Blaydes Backs Aspinall To KO Jones

Curtis Blaydes has backed Tom Aspinall to stop UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.
Blaydes is aware of Aspinall having faced him twice. He gave Aspinall his first loss, beating him in a first-round stoppage in their 2022 clash. But Aspinall suffered a knee injury in that fight, leaving questions over the result. Aspinall turned it around by knocking out Blaydes at UFC 304 in their rematch. Jones also stopped his last opponent with a win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
That was the first defense of his UFC Heavyweight Title after winning the vacant belt against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. However, Blaydes gave Tom the edge. Tom has three stoppage wins in a row since the Blaydes injury. He stopped Marcin Tybura, Sergei Pavlovich, and Blaydes in the first round. There is a perception that Tom will exert his presence on Jones to try and overpower him. Blaydes saw that as the reason why he picked Aspinall for the win.
Blaydes Reacts
“I would pick him (Aspinall). Like, I would go 55 percent him. Obviously, it’s not going to be a landslide. Like, we’re going against Jon Jones. He’s a legend. He’s got all the weapons. I think one area where Tom can win is just a presence inside. Like, Jon Jones gets away with being able to stand in front of his opponent and just paw and pick at him with the inside leg kicks and the teeps and the jabs. I don’t think Aspinall is just going to allow him to hang out at that range. I think he’s going to be blitzing him in and out, and that’ll be the difference,” Blaydes said
Nevertheless, there are still a few hurdles to overcome. Jones has given mixed comments about having this fight. The heavyweight champion has dismissed Aspinall by downplaying what the Brit does for his legacy. Jones already has won belts at light heavyweight and heavyweight. Aspinall has only ever won an interim belt at heavyweight. But Bones has also said he would fight anyone if he was paid the right amount.
Prediction
Jones and Aspinall are in talks over their next fights. Dana White recently said he was 100 percent sure the fight would happen. Fans missed out on seeing Francis Ngannou face Jones. The Predator left the UFC last year to sign with the PFL. While there are still calls to make that fight, the promotional differences makes it unlikely. But if Jones vs. Aspinall happens, Blaydes was confident about the outcome.
“He definitely has the speed. He doesn’t have the range that Jon has, but who does? But I think he knows that. I think he’ll get on the inside of that range, and I think he’ll be able to land an overhand. And it’ll probably be early because he likes to blitz. He doesn’t like to wait. So yeah, I think it’ll happen early,” Blaydes added
If the fight goes the distance, it may favor Jones. But both fighters have the ability to end it inside the distance, which is what makes it intriguing.
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