Michael Bisping says Jon Jones and Jake Paul annoy him for the same reason.
‘Bones’ is the UFC heavyweight champion, widely regarded as the greatest fighter in MMA history. Jake Paul is a YouTuber-turned-boxer known for targeting smaller, older, and less skilled opponents.
Still, the former UFC middleweight champion titleholder lumps them together as fighters who are cherry-picking opponents they know they can beat.
It’s mainly because Jon Jones is trying to get out of a unification fight with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and take what many people view as a more favorable fight against Alex Pereira instead.
Michael Bisping compares Jon Jones to Jake Paul
Michael Bisping certainly feels that way. ‘The Count’ believes both Jon Jones and Jake Paul are setting themselves up for success with their opponent picks.
The 45-year-old, who is still recovering from a serious surgery, is growing frustrated with Jones and his excuses for avoiding a fight with Aspinall.
“Jon can do whatever he wants,” Bisping said on his ‘Believe You Me’ podcast.
“My only issue is as a man, as a fighter, is him saying he doesn’t have this obligation to fight these young up-and-coming, hungry, dangerous guys that have an ability to beat him.
“I don’t get that. That’s what my problem is with Jake Paul. Fighting guys that he knows he can beat. Alex Pereira, he has a very blatantly obvious path to victory. He just took down Stipe. He took down Ciryl Gane. He will take down Alex Pereira.
“Would he be able to take down Tom? That’s the question. That’s the fight. That’s what we want to see.”
Michael Bisping impressed by Jon Jones at UFC 309
Bisping’s thoughts on a potential fight between Jones and Aspinall somewhat changed when the heavyweight king knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last weekend.
The UFC Hall of Famer says that just makes a fight with Aspinall even more intriguing, and the fact Jones is seemingly trying to dodge it even more annoying.
Bisping added: “I’ve always said I think Tom would beat Jon. But when I was watching this Saturday night, I was like, ‘Jon looks big. Jon looks fast. Jon looks like he’s got the ability to go five rounds if he wants to or he needs to.’
“I believe Jon would give him some problems. I believe that is a real fight that the world wants to see.”
The good thing for Bisping and fans with the same opinion is that Dana White has ruled out making Jones vs Pereira next. The UFC boss has repeatedly insisted that Aspinall will get his unification shot, despite the American’s aversion to fighting the Englishman.
So, you can expect Jones and Aspinall to finally throw down at some point in 2025.