Ariel Helwani goes nuclear on Jon Jones for not fighting Tom Aspinall before retirement, questions GOAT status: "I'm sorry"

Ariel Helwani criticized Jon Jones in harsh words in light of the 37-year-old's retirement from competitive MMA. The last few years of Jones' career have been characterized by his frequently changing stance on fighting Tom Aspinall. While Jones is regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time, his decision to retire without facing Aspinall has raised questions about his legacy.

In a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Helwani highlighted Jones' multiple anti-doping violations and condemned his refusal to honour the tradition of fighting the top contenders to either pass on the torch or strengthen his own legacy:

"I don't want to hear the GOAT talk. I'm sorry. I'm tired of beating around the bush here. You cannot be the GOAT if you have multiple PED infractions on your record. You can't. And you cannot be the GOAT if you did not want to do what others did for you. Time-honoured tradition - You fight the top contenders. Not only was Tom Aspinall the top contender, he was the interim champion for almost two years. You didn't want to fight him."

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below (0:01):

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Ariel Helwani slams Jon Jones' dismissal of Tom Aspinall's competitive achievements

Tom Aspinall had sought a title unification bout against Jon Jones since capturing the interim heavyweight title in November 2023. However, Jones expressed his interest in fighting veteran fighters instead, citing Aspinall's perceived lack of star power and a relatively short list of accomplishments as reasons for denying him the opportunity.

In the aforementioned episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Ariel Helwani refuted Jones' claims and presented a strong case for Aspinall, stating:

"The Tom vs. Jon fight, would've been the biggest fight of Jon Jones' career since Daniel Cormier rematch in 2017, eight years ago. With all due respect to Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, Dominick Reyes, Ciryl Gane and to even Stipe Miocic himself. None of them come close to this fight. Dana White himself called it the biggest heavyweight fight of all time.... So this idea that he doesn't excite you, that he hasn't done enough is hogwash. Look at his resume, look at Jon Jones' resume, not even close as far as heavyweight, not even close." [0:32]

Following Jones' retirement, Aspinall has been promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. His next opponent or the date of return have not yet been announced.