A win over Tom Aspinall would have been a massive cherry on top for Jon Jones.
The legendary two-division champion has had a better career than most, retiring with a record of 28-1 (1 NC), 16 of those being title fight wins. Jones, 37, announced his retirement in June, in turn avoiding a title unification bout with the interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Jones was heavily criticized for ‘ducking’ Aspinall, who was promoted to the new undisputed champion after nearly 600 days. Jones has teased his comeback at the White House after President Donald Trump’s idea to have a UFC event there, however, it’s still unclear if he’ll ever fight England’s Aspinall.
While some argue Jones doesn’t need to risk his record against the younger Aspinall, others suggest ‘Bones’ owes Aspinall a title opportunity as he is the new generation. Michael Bisping said UFC Hall of Famer Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua gave Jones his chance when he was 23 years old and that he should do the same against Aspinall at 32.
No stranger to age gaps, the oldest fighter on the roster has said if you’re in the UFC, you can’t be scared to fight anybody—especially if you’re Jon Jones.
Stephen Thompson found Jon Jones’ retirement ‘disappointing’, says Tom Aspinall win ‘makes you look even better’
At 42, two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson has been giving opportunities to rising contenders for nearly a decade.
Thompson’s last two fights were against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley and now, the veteran is set to test a 17-1 Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Nashville this weekend.
Sort of a gatekeeper at this stage of their career, Thompson was asked about Jones not giving Aspinall the opportunity to fight him before retiring.
“It is kinda disappointing,” Thompson told MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.
“Because when I was coming up in the earlier days, you earned your spot.
“It didn’t matter how popular you were, if you were ranked number one or whatever, you just fought for the title and you didn’t get it, you’re gonna get somebody who’s deserving of that.
“You just got so many guys trying to hold on to their spot now, and you can’t become the best that you can be if you’re doing that, if you’re just holding on to it.
“You can’t be scared to give up-and-coming guys a chance,” Thompson added.
“In fact, if you do beat those guys, it makes you look even better.
“I don’t care where you’re ranked in the UFC. You’re a stud. You’re dangerous. Anybody, you can be in the top, you can be in the top five, the number one contender. You can be at the very bottom of the totem pole. You’re a dangerous guy.”
Stephen Thompson faces 15-year age gap in next fight
The 42-year-old Thompson has been the older fighter in his last 15 fights.
Since challenging for the title against Tyron Woodley in 2017, Thompson has swatted multiple contenders away from title contention. ‘Wonderboy’ has beaten the likes of BMF Champion Jorge Masvidal, Geoff Neal, Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland in recent years.
Thompson is set to face off against a 27-year-old prospect in Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Nashville on Saturday.
Thompson hasn’t fought someone older than him since 2014. The last time Thompson did, it was Patrick Cote on the undercard of UFC 178, the same night Conor McGregor knocked out Dustin Poirier.