Vitor Belfort doesn’t want to see Jon Jones put his legacy at risk against Tom Aspinall.
For more than a year, fans have been slowly filling up as they watched the unified clash between incontroversial UFC heavyweight champion Jones and interim heavyweight title holder Aspinall. Traditionally, that’s exactly what happens when you have two title holders in one department. Unfortunately, the fight has not yet occurred and has not been announced.
Much of that appears to have been linked before John Jones continues to drag his leg down and lobbys for a fight with Alex Pereira before telling him he hopes to train for a showdown with Britt for at least six months.
Everyone still hopes that the promotion will ultimately succeed in booking the biggest heavyweight fight of all time, but Belfort believes it is a bad idea for “bone.”
“John Jones… as soon as he can choose who he wants to fight,” Belfort told Helen Yi. “I might fight for the title, but that’s not his passion anymore. I recommend a super fight for him. A fight he wants to fight. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone.
“I don’t want to see him lose in the fight. Some want to see him lose. I want to see John Jones walking away… undefeated for me. I can’t see. I’m a risk fight for him. Aspinel is a risk fight for him. I could.”
The fight against Tom Aspinel will not hurt John Jones’ legacy, but it will almost certainly not be fought.
It’s safe to say Jones’ legacy is solidified with a dominant third-round TKO over UFC heavyweight Goat Stipe Miocic in November. The losses to Aspinall will not change that.
But refusing to fight the interim champion completely will almost certainly hurt Jones’ legacy, leaving behind a lasting memory of a man many feared so much that he cannot fight, rather than many of his victories.