Michael Bisping's thoughts on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall have changed somewhat.
'The Count' is a proud Englishman, who has cheered on his compatriot during his incredible heavyweight run, which saw him KO Sergei Pavlovich to become interim champion in November 2023.
Last July, Tom Aspinall defended his title by stopping Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds during a rematch at UFC 304.
Dana White has now '100 percent' guaranteed that a unification fight between his secondary champion and Jon Jones will take place sometime in 2025.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Michael Bisping predicts Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
'Bones' has been open about his distaste for uniting the division in a fight with Aspinall.
The greatest of all time annoyed many people, including Michael Bisping, by publicly avoiding the fight ahead of his KO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.
Jones softened his stance somewhat in the immediate aftermath of UFC 309, but he's still demanding a monster pay package to face Aspinall in what would be the biggest fight of the year.
After initially predicting a one-sided clash in his friend's favor, the UFC Hall of Famer and former middleweight champion has changed his mind about Jones vs Aspinall.
“I was a little frustrated with some of the things Jon Jones said [during] fight week when he fought Stipe [Miocic],” Bisping said in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow's James Sweetnam.
“Now that I look back, I kind of agree with it. I think he played it like a genius because it increased the desire and demand for the fight – and played some mind games with Tom along the way.
“I really believe Tom would probably beat him in a fight, but the way he played was to stimulate demand, and I think it worked. Dana White wants to compete. Tom Aspinall said Dana told him it was going to happen. I suspect this will decrease by 2025.
“When Tom won one of his fights in London, I did a post-fight show on TNT Sports and I thought, 'Ah, Tom Aspinall would smoke Jon Jones, it wouldn't even be a fight'.
“Maybe there was a certain degree of recency. It's not because I admire Tom. It's because when I look at him and I see the size, agility and strength that he has, I'm not surprised that he's now the interim champion.
“I wouldn't be surprised if he beats Jon when they fight. But seeing Jon Jones and what he did against Stipe, it's going to be a tougher fight for Tom than I originally thought.
“I would still pick Tom to win… It will be an interesting fight. I just hope it happens.”
Joe Rogan suggests Jon Jones is considering retirement
Last week, Joe Rogan made headlines when he spread a rumor that Jones was demanding $30 million to fight Aspinall.
The legendary UFC commentator later retracted the claim after receiving a call from Dana White.
While doing so, he inadvertently gave MMA fans a new piece of information that suggested Jones might not fight Aspinall after all.
“Apparently Jon is thinking about retiring, and he should. I mean, one day he's going to have to,” Rogan said.
“I'm not saying he should retire, but I am saying he should think about it, give the man all the time he wants and he can fight whenever he wants. That's Jon Jones, he's the GOAT. So leave him alone.
“If he decides to come back one day and wants to come back and fight Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title, the question is, how long can you hold the title before they start that conversation?
“Now he just took out Stipe Miocic, so give the guy months. Give the man five or six months, leave him the hell alone! But at some point you have to decide who the heavyweight champion is.
“So if Tom is interim heavyweight champion and Jon decides he doesn't want to fight anymore, he can do that. And he could do that and then come back in a year and fight for the title, he can do whatever he wants.
“But he might decide, 'You know what? I had an incredible career that I never lost except for losing the DQ due to a rule that has since been reversed. He is the GOAT. he's retiring? He has enough money, he has the chance to do some acting, yes.
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