Veteran UFC fighter Matt Brown believes Jon Jones` recent retirement, while drawing criticism that he avoided a fight against Tom Aspinall, actually impacts Aspinall more negatively than Jones himself. Brown argues that Jones` extensive career achievements mean any perception of “ducking” will fade with time, securing his place as one of the sport`s greatest. He suggests Jones understands this, viewing the criticism as temporary and irrelevant to his established legacy.
“Jon’s a smart guy,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He knows in a year, two years, no one’s going to remember what this narrative was… and Jon Jones is still going to be the greatest ever.” Brown added, “On his end, he’s like ‘f*ck you guys, say whatever you want, it’s all going to be forgotten, I’m the greatest, I can do whatever the hell I want,’ and if I was in his shoes, I’d probably say the same damn thing.”
According to Brown, Jones` decision to wait seven months post-Stipe Miocic fight before retiring particularly disadvantages Tom Aspinall. While Aspinall is now the undisputed heavyweight champion, his options for significant, challenging opponents are limited compared to the potential Jones superfight. His likely next opponent, Ciryl Gane, is seen as less compelling, partly because Jones defeated Gane swiftly in his heavyweight debut – a fact that will undoubtedly overshadow Aspinall`s potential victory.
Brown provocatively stated it`s almost as if Jones intentionally sought to hinder Aspinall`s career, labeling Aspinall the “biggest loser” in this situation. He highlights the lack of challenging opponents for Aspinall, questioning the excitement around potential bouts against Ciryl Gane (already beaten by Jones) or Jailton Almeida (who lost to Curtis Blaydes), arguing the current heavyweight landscape is weak.
“It puts Tom in a tough spot. He’s definitely the biggest loser in this whole thing,” Brown commented. “Like where does he go from here? He fights Ciryl Gane, the guy Jon beat in two minutes? Or Jailton Almeida?… The heavyweight division isn’t what it was.”
Brown draws a parallel to the end of Jones` light heavyweight reign, which he felt became less compelling, but notes Jones initially faced a deep pool of top contenders. Aspinall, conversely, lacks this depth in the current heavyweight division, which Brown describes as depleted and lacking rising stars. He suggests Jones effectively “cleared out” the light heavyweight division, leading to less exciting late-career matchups, whereas Aspinall faces this issue from the start due to the division`s current state. Brown compares the heavyweight landscape to less deep women`s divisions, where only a few contenders seem viable, jokingly suggesting the UFC might need extreme measures like bringing back Brock Lesnar to boost interest.
While Aspinall can accumulate title defenses, Brown stresses the importance of the level of competition. He cites Demetrious Johnson, whose dominance isn`t always ranked highest among greats partly due to the perceived depth of the flyweight division compared to Jones` light heavyweight or St-Pierre`s welterweight. Brown concludes that Jones, by retiring, essentially prevented Aspinall from having a truly legacy-defining fight against arguably his toughest potential opponent, especially given the current weakness of the heavyweight landscape.
Ultimately, Brown believes Jones` retirement isn`t motivated by avoiding a tough fight with Aspinall (though he admits Aspinall would pose a challenge). Instead, he attributes it to Jones` desire to enjoy his wealth and life outside fighting, suggesting Jones is simply choosing retirement and partying over another training camp and fight.
“I just think Jon doesn’t give a shit,” Brown said. “He’s out partying. He’s living his best life… I think he’s a party animal and he’s got millions of dollars in the bank and he’s set for life. He’s like f*ck yeah I’m going to go party, why should I go fight?”
