Daniel Cormier explains why Tom Aspinall "needs" Jon Jones for his legacy: "There's going to be a gap"

Daniel Cormier believes Tom Aspinall has to fight Jon Jones to solidify his legacy and to be known as the lineal heavyweight champion. Cormier also referenced his own experience competing at heavyweight and recalled how Jones dismissed a title fight against Francis Ngannou.

Jones vacated the UFC heavyweight championship and announced his retirement last month after months of keeping a title unification fight against Aspinall hanging. Dana White later confirmed that Jones had called it a career, and the Englishman had been made the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

During a recent chat with Demetrious Johnson, Cormier weighed in on whether Aspinall's legacy required a win over Jones:

"Tom needs Jon. He does, bro... I'm only telling this as a guy who lived in that world. I also never beat him [Jones]. No matter what I did going forward, it was always like, 'Oh, you never beat Jon Jones.' Tom Aspinall is going to get that belt and there's going to be a gap. That lineal championship breaks, that line breaks, when Tom goes from interim to champion because Jon never gave him the opportunity to fight him."

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He continued:

"Francis [Ngannou] was going to give Jon Jones an opportunity, Jon wasn't ready to take it at the time. So it keeps breaking."

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Daniel Cormier predicts potential Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones fight

Despite their fierce rivalry, Daniel Cormier believes Jon Jones would get the better of Tom Aspinall if they ever fought in the octagon. The UFC icon recently shared his thoughts on a potential clash between the two heavyweights and pointed out that the Englishman doesn't have championship rounds experience.

Speaking to Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Cormier predicted an Aspinall-Jones fight and said:

"Gun to my head, I would have said Jon beats [Aspinall] right now. I would have said he'll probably beat him right now because guess why? Tom has never been pushed into those championship rounds... Tom hasn't got off the stool for a third round."

He continued:

"Francis [Ngannou], when he fought Stipe [Miocic], and he went to try and knock him out, by the middle of the fight, Francis was looking like he saw a ghost. Breathing out of his mouth and nose... You needed to fight Tom now, when he doesn't have that experience, especially as Jon Jones." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

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Edited by Nishant Zende.