UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre suggested how Tom Aspinall should handle the Jon Jones wait.
Georges St-Pierre experienced plenty of highs, and some low points, during his legendary career in the UFC Octagon. After suffering multiple crushing defeats, St-Pierre bounced back from both by tearing through the UFC’s welterweight division on the road to several title reigns.
Fast forward to the UFC’s modern era, and the UFC’s biggest heavyweight fight remains in limbo as Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall continue to negotiate a potential showdown later this year. Aspinall has held the interim heavyweight belt for almost two full years without a booked shot at the undisputed championship against Jones or another top heavyweight.
As Aspinall’s frustration regarding Jones’s hiatus continues, St-Pierre recommends a unique approach to the growing heavyweight division uncertainty.
Georges St-Pierre compares Tom Aspinall’s wait for Jon Jones to one of his legendary rivalries
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, St-Pierre was asked how he’d move forward as Aspinall waits for a Jones fight booking.
“If I could give Tom advice, he needs to focus on the next task,” St-Pierre said of Aspinall. “I remember when I lost to Matt Serra, I was making the mistake of thinking about Matt Serra and trying to get my rematch immediately. But I had multiple fights before that…and if he’s only focusing on Jon Jones, and if Jones doesn’t come back right away, he’s not focusing on the right thing. He needs to focus on ‘What is next?’. It’s a distraction…the things that need to be done will be done.
“I don’t know what Jon will do, but as a fan, I’d love to see this fight,” St-Pierre continued. “Because in terms of legacy and accomplishment, Jon Jones is the best. And I understand Tom’s point of view that he’s a proud fighter and he wants to be the best, but now it’s all dependent on what Jon wants to do, if he still wants to do this and if he’s compensated fairly…it all plays [a role].
“So Tom shouldn’t focus on [Jon] because it’s outside of his control, and he’s wasting a lot of energy focusing on that. And I know it’s very hard, but he needs to self-hypnotize himself to focus on the next thing and be hungry about the next task.”
After meeting with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell last month, Aspinall expressed supreme optimism regarding his Octagon return. Jones hasn’t fought since finishing Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.
Aspinall defended the interim belt last July against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, finishing Blaydes in the first round. He remains unbeaten in his UFC tenure with recent knockouts of Sergei Pavlovich, Marcin Tybura, and Serghei Spivac.
Dana White’s latest update on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
UFC CEO Dana White remains ‘super confident’ that the Jones vs. Aspinall fight will come to fruition later this year. He called recent rumors that the fight was off the table ‘b—–‘, and insisted that the matchup remains at the top of the UFC’s wish list.
In light of St-Pierre’s comments about Aspinall, the interim titleholder acknowledged that the wait for Jones might be a blessing in disguise. Aspinall shared he’s dealt with several health issues in recent months as he waits for his Octagon return booking.
One of Jones’s former rivals encouraged him to ‘walk away’ from the Aspinall fight and retire. Vitor Belfort nearly handed Jones a loss during the height of the latter’s UFC light heavyweight title reign.
While Jones vs. Aspinall is unlikely for the UFC’s International Fight Week event, it could potentially take place late-summer or early Fall. In the meantime, the wait continues for one of the biggest fights in UFC history.