' ahead of potential Octagon clash

11/25/2024 02:28 PM

Coach Brandon Gibson says Tom Aspinall isn’t an overly difficult puzzle to solve in the Octagon ahead of his anticipated booking against Jon Jones.

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall sits atop most UFC fight fans’ wish list as 2024 nears a close. After Jones defeated Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event, fight talks began to swirl regarding Jones potentially facing Aspinall, despite his repeated dismissals of the UK star.

As Jones and Aspinall negotiate a potential clash in 2025, many are beginning to analyze how the fight may play out inside the Octagon. Aspinall has made quick work of his opponents in all of his UFC wins, including his UFC 304 interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes.

But, Jones has faced this similar scenario many times in his career, and one of his longtime coaches believes Aspinall’s fight difficulty is overstated.

• READ MORE:Leon Edwards breaks his silence to reveal new goal for 2025 after losing UFC welterweight title

Jon Jones’ coach Brandon Gibson dissects Tom Aspinall puzzle

In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, coach Brandon Gibson suggested that Jones and his team had seen some of the strengths in Aspinall’s skill set and had dissected them thoroughly.

"He's had a great heavyweight career so far,” Gibson said. “I think there's still a lot of unknowns which could be a benefit to Tom but also a lot of those unknowns could be a big benefit to us. How is he going to do in deep water? How is he going to do in the later rounds?

“There'll probably be a lot of pressure on him to try to start fast so with all that said, Tom's not a match-up, like we have respect for all of these great opponents and champions but I think Jon has solved a lot more complex problems." (h/t MMANews)

Jones won the then-vacant heavyweight title over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last year. Ahead of UFC 285, some predicted Gane would end Jones’ largely unblemished UFC career and stop any potential title aspirations at heavyweight.

In response, Jones needed mere minutes to submit Gane and win the heavyweight championship.

• READ MORE:'I'll be honest'… Paddy Pimblett explains why he 'looks fat' immediately after his UFC fights

Jon Jones and the UFC are in ongoing negotiations for Tom Aspinall fight

Jones revealed last weekend that he and his team have officially launched negotiations with the UFC brass for a potential 2025 return to the cage. While Aspinall is the most likely option for an opponent, he’s also teased a possible super fight against UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Jones’ constant dismissals of Aspinall could potentially be a negotiation tactic as he works out a deal with the promotion. UFC broadcaster Jon Anik recently predicted Jones will require a $20-25 million financial figure to sign on the dotted line.

Jones required around a $30 million paycheck to face then-UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou in 2021. But, the fight never came to fruition, and Ngannou parted ways from the UFC last year following a tumultuous contract dispute.

Aspinall believes that deep down, Jones knows he’s in for a back-and-forth war in the Octagon when they meet. But, coach Gibson says don’t be surprised if Jones makes Aspinall look ordinary as he’s done to so many of his past adversaries.

• READ MORE:Dana White has made his feelings clear on '$40million, 30-second' Canelo Alvarez vs Jake Paul fight