According to one record-holding former UFC fighter, Jon Jones isn't at risk of hampering his legacy should he continue avoiding Tom Aspinall.
The heavyweight title picture remains one of the most prominent and polarizing discussions currently at the surface of the MMA community, largely centering around the presence of two champions.
First came Jones, who was crowned in his divisional debut 18 months ago. More recently, Aspinall captured interim gold by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich, a matchup that came about at Madison Square Garden after an injury to Jones delayed his clash with the returning Stipe Miocic.
Since then, one man has recorded their first successful title defense, with Aspinall emphatically exacting his redemption against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July.
But despite the presence of an interim titleholder who has already withstood one challenge, both Jones and the UFC remain steadfast on rescheduling the bout against Miocic. The pair are now expected to give their matchup a second go at reaching the cage this November, once again at the annual MSG-held pay-per-view.
That fact has left Aspinall and many fans, fighters, and pundits bemused. Some have even gone as far as to suggest that avoiding a unification fight with his interim counterpart will leave a negative, lasting impact on Jones' legacy.
According to Matt Brown, news isn't remembered long enough for that to be the case...
Brown Doubts Jones 'Ducking' Aspinall Will Be Remembered
During the latest episode of MMA Fighting's The Fighter vs. The Writer, Brown gave his take on the current championship conversation at heavyweight.
"The Immortal," who retired earlier this year as the record holder for most knockouts and finishes in UFC welterweight history, believes that should Jones defeat Miocic at UFC 309 and subsequently retire over meeting the challenge of Aspinall, it would simply be "forgotten" down the line.
The fact is, it will be forgotten," Brown said. "No matter what Tom does. If Jon retires after he beats Stipe, we’re in the age of news is news for a day. Maybe for a day or two, there will be some people on Reddit saying Jon was scared of Tom or whatever. By next week or whatever…he’ll still be the greatest ever. No one’s going to be like, 'Oh, Jon’s not the greatest ever because he didn’t fight Tom Aspinall.' I don’t think a single person’s going to say that. They’re just going to talk a little bit of silly stuff for a couple of days and it will be completely forgotten.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember Jon ever saying, 'I’m out here now to try to be the greatest heavyweight.' He’s like, 'I’m the greatest fighter, I got that in the bag. I’m the greatest fighter of all time. I’m going to fight a couple heavyweight fights. Yeah, I might be a little bit picky about who I fight. I’m the greatest fighter of all time, b*tch. I get to pick my fights now,'" Brown continued. "I don’t remember him ever saying, 'I’m out here to attempt to prove I can also be the greatest heavyweight.' He’s like, 'No, I’m moving up to get a couple paydays, getting some big fights, having some fun, not have to cut weight, and move on with my life.'
Talk of Jones' potential GOAT status has been a prominent topic as of late, largely thanks to UFC CEO Dana White's staunch campaigning for the heavyweight kingpin to be moved back to top position in the pound-for-pound pecking order.
It remains to be seen whether Aspinall will get his wish to share the cage with Jones. But as Brown noted, the Rochester native appears to be paying more attention to his overall place in MMA lore as opposed to a heavyweight legacy.
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