Demetrious Johnson questions why Jon Jones retired with "cloud over his head" instead of fighting Tom Aspinall

Demetrious Johnson offered his thoughts on Jon Jones retiring without fighting Tom Aspinall, who was at the time the interim heavyweight champion. Johnson claimed that MMA fans will never find out the reason behind the failed Jones vs. Aspinall matchup.

Many were left disappointed after finding out that Jones departed from the sport without facing Aspinall for a title unification bout, as their potential fight was a subject of discussion for a long time. As a result, during UFC Baku's post-fight press conference, the promotion's CEO Dana White declared Aspinall the new undisputed heavyweight champion.

This caught the attention of Johnson, who posted a video on his YouTube channel, discussing Jones' retirement decision.

''I think Jon Jones, after he beat Stipe Miocic, I think he was totally down to fight Tom Aspinall, and I think Jon Jones asked for $30 million thinking the UFC was not going to give that to him... we'll never hear from Jones' mouth on why he didn't want to take the Tom fight... if Jones was like, 'Dude I was not going to fight Tom Aspinall, he's young, he's athletic, he's dangerous, I don't want to risk my legacy.' Perfect.''

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Johnson, who was among the many who thought Aspinall would have defeated Jones, continued:

''That's all I needed to hear. He doesn't have to fight Tom Aspinall... But the fact that he retires, and there's this cloud over his head where if you ask the casuals, the people who don't follow the sport, they're not going to know about the stripped belts, the loss to Matt Hamill."

Check out Demetrious Johnson's comments below (1:22:02):

Daniel Cormier gives positive reaction to Jon Jones' retirement

Despite being critical of Jon Jones' behavior over the past few months as 'Bones' repeatedly dismissed Tom Aspinall, Daniel Cormier responded to the news of his rival's retirement in a good way.

In a recent episode of Good Guy/ Bad Guy podcast, Cormier acknowledged Jones' legacy inside the octagon:

“I did give [Jones] his flowers in this regard, he’s spanned three generations, Chael [Sonnen, his co-host]. He went through that first generation, then he went through our generation, then he actually beat Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos of the next generation, Ciryl Gane...when you look at him overall, it was greatness from the moment he walked into the octagon. How many people can have that level of greatness for that amount of time?”

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (4:51):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena