Francis Ngannou's coach has given Tom Aspinall some tips ahead of his potential reunion fight with Jon Jones.
The UFC heavyweight champion sensationally defended his title for the first time when he knocked out Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick to the stomach at UFC 309 on Saturday night.
Talk immediately talked about a unification fight with Tom Aspinall, who has held the interim heavyweight title since Sergei Pavlovich slept at UFC 295 in November 2023.
Eric Nicksick is the head coach of Francis Ngannou and a number of other elite level fighters. Aspinall is not one of his students, but the two men still discuss a possible plan to defeat Jon Jones.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Erick Nicksick analyzes Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
Naturally, Nicksick believes his star pupil is the toughest opponent for Jones, but with a cross-promotional fight on the table, he believes Aspinall could become the first man to legitimately beat the 37-year-old MMA legend.
The only mark on Jones' record is a DQ loss to Matt Hamill. During their 2009 fight, he was deemed to have landed a 12-6 elbow, which was recently made legal amid calls for Jones to overturn his only loss.
“The toughest competition has to be Francis,” Nicksick told The Schmo.
“That's an argument that I think is worthless because there's nothing we can do about it right now… The toughest competition right now that makes sense is Tom Aspinall because they're both in the same promotion.
“His footwork and feet. That was what struck me most about working with Tom, his ability to be able to switch positions in the heavyweight division when he normally doesn't do the things he can do.
“Plus he is very smart, he understands the game. When you talk to him, he also understands that he's fighting in the heavyweight division, where someone can put out your lights at any moment. So he constantly tries to use his best skills against his opponent's worst.
“I spoke to Tom on Monday. We were kind of going back and forth about some things about game planning.
“You can't be in that area and just get charmed by a snake by Jon. Let him take your hands, let him dictate the pace and rhythm. You have to be hyper-aggressive in those positions and I think Tom should do that in that fight too.”
Tom Aspinall reveals talks are underway
Jon Jones has publicly stated his preference to fight Alex Pereira rather than Tom Aspinall, but he is willing to agree to the match for 'f*** you' money.
According to the Englishman, negotiations have already begun for the 2025 fight, which Dana Whtie believes could replace Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor as the biggest in the company's history.
'Yes, we are currently in negotiations. That's the honest answer.” Tom Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.
“So we don't know when the fight will happen, but I will always be ready to go. I'm back in the gym now. I'm back in the gym training, like always.”
“I'm ready to fight when they let me know. Until then I will improve, I will get better.
“So there is no big rush with that. Obviously I want to fight as soon as possible. But right now we're just waiting for a date. That's it.”
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