Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: UFC, MMA, Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones
Ben McCrum
Jon Jones predicted that Tom Aspinall would 'quit' during his fight with Ciryl Gane in a previously unreleased podcast clip.
After a challenging 14 months outside of the octagon, UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall made his return to make his first undisputed title defence against number one contender Ciryl Gane.
The Brit had been outspoken about his desires to fight sooner, but spent so long on the sidelines as he waited for former champion Jon Jones to make a decision on fighting Aspinall or retiring, which he eventually opted for.
However, Aspinall's triumphant return ended in disaster as Gane accidentally poked the champion in both eyes, causing a brutal injury that led to the fight being called off and declared a no contest.
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And now, footage of Jones predicting a similar outcome during an unreleased podcast clip has been revealed.
Immediately after the disappointing end to Aspinall v Gane, Jones took to social media to aim a sly dig at the heavyweight champion, adding an eye patch to his profile picture on all platforms of a duck with a UFC belt.
The result is perfect for Jones as it likely removes any chances of the fight with Aspinall resurfacing, paving the way for the American's dream fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira on The White House card next summer.
But it appears that it wasn't actually a surprise for Jones, who predicted that Aspinall would quit in the fight after noticing a 'weakness' in his mental game.
Speaking in an unreleased clip from an interview with Geoffrey Woo six months ago, Jones claimed: "There's a video that hasn't gone viral, but one of his losses, he was very much an adult, I believe he already had his black belt.
"He was taken down and the guy twisted his ankle and he had no defence, and he tapped so quickly.
"I had a fight where I got armbar'd and I was literally willing to let someone break my arm before giving up. With Tom, the moment he felt any pressure on his ankle, he tapped immediately, which lets me know a lot about him."
With Aspinall and Gane set to rematch for the title some time in the near future, Jones has spoken out to say that he intends to accept Pereira's callout following his win over Magomed Ankalaev earlier in October.
Posting on X, Jones revealed: "Alex, I’d be down to bring the highest skill level to the White House. I appreciate the respect you showed, let’s dance."
Pereira further teased the possibility of fighting Jones in his own reaction to the heavyweight title fight, as he took to Instagram to share a video of him laughing at the result, with the caption: "Let’s Make the heavyweight Division Great Again!"
Alongside the caption, Pereira included emojis of an Easter Island head, referencing his famous 'chama' catchphrase, a bone, Jones nickname, and a white house.