Chael Sonnen details what Tom Aspinall told him about Jon Jones immediately after UFC 309

Interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall spoke to the Chael Sonnen Octagon side immediately after Jon Jones finished Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

Tom Aspinall could potentially be Jon Jones' next opponent after UFC 309. Despite the shock and awe that engulfed Jones following his win, Aspinall delivered a blunt assessment of Chael Sonnen just minutes after the fight.

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Jones silenced his opponents by collapsing Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body in the UFC 309 main event. In his first UFC heavyweight title defense, Jones showed no signs of cage rust, dominating former titleholder Miocic from start to finish.

Jones, who seemed uninterested in a future fight with Aspinall throughout fight week, opened the door for the heavyweight matchup to take place after UFC 309. He and the UFC brass will enter contract negotiations and if they can agree on a lucrative deal, Jones vs. Aspinall could be next.

Aspinall has both ridiculed and praised Jones in recent months leading up to UFC 309. Many criticized Jones for facing the 42-year-old Miocic and leaving interim titleholder Aspinall on the sidelines.

Sonnen got the immediate reaction from Aspinall to Jones' performance, and the interim champion saw some gaping holes in the UFC 309 winner's skills despite his triumphant performance.

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Chael Sonnen shared cageside chat with Tom Aspinall after Jon Jones finished Stipe Miocic

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Sonnen shared what Aspinall told him just minutes after Jones secured the win.

'One thing that Tom [Aspinall] said: Tom gained confidence while standing ringside to watch [Jon Jones],” Sonnen revealed. “He said, 'I've never seen Jon Jones, except on television.' At ringside he said he was too slow. Now Tom also told us that he had just had a few beers…

“If that's really true, if he thinks he's faster than a 236-pound world champion, I'd like to see that. One thing that concerns me about Aspinall is what other people praise him for, which is that he has had one first-round exit. People praise him for that. I don't like that. That's a problem. If you want to find a way to beat Jon Jones, no one is doing it anytime soon, and that's one thing Jon has. He is strong, can regroup and is in top form regardless of his lifestyle.”

Aspinall defended the interim heavyweight title at UFC 304, finishing Curtis Blaydes in the first round. He is determined to fight for the lineal heavyweight championship next instead of defending the interim title again.

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Dana White called Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall 'the biggest UFC heavyweight fight' after UFC 309

Tensions between Jones and Aspinall have increased in recent months. During UFC 309 fight week, Jones called Aspinall a “son of a bitch” that he doesn't want to do business with, but UFC CEO Dana White is confident he can change Jones' mind.

Aspinall has never advanced past Round 2 in his MMA career and only one UFC appearance has made it past the first round. After Jones withdrew from UFC 295 due to injury, Aspinall stepped up on short notice to knock out Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim heavyweight championship.

Jones has won fights in countless ways throughout his storied UFC career. His knockout of Miocic was his first TKO/KO win since 2018, when he stopped Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232.

Jones vs. Aspinall could be a perfect fit to headline next year's UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas. But Jones is also interested in a potential superfight with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, despite the firings of White and the UFC brass.

According to Sonnen, Aspinall is confident in his chances of dethroning Jones, and the build-up to their potential clash is only just beginning to emerge.

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