Morning Report: Alexander Gustafsson believes Tom Aspinall is 'too good for Jon Jones' and could become 'the greatest heavyweight of all time'

Everyone wants to see Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall.

Many have tried to beat Jones, arguably the greatest fighter of all time, but all but Matt Hamill lost. In all seriousness, “Bones” has come close to a decision once or twice in his illustrious 29-fight (27-1, 1 no-hitter) career, the first being a Hall of Fame-worthy win against Sweden's Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in 2013.

The 37-year-old Gustafsson ultimately lost a unanimous decision but got a much-anticipated rematch in December 2018. Unfortunately, that rematch also didn't go well, resulting in a third-round TKO and a move to fight at heavyweight two fights later. Jones has since followed suit, winning the vacant title but is battling to become interim champion if he survives Stipe Miocic's expected booking changes. The community is clamoring for interim titleholder Tom Aspinall to challenge Jones and, as men in that position have done historically, if they were to meet, Gustafsson believes the Brit would get it done.

“Aspinal is in top form right now and is a very good heavyweight fighter,” Gustafsson told Crypto Betting Sites. “I don't think there's anybody out there who can beat Aspinal right now. I get why Tom wants to fight Jon because Jon is the GOAT, the biggest UFC star right now. If Tom beats Jon it would be bigger than winning any UFC belt. The biggest achievement in UFC right now is to beat Jon Jones. I get why Aspinal is chasing this fight. I think he's ready to fight Jon. He's in top form right now. The time to fight Jon Jones is now.”

“I think Tom is too strong for John. He has all the weapons to beat John. John is not as active, but he is still the GOAT. You can never underestimate this guy. He is so good at what he does. He has beaten everyone and everyone knows how good he is. But I think Aspinall is very dangerous for John right now. He is dangerous on the stand, he is fast, he has great footwork and he is a smart fighter. He has the power to put up a good fight against John and even beat him. If they fight, now is Aspinall's turn. He may go down as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time.”

Before the 31-year-old Aspinall can even pretend to dream of facing Jones again, he will have to win his interim title defence against Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of next month's UFC 304. Meanwhile, a fight between Jones and Miocic has been suggested as a possible November fight – the same month as originally scheduled last year before Jones tore his pectoral muscle.

While Gustafsson believes Aspinall has what it takes to end Jones' historic reign of terror, the same can't be said for the former two-time heavyweight champion Miocic, so a Jones-versus-interim matchup is theoretically in the cards.

“I can't see Steep beating Jones,” Gustafsson said. “I love Steep and he's a great heavyweight, but I can't see him beating Jones. Steep has accomplished more than most heavyweights in this division, but I can't see him beating Jones.”

Gustafsson, meanwhile, hasn't fought since losing four straight bouts, including a first-round knockout by Nikita Krylov in July 2022. Despite the hiatus, he's hoping to end his career on a high if given the chance.

“I'm not closing any doors, and if an offer comes my way, I'll take it and go from there,” Gustafsson said. “With the life I'm living now, it won't take me long to adapt and get back into fighting mode. I'm still competing and continuing to train with a pro team. All I really want now is to feel that hunger to compete again, step into training camp and fight hell.”

“I have to feel that fire in my body, go to hell and back to prepare myself physically and mentally. This is not new for me. I've been doing martial arts for 15 years and I came so close to winning a belt. I want to feel that fire again. I'm open to any fight. It's been a long time since I've been away.”

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