Former UFC HW champ says Tom Aspinall's 'fight pattern' will lead to his downfall against Jon Jones
01/07/2025 06:25 PM
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez believes Jon Jones will make it look easy against Tom Aspinall.
UFC heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall are expected to clash to unify the heavyweight belts later this year. After Jones defended the belt by stopping Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Aspinall is the most logical option for his return opponent.
Jones is in active negotiations with the UFC, as of this writing, to potentially return for at least one more fight. This is a strong pivot from his earlier retirement teases leading up to UFC 309.
As the Jones vs. Aspinall negotiations continue, fans and pundits are beginning to picture what the fight might look like inside the Octagon. Some believe Aspinall could be the one to dethrone Jones from the UFC summit and put a damper on Jones’s UFC GOAT case.
Aspinall possesses unusual speed and technique for a heavyweight, but former UFC champion Cain Velasquez believes it won’t be enough to confuse Jones in the cage.
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Cain Velasquez sides with Jon Jones in Tom Aspinall fight
During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Velasquez shared his pick for Jones vs. Aspinall.
“I don’t think [Aspinall wins],” Velasquez said. “So me just watching him, I see his pattern a little bit, the way he comes in with his strikes. I think Jon sees it too. Jon, he studies man, he does his homework. He’s a master at this, analyzes things, and studies you over and over again. I just think for that reason, I think [Jon] is going to know what to do…
“Everyone has a pattern. Some people disguise it better than others. The way Tom comes in and fights, he has a pattern that is somewhat easier to fight…when he comes in and attacks, it’s 100 percent, full-go. Glides in, lunges in, and does his attack. Not that it’s not effective, it is, he’s done great things with it. But a thing about Jon Jones is…I think he beats him because of it.”
In fairness, Aspinall has done a great job at disguising his fight patterns during his UFC tenure. He’s earned recent wins over Marcin Tybura, Curtis Blaydes, and Sergei Pavlovich, finishing all three with ease.
But Jones’s strength of schedule during his UFC career means Aspinall might not possess a puzzle he hasn’t seen before. Despite previous questions about his move to heavyweight, he’s silenced his earlier detractors, dissecting Miocic and Ciryl Gane.
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Jones and Aspinall have traded barbs in recent months ahead of their likely grudge match. Before UFC 309, Jones refused to do business with Aspinall after their recent back-and-forths and went as far as to pitch a potential Alex Pereira fight instead.
Barring a dramatic twist, the Aspinall fight could be Jones’s last appearance in the Octagon. Meanwhile, Aspinall is considered a top candidate to lead the UFC heavyweight division into the future.
Velasquez will have a keen eye on Jones vs. Aspinall if the fight gets finalized later this year. But for Velasquez, Jones’s rigorous preparation and game planning will be the difference inside the cage.
